Stuffed Hot Banana Peppers

So Howie and I are officially sustainable urban residents.  Finally, right?  We woke up early last Saturday morning to take full advantage of the gloriously sunny and warm July weather and decided to venture up to the Lakewood Farmer's Market on our bikes.  Right when I stepped into the little plaza and laid eyes on the abundance of fresh vegetables and cartons upon cartons of peaches, I instantly felt inspired to concoct about 10 different recipes.  However...I had to restrain myself because I didn't have a ton of cash on hand.  Sad day.  But we still walked away with a backpack filled with fresh pasta from Little Lakewood Pasta Company, green onions, radishes (a total impulse buy on Howie's part - they're still sitting in our fridge) and the star of this blog post...spicy banana peppers.  Well, more like half spicy banana peppers for Howie and half "sweet" a.k.a. still-spicy-but-not-flaming-hot banana peppers for me.  I don't know if it was the freshness of of the locally-grown peppers, my adoration of Italian cuisine or my ahhh-mazing cooking abilities *cue eye roll*, but these Stuffed Hot Banana Peppers were out of this world delicious!  Stop by the Lakewood Farmer's Market this Saturday from 10am-1am in front of the Marc's shopping center and then try this recipe in your own kitchen afterwards!

Garlic Rosemary Beef Stew

Even though it's finally March, which is spring in my books, I spent the weekend sick as dog!  I was lucky to have my awesome boyfriend Howie by my side from Friday after work to Sunday night.  We tried to make the best of my soft foods diet with homemade Tortellini Soup on Friday night (and Saturday for leftovers, of course!), and and an ahhhmazing Garlic Rosemary Beef Stew on Sunday night.  It was super easy to make and let us be lazy on the couch watching Maleficent and the Cavs Game all afternoon without lifting a finger...except little test tastes to get the seasoning just right!  We started prepping the stew at 1:30, and everything was perfectly tender by 7:00 for dinner.  YUM!

Slow Cooker Sunday

MIDTERMS ARE OVER!  I don't even think that all caps does that statement justice.  School and work have been so busy that I haven't gotten to post anything this month, so I wanted to make a really special dinner for a relaxing Sunday night and practice my Crock Pot skills.  I made Howie and I a deliciously tender beef pot roast with potatoes, veggies, and a side of flaky biscuits.  I'll admit, it's definitely a winter dish, but it was also snowing yesterday, so I think it's justified.  And who wouldn't pair this comfort meal with a night that involved making (non-visual) progress on our 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle and watching American Hustle.