Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers

Made with just a few ingredients, these Italian sausage stuffed mini peppers are a quick, easy and delicious appetizer. They will disappear in no time flat, I promise!

I was invited to a get-together a while back and was looking for inspiration in my local grocery store for something to contribute when I came across a marked down bag of mini peppers. They were a lovely mix of bright colors, perfect for a party.

My first idea was just to make a dip and cut them in slices for scooping said dip but then, on the same shopping trip, serendipity sent me Italian sausage on a two for one sale. SOLD! 

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers

I used hot (spicy) Italian sausage for stuffing the mini peppers but you can substitute mild, if you prefer. 

Ingredients

8 oz or 225g hot Italian sausage

8 oz or 225g mini peppers

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 oz or 28g extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated

Method

Brown the Italian sausage over a medium heat in a nonstick skillet, breaking it up into crumbles as you go. 

Drain on a paper towel. If your crumbles are not small enough for stuffing, you can chop them smaller with a sharp knife. 

Cut the mini peppers in half. I tried to leave the stems intact where I could because I like how they look. They are, of course, not edible. 

Put the peppers in a bowl, drizzle them with the olive oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle on the salt and toss again to distribute the salt evenly. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C and line a baking pan with baking parchment or a silicone liner. Spread the mini pepper halves on the lined baking pan. 

Spoon the sausage crumbles into the pepper halves. 

Top with the cheese. 

Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through to make sure they cook evenly. Broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese. 

Serve warm. Enjoy! 

Welcome to the 9th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter I. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the I recipes below:

• Homemade Italian Dressing from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Indo Chinese Idli Fry - Leftover Idlis from Sneha’s Recipe
• Iru Puli Kuzhambu from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers from Food Lust People Love
• Mini Ice Cream Cakes from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Nutella Ice Cream from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Smaller Chocolate Eclair Cake (from scratch) from A Messy Kitchen
• Sun Dried Tomato Italian Dipping Oil for Bread from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka 

I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

Pin these Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers!

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Hazelnut Vodka

If you love Frangelico but think it’s a bit too sweet, like I do, this is the drink for you! Hazelnut Vodka is perfect for sipping straight or over ice. 

I’ve mentioned before about the amazing cherry tree in our back garden in Paris years ago but I don’t think I’ve written about the prolific hazelnut tree out front. It was actually in our neighbor’s yard, Madame Coucou we named her because that is what she called out over our party wall to get my attention. Coucou, coucou! Always with a big smile.

The tree grew right up near that wall so a goodly portion of it hung over our side. It took me a while to figure out what they were because I had never seen a fresh nut in its little fuzzy green outer coat. As they ripen, that turns brown and the nuts are ready for harvest, often falling to the ground on their own. During the season, hazelnuts were literally everywhere.

Unlike the cherries that we turned into jam and pie and cherry bounce, we just shelled and ate the hazelnuts. I wish I had had this recipe back then! 

Hazelnut Vodka 

If you have hazelnuts with the shells still on, it will take about 8 ¾ oz or 248g to get the required amount shelled for this recipe. This recipe is adapted from one in Abundance: Eating and living with the seasons by Mark Diacono.  

Ingredients

3 ½ oz or 100g shelled hazelnuts

¾ cup or caster sugar 

4 cups or 946ml vodka 

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

Method

Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking pan and roast them for about 15 minutes or so, checking after 10. The skins should darken but you don’t want them to burn!

Remove the pan from the oven and pour the hazelnuts into a towel.  

Wrap them up and leave them to steam for a couple of minutes. 

Rub them through the towel, squeezing and rolling to remove most of the skins. 

Pick the hazelnuts out of the skins and put them into a food processor. Use a few short pulses to grind them into a coarse rubble. You want some small bits and some medium bits. Nothing too fine. 

In a large, wide-mouthed jar, stir the sugar into 1 cup or 240ml of the vodka until it dissolves. 

Add the chopped hazelnuts, allspice and the rest of the vodka and stir together. 

Stir well! 

Screw the lid on and set it someplace out of direct sunlight, where you’ll see it. 

Shake the jar once a day. 

I left mine for about a week before tasting it. Divine! Very hazelnutty! Leave it another week or two if you’d like – I did - but it’s very drinkable after one week.

Strain through a fine sieve and/or muslin and funnel into a sterilized bottle or jar. 

Enjoy!

I made this last Christmastime and after we sipped a bit, I stashed it behind the bar and forgot about it. I pulled it back out when I was writing this post to discover that sediment had settled to the bottom. I decanted it, leaving that sediment behind and it's much less opaque now. Still delicious though! 

