teacher by day - chef by night
We all have lots of things going on and life is busy, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t time to sit down for dinner. According to research, less than 10% of families eat together more than 2 times a week – that blows my …
I might have mentioned before that we had a lot of habeneros (and by “a lot” I mean we only planted 2 plants but even 1 of these plants would have given me ten times more than I needed, so with 2 plants you can …
We had/have an over-abundance of hot-peppers (mostly habaneros – since I could actually find uses for the cayenne, but its hard to find many uses for more than 1 habanero at a time usually). Since I love store-bought red pepper flakes (on pizza, in soups, spice up any dish, etc) I figured it couldn’t be too hard to make my own in order to use up a bit of peppers…
…After some research I discovered, no – it wasn’t too hard (even without a dehydrator). For the first hour or so of these being in the oven the house feels slightly spicy to the smell, but not too bad. Now, if only this made more (guess I need to spend another full day with the oven on to make these), since I’ve already put quite a dent on the baggie of dried pepper in the last week!
Wash & pat dry your assortment of peppers. Cut off the stems & cut in half. For more mild flakes scoop out insides. I left them in there and when I use my flakes will just use less if I want something less spicy. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven for about 8 hours. They will look dry and brittle when you are done. The house may feel a bit ‘spicy’ during this time.
Remove from oven and let cool. Place them in a large zip-top bag and carefully crush them (with a rolling pin). Get your flakes to the desired consistency and then do not open your bag for a few minutes to allow the dust to settle. Place in a container and enjoy the fruits (or vegetables) of your labor all year (or as long as it lasts)!
And I leave you with this, Today’s Question of the Day… what spices or seasoning have you made (or would you like to make instead of buying)
There are many ways to get inspired by food. Sometimes you are craving something. Or you could have an over-abundance of a certain ingredient and strive to use it. Other times you see a recipe or picture of something and know that you MUST make it …
“Rich – I made you a snack – it’s in the fridge next to the milk…” I think that if I said that phrase more often we might be engaged (just kidding honey, kinda) But in all seriousness – Rich LOVES cookie dough, even though …
As a teacher, I often think about my personal vs. public life. This blog makes me think about those private/personal lines and my privacy as well (especially right now as I am teaching Internet Safety/Responsibility/etc). I am an adult, but I am also an educator and the shaper of young minds. My students know that I blog and I am sure that some of them have found it. 
I’m an adult who is legally allowed to consume alcoholic beverages (not that I ever really do though, seriously, its pretty rare for me- I can count on my hands the number of times I have had a drink in the past year). Even though I am an adult – I always want to be a responsible role model for my students.
So here is the post, written by a teacher in her late 20’s who is a lover of food and exploring new ways to use her ingredients and who also encourages her students to make the right choices in their life…
I made Bloody Mary Tomato Juice for my Grandmother with lots of our garden fresh tomatoes and wanted some spicy vodka to go with it, especially since I was making the drinks for my grandmother who loves them spicy (a constant challenge to make them spicy enough for grandma)! We have an over-abundance of habaneros in our garden (all thanks to one plant) and I am trying to come up with ways to use them without burning my face (or hands) off! When I stumbled across Kitchen Konfidence, I knew that I had to make this for my grandmother (and share with my spice-loving neighbor).
At first I was not sure if I should add the bacon (by all means feel free to make this vegetarian by leaving out the bacon), but it did add a bit of ‘smokiness’ to the vodka. Play around with it & be careful with the heat (no touching your eyes) and how long you let this infuse!!
Cook, drain, & cool Bacon. Slice your peppers in half. Add all solids to a mason jar (or any clean recycled glass jar you have around the house). Pour your quality vodka over top. Allow to infuse for up to 7 days – the longer you let it set, the stronger it will be.
Feel free to use this after 2 days or so (at 2-3 days I took mine out and it was more than plenty strong for me – if you like it spicier, leave it) but after about a week, take out your solids & use your infused vodka with caution & enjoy responsibly!
I wonder what else this ingredient can be be used for… I can see some sort of “Devil Drink” to be a perfect use for this Habanero Vodka for Halloween – suggestions? 
And I Leave You with this, Today’s Question of the Day… What flavors of an infused liquid have you created or do you think you would enjoy the flavor of?