Three years ago, I wrote about planting my first vegetable garden.  Since then, I’ve gotten more skilled at what I’m doing and I’ve been surprisingly successful in growing a few things, including peppers. (And a total failure in growing others like strawberries – but that’s okay, it’s a learning process!) I had so many long hot peppers and green peppers this year I thought about canning, but I’m too lazy and don’t have time. I’ve made stuffed peppers before  – but these peppers were almost too small for that. 
My friend came to the rescue and suggested I make a jalapeno cheddar bread. She had made one from a recipe she found on Pinterest. I didn’t have any jalapenos but had other hot peppers, so I just chopped them up and threw them in. The result was an highly addictive, spicy, cheesy loaf of biscuit-like bread. (If you like the cheddar bay biscuits from Red Lobster, then you’re going to love this easy to make biscuit bread.)
Just remember to please, please, please wear gloves if you are handling hot peppers. You may not think that they’re hot but I’m telling you – they are dangerous! The oils from the peppers can sink into your skin and burn you when you least expect it (even the next day – I’ve learned from experience!)

 

Fairytale Cheddar Pepper Biscuit Bread
(Adopted from Homemade by Holman)
Yields 1 loaf.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
3-5 hot peppers, seeded and diced (I used the hot peppers from my hard)
1 large or 2 small green or red peppers, diced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, pepper, salt and cheese) and mix together with a wooden spoon. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Combine the wet ingredients in a separate small bowl. Poor into the well of the dry ingredients. Lightly stir together until well blended. Pour into loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Use a knife to take the loaf out of the pan. Serve immediately, or let cool completely before covering to retain the crispness.

I also made a spicy pepper soup I adopted from a Cooking Light recipe for poblano and corn soup. I adopted it to use my own mix of peppers and this is the result. Be warned, this is SPICY and not for the faint of heart. 

Fairytale Hot Pepper and Corn Soup
Serves 4
Adopted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen corn
2 cups of 1% milk
4 hot peppers, seeded and diced
1 cup of chopped onion
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Place the onion and chopped peppers in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Add to a dutch oven with the corn and milk. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat. Using a hand immersion blender to puree the whole soup. Add in 1/2 cup of cheese and salt and stir until blended. Serve with remaining cheddar cheese sprinkled on top. Also good with crumbled tortilla chips on top.

Enjoy!

I have more tomatoes then I know what to do with and I was craving something comforting this week. I also felt like being artistic, so I came up with this easy recipe for a summer tart. You can really get creative when arranging the tomato and eggplant slices. This recipe is also perfect for lunch or dinner and great for entertaining. I threw in some sprigs of fresh herbs that I have growing in my garden. Feel free to substitute fresh basil for a lighter, more delicate flavor. You could also substitute summer squashes for the eggplant, just cut back on the roasting time.

Fairytale Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Feta Garden Tart
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 Pillsburg refrigerated pie crust
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3 large beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
3/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
1 egg white
3 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
Recipe:
Lay the slices of eggplant on a foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush the slices with the extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. While baking, fit the Pillsbury pie crust to a tart dish and refrigerate. 
When eggplant is ready, take out of oven and let cool slightly. Brush the pie crust with the egg white. Arrange the roasted eggplant slices and tomato slices in circular layers. 
Sprinkle chopped fresh herbs over the tomato and eggplant. Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes for a crispy shell. 


Let cool completely before removing the tart by inverting it onto a plate.  
Enjoy!