Love in the Kitchen - making fast, healthy, homegrown meals you'll enjoy

Friday, May 31, 2013

Handling Hot Peppers


I love hot peppers.  We grow a bunch of different varieties, from the not-at-all-hot sweet bell peppers to the super-lethal Trinidad Scorpion peppers.

We love cooking with all of these different peppers, but some do require care in handling and preparation.

First you need to know about how hot your pepper is expected to be.  Pepper heat is measured on a scale called the Scoville scale.  Bell Peppers measure 0, while pure capsaicin, the stuff that make peppers hot, is about 15 to 16 million.

Capsaicin  is the active component of chili peppers. It is an irritant for mammals, including humans, and produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact. Capsaicin and several related compounds are called capsaicinoids and are produced as secondary metabolites by chili peppers, probably as deterrents against certain mammals and fungi.

Here's how some fairly common peppers fit onto the Scoville scale:


So what happens if you touch capsaicin?  The result appears to be that capsaicin mimics a burning sensation, the nerves are overwhelmed by the influx, and are unable to report pain for an extended period of time.


Which means?  It feels as if you have burnt your hand (or your eye, or whatever you happen to touch....).

The best way to avoid this is avoid touching peppers that will cause this for you.

For me - I can handle jalapenos and habaneros without much problem.  My hands don't burn, but I do need to take care not to rub my eyes.  When I cut up 10 pounds of jalapenos last summer for pickling, I did notice my hands were burning for some time afterwards.  And because jalapenos tend not to bother me much, it took me a while to figure out what the problem was!  So, if I were going to cut large quantities of these, I'd consider wearing latex gloves.

Ghost and scorpion peppers, on the other hand, are a LOT hotter and require me to take more care.  With these, I handle only the outside generally, and use my mini-food chopper to do all the cutting.  I like these to be cut quite finely in any case, so that the heat can be distributed throughout the dish.  While these peppers do not cause burning on my hands, are extremely hot if I touch my eyes or mouth.




But let's say, you don't have latex gloves, or just decide to live on the wild side and forgo them entirely.  And now your hands are burning or you can't keep from rubbing your eyes.  What do you do now?



For external exposure, covering the surfaces that have contacted capsaicin with oily compounds such as vegetable oil, paraffin oil, petroleum jelly (Vaseline), creams, or polyethylene glycol is the most effective way to attenuate the associated discomfort; since oil and capsaicin are both hydrophobic hydrocarbons the capsaicin which has not already been absorbed into tissues will be picked up into solution and easily removed.

Capsaicin can also be washed off the skin using soap, shampoo, or other detergents, though generally not as effectively. Plain water is ineffective at removing capsaicin, as are vinegar, bleach, and topical antacid suspensions.






What happens if your mouth you've accidentally (or on purpose even) eaten something so hot your mouth is "on fire"?


Ice cream sandwich!  Seriously!  Additionally, cold milk is an pretty good way to treat the burning sensation and room temperature sugar solution (10% sugar to 90% water)  is almost as effective.

Note:  the cooling sensation may however only have a temporary effect, while drinking any beverage will enhance the burning sensation by spreading the Capsaicin throughout the mouth and maximizing receptors' exposure to it, making bread or white rice a better alternative. The burning sensation will slowly fade away over several minutes to hours if no actions are taken.

Burning and pain symptoms can also be relieved by cooling, such as from ice, cold water, cold bottles, cold surfaces, or a flow of air from wind or a fan.





So to summarize:
  • know your "heat" tolerance
  • minimize your exposure to peppers that are above your heat tolerance by wearing gloves or not touching the insides of the peppers
  • use oil or vaseline to remove the heat from your hands
  • eat an ice cream sandwich or drink a glass of milk if you've eaten something too hot
Also good to know - the heat won't last forever and there won't be lasting damage.  So maybe try something a little hotter next time.  You may find yourself working your way up to the super hots!



zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
Pin It

Monday, May 27, 2013

Tuesday's Table for May 28, 2013 - And a *Giveaway*!!








Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week - we had a fantastic week!  I chose Home Sweet Kitchen and Garden's Thai Hot Sweet and Sour Soup as my feature this week. Thai food is one of my favorites and I am always on the lookout for a great new recipe.  Go on over and check out Home Sweet Kitchen and Garden - you'll be glad you did!






Please grab a button  - and thanks so much for sharing!



We also had a giveaway last week.  Picked randomly, the winner is <drumroll>

#62- Desiree from Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl!</drumroll>  Please send me your mailing address and I'll get that out to you right away.


Here's what I'll be giving away this week:

Silicone Spatulas



To enter, link up your recipes, crafts and ideas. And for each link you add, you will get one entry. And if you send over a friend who follows me and adds a comment telling me who sent them, you get an extra entry!

Only a few guidelines:
  • Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
  • Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
  • Follow me via Google or Bloglovin.
No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to sign up for my email reminder here!

And now, for this week's link party!



zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
Pin It

Friday, May 24, 2013

Grandma's Baking Powder Biscuits


When I was a kid, we spent Sundays at my Grandma's house.  Though I know she would not have agreed with me, Grandma was a wonderful cook.  She made, hands down, the best fried chicken.  I've never been able to replicate it either.  And nothing goes better with fried chicken than buttermilk biscuits.

I know that we can quickly bake biscuits from a can.  I'v eaten lots of them, and they are tasty.  Making them from scratch however, is almost as easy, and much tastier.  And it doesn't take much longer to get them mixed and on a baking pan than it takes to preheat the oven!


Grandma's Baking Powder Biscuits

Ingredients:

  • 2 all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter (shortening works too)
  • 3/4 cup milk

Heat oven to 450°F. In large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using a food processor or pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until mixture looks like fine crumbs. The food processor makes this step very fast and easy.




Empty the butter/flour mixture into a bowl.



Stir in milk until dough leaves side of bowl (dough will be soft and sticky).  The secret to great biscuits is not overworking the dough.  So here, you want to mix gently and really only until the mixture comes together.




Don't turn your back, you might get unsolicited help!  Anna is forever wanting to help.



On lightly floured surface, gently roll dough in flour to coat. Knead lightly 10 times. Roll or pat 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter for traditionally sized biscuits.  I used a small glass for miniature-sized biscuits.  For an even faster way, simply cut into squares!




On ungreased cookie sheet, place biscuits about 1 inch apart for crusty sides, touching for soft sides.



Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm.


Flaky and buttery, these biscuits are just delicious.





zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
Pin It

Monday, May 20, 2013

Tuesday's Table for May 21, 2013 - And a *Giveaway*!!








Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week - we had a fantastic week!  I chose Susan from Adventures in My Kitchen's Strawberry Cupcakes with Fresh Basil Buttercream as my feature this week.  I love the juxtaposition of sweet and savory flavors.  I'm looking forward to making these with strawberries and basil from my garden!  Go on over and check out Adventures in My Kitchen - you'll be glad you did!





Please grab a button  - and thanks so much for sharing!



We also had a giveaway last week.  Picked randomly, the winner is <drumroll>





#21- Patricia from Butteryum!</drumroll>  Please send me your mailing address and I'll get that out to you right away.


Here's what I'll be giving away this week:

OXO Good Grips Multi-Purpose Pastry Scraper/Chopper



To enter, link up your recipes, crafts and ideas. And for each link you add, you will get one entry. And if you send over a friend who follows me and adds a comment telling me who sent them, you get an extra entry!

Only a few guidelines:
  • Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
  • Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
  • Follow me via Google or Bloglovin.
No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to sign up for my email reminder here!

And now, for this week's link party!



zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
Pin It

In the Garden - Week of May 19, 2013

We were in the garden this  weekend.  Not picking (except for a whole bunch of basil) but prepping.  Which we have to do in order to be picking later in the season!


We planted our second batch of corn seedlings.


Look how big the first batch has grown in just a couple of weeks!


We changed out our hydroponic solution for plant growth!  Grow ghosts grow!


And we fertilized the citrus "grove" - we've got tons of lemons and blood oranges on the trees.  Can't wait to harvest them!