Welcome to the 8th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter H. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the H recipes below:

• 3 Ingredient Hot Fudge Sauce from Blogghetti
• Creamy Cilantro Herb Caribbean Potato Salad from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Haluski from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Harissa and Brie No Knead Focaccia from A Messy Kitchen
• Hazelnut Vodka from Food Lust People Love
• Homemade Chilli Oil from Sneha’s Recipe
• Honeynut Squash Soup with Apple and Bacon from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Hot Chocolate Rolls from Magical Ingredients
• Vegetable Hariyali from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Whipped Honey from Jolene’s Recipe Journal

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel 

E. Edamame Summer Salad 

F. Lamb Feta Mint Patties 

G. Ricotta Gnocchi à la Poêle 

H. Hazelnut Vodka - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

Pin this Hazelnut Vodka!

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Coconut Cream Date Caramel

Thick, rich and naturally sweet, this coconut cream date caramel is made with Medjool dates. This no-cook recipe is fast, easy and accidentally vegan! 

A couple of years back, I bought some dates to make a recipe that only called for a few. I don’t even remember what that was but it must have been worth it or I wouldn’t have bought the whole pack.

The dilemma: What to do with the rest of the dates? This coconut cream date caramel was perfect. Creamy, smooth and not too sickly sweet. Even better, it is vegan so I was able to share it with a friend who can’t eat dairy. 

Coconut Cream Date Caramel

This recipe makes just a little less than 1 pint jar will hold, 1.9 cups or 450ml. The finished caramel weighs 1.23lbs or 560g. Assuming the coconut cream can has been sitting on the shelf for a while without being shaken, the thickest part of the cream will have risen to the top. That’s what you want to measure and use.

Ingredients

15 Medjool dates – about 12 1/2 oz or 355g before pitting

1/4 cup or 60ml unsweetened coconut cream from the top of the can

1/3 cup or 80ml date water from soaking

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or more to taste

Method

Use a sharp knife to cut the dates in half. Remove and discard the pits and any hard bits (adhering fruit stalks) on the stem ends. 

Put the pitted dates in a heatproof bowl and cover them with hot water. Leave to soak for about 10 minutes.

Open the can of coconut cream from the bottom, if possible, and pour off the liquid and save it. 

Measure out 1/4 cup or 60ml of the thick cream. Make up the correct amount, if necessary, by adding a little of the thin cream. You can use the rest in another recipe, like a saucy curry.

Drain the dates, reserving 1/4 cup or 60ml of the soaking water. 

Add the pitted dates to a food processor along with the coconut cream, soaking liquid, vanilla and salt. 

Process until super smooth, scraping down the food processor occasionally. 

Spoon into a clean jar or covered vessel and store in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or longer. Let your nose guide you. 

This is lovely spread on toast, spooned into yogurt or warmed and drizzled over ice cream. 

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 4th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter D. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the D recipes below:

• Chocolate Covered Sandwich Cookies with Dulce de Leche from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Coconut Cream Date Caramel from Food Lust People Love
• Dalithoy, Konkani Style Dal from Mayuri’s Jikoni
• Deviled Egg Charcuterie Board from Blogghetti
• Dirty Shirley Cocktails from Jolene’s Recipe Journal 
• Dragon Paneer Roll from Magical Ingredients
• Ricotta Gnudi with Creamy Mushroom Sauce from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Keto Dairy Savory Crepes with Almond Flour from Sneha’s Recipe
• Parmesan & Cheddar Pimento Corn Chip Dip from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice 
• Sesame Dandelion Greens, Siguemchi Namul-Style from Culinary Cam
• Sticky Toffee Swirled Cookies from A Messy Kitchen

Here are my posts for the 2026 alphabet challenge, thus far:

A: Ají de Cerdo aka Peruvian Pork Stew

B: Baby Cos Peach Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing 

C. Traditional Cullen Skink 

D. Coconut Cream Date Caramel - this post!

To check out the Alphabet Challenges for 2024 and 2025, click here.

Pin this Coconut Cream Date Caramel!

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Boursin Zucchini Tart

This Boursin Zucchini Tart, baked in flakey puff pastry and scattered with toasted pine nuts, is a tasty dish that is not only delicious, it's pretty!

We first discovered the magic of Boursin when we lived in France back in the early 1990s, when it was still available in only the original garlic and herb version. Now that soft, creamy cheese comes in several flavors, including the original, Cracked Black Pepper, Shallot & Chive, Basil & Chive, and Caramelized Onion and Herbs, Fig & Balsamic and Lemon & Dill. I think there’s even one with truffles, but don’t quote me. 

