Marcia - 1, Smoke Alarms - 0

I set out this afternoon to roast peppers and preserve them in some olive oil for me to use for the next few months.

So, I take my peppers.


And I start washing them and cutting them up. And then I remember to turn on the broiler, because that's how I roast my peppers - under the broiler for 15 minutes. No oil, no nothing. It's easy. It's all they need.

So, wash wash wash, cut cut cut, then BING BING BING BING BING.

My smoke alarm goes off. The broiler is on, but there's nothing actually in the oven. But, I grab a chair and go hit the button to turn it off. Not a huge deal.

Back to cutting peppers. BING BING BING BING.

FUCK that alarm. And it's hardwired to the apartment's electrical system, no battery to take out. I hit the button and head back towards the kitchen, and remember to turn on the air and the fan in the kitchen on my way back. BING BING BING BING. Damn it. Hit the button again. But this time it doesn't go off. I hit it five times, and finally, slight peace. The alarm in the hallway to the bedroom is also going off. One smoke alarm is bad, but two are horrendous. They're BING BING BINGing in tandem.

Dragging the chair back and forth, I manage to get them both off for a brief period. That I hope will last. But, as a precautionary measure, I got up in the wires of the smoke alarm and pulled them out.


But, just to prove to you how idiotic the apartment complex is, here's how close the two smoke alarms are:


The smoke alarm on the left is still intact because, I think, it saw what I did to its friend on the right, and decided that the best thing to do would be to shut up.

Anyway, back to the peppers.

Cut them up. Put them on a baking sheet.


Throw them in the oven, under the broiler on high, for 15 minutes.

When they come out, they should look like this:


No, they're not burned, they're delicious.

Throw them in a paper bag.


Leave them for 15 minutes to cool down and "sweat."

Then, peel off the crinkle-y burned skin, and throw it away. It should peel off easily, as it should be bubbled away from the flesh.


If you're me, you then layer them with oil in an airtight container you're going to leave on your kitchen counter so you can feel like Giada de Laurentiis.

Or, if you're normal, you'll cut up the flesh of the one or two peppers you've just roasted, and toss it with some linguini, pesto, balsamic vinegar, and pine nuts. Or throw it on top of a pizza. Or use it in your potato/tuna/chicken salad. They're even really good just on some crustini, maybe with some salt.


But really, they're just about the tastiest things you've ever eaten.