ItemWeight lbs.
Basil
0.75
Broccoli
0.18
Carrots
4.07
Cayenne Peppers
0.23
Ghost Peppers
0.18
Habaneros
0.04
Jalapeno Pepper
0.23
Lemons
5.48
Peas
5.01
Potatoes
7.34
Scorpion Peppers
0.21
Serrano Chiles
0.05
Strawberries
0.46
Sweet Bell Peppers
0.51
Tomatoes
1.38
Grand Total
25.83




What's coming up in your garden this week?   I've linked up with Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday and An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party ... hop on over and see what is popping in gardens around the world this week.




zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
Pin It

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Strawberry Margarita Bars


I wanted to make something for the office for Cinco de Mayo.  One of my co-workers (in jest) suggested strawberry margaritas.  Strawberry Margarita Bars seemed like a better option, given our company's zero tolerance alcohol policy.


Strawberry Margarita Bars


Ingredients:

  • 13 ounces (26 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup Rose's Lime Juice
  • 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped, toasted walnuts
  • 2 cups strawberry preserves



Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch pan. In an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.






Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add 1/2 cup of Rose's Lime Juice. Add the flour and mix just enough to incorporate. Add the nuts and mix a little longer until just blended.






Press about two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared pan.




Spread 1/4 cup of Rose's Lime Juice onto the dough.



Spread with the strawberry preserves.




Crumble the remaining dough on top.





Bake for about 1 hour, until the top is lightly browned.

Let the bars cool before cutting.




Delicious!  These bars have a lovely strawberry taste, with a light lime accent.



Bake a batch of these today.  You can have several... and you don't need to worry about sobriety checkpoints.



zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
Pin It

Monday, May 13, 2013

Tuesday's Table for May 14, 2013 - And a *Giveaway*!!








Time to fill Tuesday's Table!

Thanks to everyone who linked up last week - we had a fantastic week!  I chose The Home Heart's Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake as my feature this week.  This looks delicious, easy and quick to make - my favorites.  Go on over and check out The Home Heart - you'll be glad you did!



Please grab a button  - and thanks so much for sharing!



We also had a giveaway last week.  Picked randomly, the winner is <drumroll>





#11- Kim from Soliloquy of Food and Such</drumroll>  Please send me your mailing address and I'll get that out to you right away.


Here's what I'll be giving away this week:

Waterproof Digital Thermometer



To enter, link up your recipes, crafts and ideas. And for each link you add, you will get one entry. And if you send over a friend who follows me and adds a comment telling me who sent them, you get an extra entry!

Only a few guidelines:
  • Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.  
  • Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.  
  • Sign up for my email reminder here.
No other requirements, but visit the other links here, and I'd love for you to follow me too!

And now, for this week's link party!



zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
Pin It

In the Garden - Week of May 12, 2013

We've had a run of pretty hot days.  Really hot, actually.



And days like these bring on a ton of growth in my garden {provided it doesn't kill it!}


A ton of SPICY growth!  Anaheim peppers...


... hot cherry peppers...


... Serrano peppers...


... and future Ghost peppers!


We're in for a lot of heat this summer with all of these Ghost pepper seedlings!


Even the corn is bursting - the silks of corn to come!


I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our tomatoes are loving the hot weather today too.  They are planted in a very sunny and warm spot, in which, once they are established, they will thrive.  Hoping that they don't hate this early heat too much.


ItemWeight lbs.
Basil
0.25
Broccoli
0.18
Carrots
4.07
Cayenne Peppers
0.23
Ghost Peppers
0.18
Habaneros
0.04
Jalapeno Pepper
0.23
Lemons
5.48
Peas
5.01
Potatoes
7.34
Scorpion Peppers
0.21
Serrano Chiles
0.05
Strawberries
0.46
Sweet Bell Peppers
0.51
Tomatoes
1.38
Grand Total
25.83


What's coming up in your garden this week?   I've linked up with Daphne's Dandelions Harvest Monday and An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party ... hop on over and see what is popping in gardens around the world this week.

zentMRS - Love in the Kitchen
Pin It