Stuffed Cajun Belle Peppers and Bloody Mary Mix – RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Stuffed Cajun Belle Peppers and Bloody Mary Mix

As you begin to think about what you might plant in your garden this year, a must have is the Cajun Belle pepper.  Don’t let the name scare you…..it is what seems to be a mix of a sweet red pepper with a hint of heat.  Savory and sweet sensations meet in this highly producing, low maintenance pepper that is ideal for both traditional and container gardens.

Each plant produces hundreds of 2-3 inch peppers, with a small seed core that is easy to remove. The peppers can be picked at all different stages of ripeness, the more peppers you pick, the more you’ll get. Pick at any stage—from green to red.  The red peppers pack more heat than the green variety.  These peppers are packed with Vitamins A and C—twice the vitamin C of an orange. Use Cajun Belles for slicing into salsa, stir-fry, and salads. Chop these peppers into soups, omelets, and chili to add a sweet yet spicy pepper tang.  And they make a great quick and easy appetizer!

Stuffed Cajun Belle Peppers

Stuffed Cajun Belle Peppers

•  12 Cajun Belle Peppers  (or more…..you are going to want more than one)
•  1 pound of sweet ground sausage
•  1 8oz bar of cream cheese

(Seriously, that is all you need)

Cut off the stem of the peppers.  Slice pepper from top to bottom to produce two pepper halves (boats).  Take out the seeds and ribs by scooping them out with a spoon.   If you like a lot of heat, keep some of the seeds loose in the pepper.  Brown sausage, drain, and return to skillet on low heat.  Add cream cheese in the warm skillet, and stir with sausage until fully mixed.  Remove from heat.  Fill each boat with cream cheese/sausage mixture and place in a baking dish.  Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes.

Wondering what to do with all that tomato juice you canned in the fall?  Besides the obvious use in soups and sauces, have you ever thought that “I could’ve had a V-8?”  Never in my deepest imagination would I have ever thought that I would be drinking that red juice with a ton of pepper added that was in my refrigerator when I was a child.  In fact, just the look of it sent chills down my spine. Well, this isn’t your parent’s V-8 — it’s time to kick it up a notch and bring tomato juice to a whole new level.

Blood Mary Mix

Bloody Mary Mix

• 6 cups of tomato juice
• 3 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
• 2 tsp habanero sauce (or hot sauce)
• ½ Tbsp. garlic salt
• ½ Tbsp celery salt
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper

Mix ingredients well.    Drink ‘as is’ for a warming, yet refreshing drink.  Add 1 1/2 oz. of vodka to a 12 oz. glass for a traditional Bloody Mary Drink.