Powerless Morning / Pepper-full Night

We had a few more raindrops from Hurricane Lee, 3/10-inch to be exact, but there was a price to pay.

We woke up in the middle of the night to no power. The moon had set.  There must've been heavy cloud cover. The house was pitch black. I got up to go to the bathroom and ended up in the closet! No worries, I made the correction in time.

Once morning had broken I called the power company. The customer service rep said that 827 clients were without power. Rouse had to shave at the office. I carried on with students in the morning. The power came back on 11:45am. But that wasn't the end of it!

Rouse called the house at midday. He couldn't get me on the land-line so he called my cell phone. It turns out the phone and related internet service were out in our area - a problem related to the same huge downed tree that took out the power lines down the road and around the corner on Old 87. The phone service resumed sometime around 6:00pm.

The UP side ... the garden is wet and happy. The brassica plants and the fava beans are growing well. The arugula needs to be thinned. The butternut squash is healthy and blooming - and I see tiny baby squash forming. The green beans are prolific. I have enough okra to make another batch of pickles tomorrow.  The cherry tomatoes are hanging in there and I'm still getting a few cucumbers. The peppers are plentiful.

In fact, I fixed a large pan of stuffed peppers for supper tonight. I made up two vegetarian fillings ... one potato based, the other rice based.  Do-again-ers!

Depending on the size of your peppers, the following recipes will each stuff about a dozen peppers.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While waiting for the pot to boil, wash and prepare peppers, removing seeds and membranes. (If you're using hot peppers, be sure to wear gloves and take care not to touch your eyes, mouth, or nose!) Lower peppers into the boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove from hot water, drain. If you're ready to stuff and the peppers are too hot to handle, you may rinse them with cool water, then drain.

Rice Stuffing for Assorted Peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/2 can red beans
1 cup prepared rice
1/2 cup salsa (I used my home-canned Fiesta Salsa)
3/4 cup Mexican cheese medley
Lizano Salsa (vegetable-based condiment, imported from Costa Rica)
salt / pepper

Potato Stuffing for Assorted Peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/2 can red beans
8 potatoes, peeled (optional), cubed, cooked
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
buttermilk, enough to get desired consistency
salt / pepper
Meat Eaters' Variation:  Try adding crumbled bacon or diced ham.

Saute onion in oil until soft and transparent. Add peas, corn, and beans.

• For Rice Variation:  Add rice, salsa, cheese, and seasonings to taste.
• For Potato Variation:  Mash potatoes, adding cheeses and enough buttermilk to make the potatoes creamy, yet thick enough to mold into the peppers. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add meat if desired.

Stuff into prepared peppers.  Bake at 350 degrees until heated through. (Do not over bake. They'll dry out.)