Plot and Stuffed Green Peppers

[lydamorehouse]

 
Image: very 1974 stuffed green peppers, complete with "Cooking with Soup" a very 1970s cookbook...

I am not a gigantic fan of green peppers so eating them as the classic hamburger and rice stuffed green peppers is absolutely a fine use for them, IMHO. Feel free to tell me how I wasted this amazing vegetable. I'm just glad I found a way to eat them that I enjoy. No one else in my family is likely to eat them, so you're looking at my lunch for the next several days. 

Next challenge for me? Figuring out a way to use up the jalapeno peppers. 

Otherwise, I continue to struggle with getting content together for my Loft class. I have a decent draft of what amounts to the first week's class: "Introduction to ourselves and SF/F."  It's got a fancier, snappier title than that, and I still need to record an introduction of myself BUT I mostly have what I think is a decent class in terms of written content and content for students to go off and explore. I stumbled across a cool project that "The Verge" Magazine is doing where they are animating short stories (or short bits of short stories) and posting those along with the written word. It's a neat project to let my students explore on their own time/as they like.

The thing that is always difficult about Loft classes, even when running in-person, is figuring out the right balance of "assignments" for adult learners, many of which have full-time jobs.  I figure I can ask them to listen to a two minute podcast of a short story, but I can't necessarily expect them to write an essay for me about it.  I also need to make sure there are a lot of optional things... and with a class like this I would rather students have things that they are writing down to continue explore later rather than feeling like they burned through all the material in a half hour. 

I'm glad I'm taking a month to get things together, because I'd like to have the weeks when class is running to be critiquing their short stories, novel excerpts, etc.

Otherwise, today is hot and muggy... and overcast. The remains of a hurricane? It feels like it should rain, but there is none in the forecast, but is very dark and gloomy while also being 82 F / 27 C.  

Comments

[spiderplanet]

As a person who occasionally takes classes aimed at mature learners, I'm confident that you're doing great.

The only thing that doesn't go over well is 'busywork.' Assignments need to have an expected outcome that is clear (Students will learn how to do research, students will learn to give constructive feedback to each other...). As long as everyone understands the goals, anything goes. I sincerely hope that people who sign up for a writing class show up with goals already, so I expect they're already all in.

Only from a student perspective - I think that adult learners are so much more fun as classmates than younger learners, and the instructors seem less stressed.

[spiderplanet]

All of my experiences were in the before time, of course. Online probably has its own challenges.

[lydamorehouse]

I've taught adult-learners at the Loft for decades, they are, in fact, some of my favorite students. Figuring how to make this shift to on-line, asynchronous teaching, however, is the challenge.

If this were a Zoom class? I'd have a lot more confidence.

But, your feedback is appreciated. I'm always learning!

[sabotabby]

I love stuffed peppers. You did a good thing with them.

Jalapeno peppers go in everything except possibly cake.

[lydamorehouse]

I dunno, I once put sauerkraut in cake, so maybe jalapenos can go in cake???

But, yay! Another stuffed pepper lover!

jalapeno peppers

[lsanderson]

We freeze 'em and grate them into things that need them. Also habanero take less space a deliver more kick.

Re: jalapeno peppers

[lydamorehouse]

I may end up freezing these. It is nice to have peppers to draw from all year 'round.

[sraun]

My most recent use for jalapeno peppers has been in fruit-based salsa fresca.

1 whole pineapple
2 apples | 1 apple & 1 pear | 1 mango (whatever fruit is firm and will hold up, to the appropriate volume)
1 large red onion
3 medium to large jalapeno peppers
3 limes

Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapenos, dice fine, add to a large bowl.
Add the juice from the limes to the bowl.
Finely dice the onion, add to the bowl.
Cut the fruit up into ~.25cm cubes, add to the bowl. Mix well. Store in the refrigerator.

It's good right away, and I think it gets better as all the flavors meld.

[lydamorehouse]

Huh, sounds kind of amazing! I may have to try it. Thanks!

[lydamorehouse]

PS. I am still using your bean recipe.

[sraun]

Yay!

It's been a while since I made - something about cooking for two? But I'll make it again in the future!

[spiderplanet]

That does sound good. Hmmm.... Because I'm me, I would exchange "one can pineapple" for "one whole pineapple." Feel free to tell me if you think that would go terribly wrong.

[sraun]

If you used an appropriate quantity of crushed pineapple and drained it well, it might work. Fresh pineapple has a ... more solid? consistency than canned - I think dicing the canned pineapple would be really difficult.

Let me know how it comes out if you do it?

[bibliofile]

Another peppers suggestion: cut them up and dry them. Good for cooking with later, if you have limited freezer space or something.