If you have a box of Boursin, you have the start of a good recipe! And, no, I’m not being paid to say that. In fact, I’d like to tell you that, at least in France, there are store brands of copycat cheese that I often buy instead of the real thing when I’m there, but I’ve never seen that option elsewhere. In addition to the 150g rounds, both the Boursin and store brands also come in little foil-wrapped pats, like butter, perfect for spreading on a slice of warm toast. 

We do have Alouette in the US, which comes close, but no store brands that I’m aware of. Please correct me if I’m wrong! Flavored cream cheese is NOT the same consistency.

Boursin Zucchini Tart

Do not skip the salting, draining and drying steps for the zucchini. They do release a lot of extra liquid which will make your tart crust soggy otherwise. I give the weight of my zucchini below to use as a guide. A little more or less will not make a difference. 

Ingredients

5.3 oz or 150g Boursin, at room temperature

1 egg, at room temperature

freshly ground black pepper

3 zucchini, approx. weight 14 1/2 ox or 411g

Fine sea salt

2 tablespoons finely minced onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil

Ready rolled, all butter puff pastry circle, 8 oz or 227g

For garnish:

1/4 cup or 37g pine nuts, optional

Method

Whisk together the Boursin and egg then add a few generous grinds of black pepper. Chill until ready to use. 

Trim the ends off then slice the zucchini thinly. 

Put a single layer in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Add another layer and salt again. Continue until all of the zucchini is salted in the colander. Leave to drain for an hour or even two if you have the time. 

When draining time is up, give the colander a good shake then dry the zucchini off with paper towels. Tip the slices out onto a clean cloth and spread them out. Roll up the cloth and set aside for a few minutes to dry off completely.  

Add the minced garlic and onion into a large mixing bowl with the olive oil. Mix well. 

Add the zucchini to the bowl and toss to coat thoroughly. 

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Unroll the puff pastry with its baking parchment on a baking pan then roll/fold the edges up to create a raised edge. 

Prick it all over with the tines of a fork.

Spread about two-thirds of the Boursin mixture inside the raised edge. 

Starting on the outside, line the tart with the zucchini, overlapping as you go. 

When you’ve used up all of the zucchini, sprinkle any garlic and onions left behind in the bowl on top. 

Drizzle the remainder of the Boursin mixture over the top. 

Bake for 10 minutes in your preheated oven then rotate the pan to ensure even baking and bake for a further 10 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over a medium fire, if using. 

Shake the skillet frequently so they don’t scorch. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. 

When the tart is baked, remove from the oven and cool slightly on a wire rack. 

Slide it to a serving plate then sprinkle on the toasted pine nuts. 

Cut in big wedges to serve. 

Enjoy!

I can hardly believe it but Alphabet Challenge 2025 is coming to an end with this 26th post, brought to you by the letter Z! Stay tuned in the New Year for the 2026 edition. Yes, we all enjoyed this so much that we are going to start over again for the third time on January 7th. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the Z recipes below:

• A Holiday Zaza or Two or Three - Cheers! from Culinary Cam
• Baked Ziti from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Boursin Zucchini Tart from Food Lust People Love: 
•  Grilled Zucchini Bruschetta Bites from Sneha’s Recipe
• Lemon Eton Mess from A Messy Kitchen
• Simple Zero Cream Creamy Butternut Squash Soup from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Zacatecas Beef Stew from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Zeppole from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Zeytin Piyazi from Mayuri’s Jikoni

Here are all of my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 

S. Fresh Scallop Sashimi 

T. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing 

U. Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

V. Mirabelle Plum Vodka 

W. Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero 

X. Homemade XO Sauce 

Y. Yamitsuki Addictive Cabbage 

Z. Boursin Zucchini Tart – this post! 

And to refresh our memories, since this is the last Alphabet Challenge post of the year, here's my list from 2024:

A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry 

M. Fresh Mint Sauce 

N. Miso Butter Noodles 

O. Spicy Orange Braised Short Ribs 

P. Homemade Piri Piri Sauce 

Q, Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread 

R. Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto 

S. Cheesy Sausage and Egg Casserole 

T. Stuffed Turkey Cutlets 

U. Spicy Urad Dal -

V. Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken 

W. Honey Walnut Brittle 

X. Xmas Eggnog Fudge 

Y. Yemma Aouïcha – Eggplant with Chickpeas 

Z. Zucchini and Bacon Pangrattato

Pin this Boursin Zucchini Tart!

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