Stuffed Mini Peppers

ceramic plate from Fifty One and a Half

Have you seen these little mini peppers that the grocery stores are stocking now? Well, I've become a big fan of these and I always have a bag in the fridge. They make the nicest little appetizers. I even like them better than the large bell peppers for stir fries.  But one of the best things to do with them is to cut them in half, stuff them and bake or grill them.  

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Homemade Ice Cream - an Update

ceramics from Fifty One and a Half

I've been posting about the joys of making homemade ice cream for a long time now but I have modified my recipe for the better and I wanted to share it with you.  Making homemade ice cream is super easy and delicious. Not only do you know exactly what is in your ice cream, but you can make any combination of flavors that you want.  

In my old recipe, I used a simple mixture of cream, half and half, sugar and whatever flavorings I wanted (I did not want to make ice cream with eggs). Now this worked just fine and was absolutely lucious and delicious. The problem was keeping the leftover ice cream in the freezer - it would form ice crystals and the ice cream wasn't so creamy anymore.  This problem is solved by simply adding a cornstarch slurry and a little light corn syrup into the mixture, which prevents this crystallization. 

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Coffee Cake Muffins

We just flew back last night from being out in Boston and watching our oldest son, Barry, run the Marathon. What a picture perfect day it was and it was so exciting to see him take part in such a great event. He worked hard to get there. I loved the atmosphere at the race, with everyone cheering total strangers on and people applauding the military and all the "Boston Strong" tee shirts.  I've never seen so many policemen in my life. And an American with an incredible background story won the men's race - how awesome was that?  Here's a picture of Barry after the finish line:

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