Peppers and Onions (also, Vietnamese Coffee)

I'm going to blow your mind in a few days with some awesome ice cream recipes. But for now I'm staging an intervention. Twinny (kevin) has appalled me the last few weeks because his idea of cooking is making keurig coffees and campbells soup. Also, plain hotdogs wrapped in bread. I opened the doors to college cooking for him, and I'll do the same for anyone else looking for a cheap recipe:
I try to eat healthy, so the bulk of my groceries (at least capital wise) are fruits and vegetables. But any way you chop them, fresh is expensive. So in terms of vegetables I tend to buy a frozen stirfry mix, and I buy the most frequently used vegetables fresh. Normally this means mushrooms, peppers, onions, or carrots. I'll give you one guess which I had this week:

Cheddar Bratwurst with Peppers and Onions
Start with peppers and onions, or whatever you have to throw in it.

First off, get your cheddar bratwursts (that's a separate story) on the skillet using medium low heat. In the meantime prep your vegetables by dicing or slicing them depending on the size you prefer. Season them lightly, to achieve the desired effect. For italian, use basil, thyme, oregano etc, for a hotter taste use cayenne, chili pepper, cumin. For this meal I had a sort of mix of basil, thyme, cumin, paprika, chili pepper and salt/pepper. Once your bratwurst has cooked about 3/5 of the way, add the peppers. About a minute later add the onions, add more seasoning to taste, switch to low heat and keep stirring the delicious concoction every few minute until the peppers are soft and the onions are carmelized.

 Throw that whole mess on a piece of thick cut bread, buttered and toasted, and enjoy.

Chicken...Not quesadilla, burrito without beans? Idk what you call that.

The highlight of this is the taco seasoning.

 Get some chicken breast, generally about 1 breast per person is good. Cut it into bite sized chunks and brown.

 Add the onions and peppers, taco seasoning to taste and a tablespoon or two of water mixed with cornstarch to help the seasoning 'stick to the bones' so to speak.

 Take a soft burrito shell, and rub some taco seasoning into the flour. Then spread a layer of shredded taco cheese over the tortilla before piling the concoction of chicken and vegetables on top. Layer with more cheese, add sour cream if its pay day.

Taco Seasoning

 1 teaspoon both salt and black pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

This will make a little more than an ounce. It's not an exact science, it really depends on what you want it to taste like. Most of the time I up the cumin, chili powder and pepper to give it more kick.

However you may find after doing that you need to cool down with a nice drink. Enter Vietnamese styled Iced Coffee. This isn't really Vietnamese coffee, but the technique of using sweetened condensed milk is something I picked up from a local Vietnamese restaurant.

 Vietnamese Style Iced Coffee

Start by cold brewing the coffee to make a coffee concentrate to start.

 Keep this in the fridge and when you're ready for some coffee, get your cup and fill about half way with coffee, a little less if you don't like your coffee on the dark side.

 Add a third to half an inch of condensed milk, the amount is something you'll discover for yourself based on preference.

 Here's the cool part. Add milk or cream to fill up the container the rest of the way. The milk usually mixes with the coffee, I haven't tried to keep them separated but I imagine it would be damn near impossible. Then, if in my case its a Tuesday, top it off with a splash of Irish cream or Kahlua.

 I use mason jars for a reason. At this point you can just throw the cap on and shake like the wind. Believe me, trying to fully stir this is terrible. You will never fully dissolve the condensed milk. (its like a thick syrup)

Invest in a good mason jar and shake it to get the drink fully homogenized. You'll thank me.