Stuffed Peppers

Last night I made stuffed peppers for the first time. I was surprised how easy they were to make and they look quite fancy on the dinner table.

There are many different stuffed pepper recipes online. To make the peppers just cut the tops off and carve out the inside. Boil the peppers for five minutes and then stuff them with whatever filling you would like. I used a tuna casserole-style filling: tuna, celery, onion, pasta and cream cheese, salt and pepper. Then I topped them with bread crumbs and chedder cheese.

They were pretty good but next time I think I will try a spicy ground beef mixture, maybe with some guacamole and lemon juice.

Tissue Paper Roses!

Tissue Paper Flowers

If you need a last minute bouquet for your sweetheart but you're short on cash give these simple tissue paper roses a try. Not only are they much more affordable than real roses on Valentine's Day, but they are pretty and everyone will appreciate your efforts.

Years ago when I was waitressing a man who didn't have enough money for a tip made me a rose out of a cocktail napkin. After he taught me how to do it I used the trick over and over. I often pass on the gesture by leaving roses on my table (with a tip) for the servers when I go out to eat.

I've made them for a few people in the past. With tissue paper, you can choose any colour or pattern that you like. I once made someone a bouquet filled with leopard, zebra and tiger print roses.

First: Cut yourself a square of tissue paper. The longer the piece, the thicker the rose will be. Fold one of the long edges over and make little rips all the way along the fold. The folded edge with the rips will be the head of the flower.

Second: Begin to roll the paper up. Start tight for a couple turns and then make your roll loose as you keep going.

Third: Once you have rolled up the tissue, pinch the end with the fold about an inch and a half down. Begin to twist everything below the pinch as tightly as you can. This will be the stem.

Fourth: If you want a little leaf, pull a bit of the tissue away as you are rolling the stem and then keep twisting the rest of the stem tight. Shape the bit you left out until it looks like a leaf.

Smoosh the flower-end against the table to wrinkle it a bit and then adjust the petals until it looks like a rose.

All Done!