Stuffed bell peppers

My boyfriend wants me to share this recipe with you, mostly because he thinks that there are people out there who don't hate flavor the way I do (his words, not mine). For the record, I don't hate flavor, I just have a very low tolerance for piquance. Which actually makes me quite nervous, since I'm going to his parents' house for dinner on Thursday, and Indian food and I are natural enemies.

K's stuffed bell peppers:

• 3-4 bell peppers, any color
  
• 2 chicken breasts
  
• 1 box sliced fresh mushrooms of your choice
  
• salsa (he used mango habanera)
  
• shredded cheese (he used mozzarella, but a Mexican white blend would work well too)
  
• lime juice
  
• oil or butter
  
• salt, pepper, and hot sauce

Set a pot of water to boil and a skillet on medium heat with some butter or oil inside. Slice the tops off the bell peppers and remove the cores.

While waiting for the water to boil, sauté the chicken breasts and mushrooms, adding a generous amount of lime juice halfway through (take it from me, you can never add too much lime juice). Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Cube the chicken and put back in the skillet if necessary until cooked through.

When the water is boiling, boil the peppers for about one minute. Afterwards, set them upright in a glass pan and add a bit of salsa to the bottom of each one. Then add the chicken and mushrooms evenly to each pepper, leaving a bit of mushrooms in the pan for garnish. Top the peppers with liberal amounts of cheese.

Bake for 45-60 min at 375°F. Remove from oven and plate with mushroom garnish, more salsa, and rice if desired.

As a physiologist, this is my favorite plate. If you can't tell, it has a picture of a human heart in the bowl with the caption "eat your heart out". It's great for sloppy food.

Neuromuscular Junction Cookie!

This is adorable. From here, found via this science cookie roundup post that I also highly recommend you visit, if you enjoy stuff like anatomical cakes and cookies that resemble T-4 macrophages.

Click to enlarge!

Sunday foooooooooooood.

I've been in a kitchen-y mood this weekend, and I wanted to share some of my productivity. These are simple to make and not very expensive, so they're ideal for grad students!

Cim's chocolate cake of DOOM.

I got this recipe quite a few years ago from a friend of mine, but I had never tried to make it until yesterday. This isn't a sweet cake, it is more of a dark chocolate cake, so it needs a sweet icing. The original recipe is doubled because it is supposed to be a double-layer cake, but I didn't want nearly as much. If you like, you can double all the ingredients and then bake in two 8x8 or one 8x16 pan to make the full cake.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/8 cup unsweetened cocoa*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cold brewed coffee or black tea
1/2 cup milk

* (Unfortunately the original recipe called for 3/4 cup and there's no good way to half this. I just eyeballed 1 and a half 1/4 cups.)

Stir together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat wet ingredients lightly, then slowly add dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes. Pour into 8x8 inch pan and bake at 350*F for ~30 minutes. Cool completely, then ice with something fruity or coffee-flavored. I used strawberry icing and it came out wonderfully.

Beef pot roast with vegetables.

I got this recipe from my grandma. It is a great recipe for the summer because you make it in a slow cooker instead of an oven, so you don't raise the temperature of the room. It is also great for winter because it is warm and hearty, and it is great for graduate students because all you have to do is toss everything into the crock pot in the morning before you go to the lab, and bam, dinner is ready for you when you get home.

You can add chopped onion to the mix if you like, but I find it flavorful enough without it. I also make a variant of this occasionally with apples and cinnamon instead of zucchini and spinach, if you want something very slightly sweet.

~2 lb beef roast (I prefer bottom round.) [Depending on size and cut, anywhere from $5-$10]
1 zucchini squash [~$1.00]
4-6 red potatoes [~$0.80]
2 big handfuls of baby spinach [$2.40 for 1 bag]
1 14 oz. can beef broth [$0.75]
salt, pepper, and basil

Total cost: $10 to $15 for 4-6 servings.

Line the bottom of your slow cooker with the baby spinach, then chop the zucchini into thick slices and quarter the red potatoes, then add to the pot. Put the roast on top, pour in the broth and then season the meat to taste with the salt, pepper, and basil. Cook on high heat for at least six hours.