Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Hi. :-D Guess what. I have a new look to my blog. Thanks bubs!! You da best!

So but I wanted to share this recipe, only because it's freaking amazing + hearty anddd my kids gobbled it up, which was pretty fantastic. I made it 3 nights ago but am still thinking about it.

This is an adapted recipe from  a link I found through Pinterest. It looked so cheesy + scrumptious but as always I didn't have the same ingredients on hand. So here's my adapted version.

Ingredients::

• 1 large carrot, minced
• a couple slices pepper, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• about 1/4 onion, minced
• dried basil, minced
• 1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey, cooked
• 1 hand full low-fat shredded cheese
• 2 c. 5 grain blend or quinoa, cooked
• 1/4 c. tomato sauce
• 1 c. chicken broth

What I did::

-preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-cut your peppers lengthwise, + spoon out all the seeds. lay flat on a pan and set aside.

- cook whatever grain you choose to use.

- meanwhile, saute' your first 5 minced ingredients with a little bit of EVOO. set aside in a bowl, and use that pan to cook your ground meat. 

-when meat is almost cooked through, add your sauteed veggies to the meat. add tomato sauce and 1/2 c. of your chicken broth. let simmer. add grains and your hand full of cheese. :) YUM. (This mixture smells and tastes so. good.)

-loaddd the mixture into your pepper shells. Pour remaining chicken broth to the bottom of the pan. 

-bake COVERED for about 30 minutes. 

There are SO many stuffed pepper recipes out there. This was actually the first one I had ever made, which I guess is why I was so excited about the delicious results. ;) 

Let me know if you try it?

Chicken Enchiladas With Green Salsa

This has been a favorite of mine since it came out in RealSimple's July 2008 issue. It's the perfect meal to eat on your back patio with a cold beer in your hand. Or if you're like me and you don't have a back patio and you hate beer... you can enjoy it inside, with milk. ;) If you're looking for a delicious new meal to try out this spring/ summer, try THIS!

Photo Credit: RealSimple

Notes:

• I like it better with freshly grated Jack cheese, and cooked fresh corn right off the cob.
• Green store-bought salsa tasted pretty yum when I didn't have time to make this one.

Food Swap

Image via Hans Gissinger | Real Simple

I Got this great idea a couple months back from Real Simple. It's about "dinner swapping" with friends. It involves cooking a large batch of food one time, and sharing it amongst friends who have done the same. You get together, and swap meals. Then you won't have to cook every night.

I dunno, sounds pretty appealing to me! Anyone want to try it out?

 

Pasta Meatball Soup: Adapted by Carey

My Aunt Carey shared this recipe with me when I was newly married. If ever there were a perfect remedy for a rainy day, this hardy soup is IT. I made it 2 weeks ago and am already craving it again. Thought I'd quickly share:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage (Carey uses part hot Italian, too.)
• 2 T. Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1 T. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 t. each of salt + pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced carrots
• 1 t. Italian seasoning
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 1 16 oz. can Italian seasoned tomatoes, undrained, cut up. (I always use Del Monte tomatoes, Basil, Garlic & Oregano. It really compliments this soup well!)
• 1/2 c. uncooked rotini pasta
• 1 small zucchini, sliced
• grated Parm cheese, for garnish

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, bread crumbs, 1 T grated Parmesan, s + p, & egg. Mix well. Form into 3/4" meatballs. Heat 1 T. oil in deep pot over medium heat. Cook meatballs, onions, and garlic till meatballs brown, turning frequently. Drain. Add remaining ingredients except pasta., zucchini and extra grated Parmesan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 5 more minutes. (Check doneness of pasta & cook longer if needed.) Serve w/ Parmesan cheese.

**Notes:

• Since you normally by ground beef by the pound, Carey suggested going ahead and doubling the meatball mixture. Freeze the extra for spaghetti or lasagna. Great idea. =)

• I always wind up pouring more chicken broth in the soup, and adding more of the ingredients (like the carrots). You'll want to make enough for lunch the next day, for sure!

Alfredo Chicken & Cheese Ravioli with Peas

I used to buy those delicious rotisserie chickens from the deli counter at least once a week, and keep it in my fridge for simple recipes like cheese tortillas and chicken noodle soup. Then I started roasting my own chicken, cause it's cheaper, typically larger, and you get more delicious chicken stock out of it. I'll still cook it at the beginning of the week, and save the meat for recipes that call for cooked chicken. I typically throw it into the recipe last, to preserve the juiciness and flavors in the chicken.

Speaking of yummy chicken recipes...

I found a really simple and light recipe from Real Simple earlier this week for Ravioli With Peas and Shallots. I really enjoyed the simplicity of it, but I knew Jonathan would want something a little hardier for dinner. So I came up with this:

Alfredo Chicken & Cheese Ravioli with Peas

• Follow the simple cooking instructions from Real Simple's recipe, using the link above. (I omitted the shallots, because most allium don't agree with my stomach.)
• Add some already cooked shredded chicken from a rotisserie or roasted chicken.
• Drizzle your favorite Alfredo sauce, and add some shredded or freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 
• Omgoodness. If you haven't tried making your own Alfredo sauce,try this one!!! (Slowly whisk in some flour to thicken... and some fresh parsley, if you have some!)

Yum. :)

Pork Chops w/ Stuffing Gravy

Morning sickness is finally subsiding. I'm excited to put my apron back on and try out new creations in the kitchen! Made pork chops tonight. Skillet browned, gravy stuffing on top, and baked to perfection. Definitely a recipe that's going in the recipe box! And of course, I can't keep delicious recipes like this one to myself:

...There are actually pork chops under there.

Pork Chops with Stuffing Gravy

• 2 T veggie oil
• olive oil
  4-6 pork chops (thicker cut)
• 5 c. bread cubes from Italian bread (day old is OK) 
• grated parm cheese
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 T. chopped celery
• dash of your favorite seasoning (ex: poultry seasoning)
• 2 cans cream of ...whatever soup (I used 1 cream of mushroom, and 1 cream of chicken)
• 2/3 c. water

1.  In a skillet, heat the veggie oil & brown the chops on both sides. Place in a baking dish.
2. Prep the bread cubes: In a bowl, toss bread cubes around with some olive oil & grated parm cheese. Coat generously. place in a pan (I used stoneware for this) & pop it in the oven under the broiler for about 5 minutes, till toasty. If you want to skip this step, I'm sure day-old bread cubes would work fine!
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
4. Place toasty bread crumbs back in the bowl. Toss with melted butter, chicken broth, celery, and poultry seasoning. Cover the pork chops with bread crumb mixture.
5. combine the cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups together with the water. Pour mixture over stuffing and pork chops.
6. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Uncover and continue baking for 10 minutes, or till juices run clear. Meat thermometer should read at least 160.

This is really a no-fail recipe, IMO! Add and take away your own stuff to it!

North Woods Bean Soup

I'm such a soup lover. (I crave it year-round, even if it's 90 degrees outside!) A year ago my mother-in-law introduced me to this outstanding soup from Cooking Light, and it's been a favorite ever since.

image from Cooking Light

North Woods Bean Soup {adapted}

•  Cooking spray
• 3 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 cups chicken broth
• fresh parsley, chopped
• couple turns of fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cans Great Northern beans (I like it not drained!)
• 1 6 oz. bag fresh baby spinach leaves

1. Heat a large saucepan coated w/ cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add carrots, garlic, and kielbasa; saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes. Add the broth, fresh parsley, pepper, and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Place 2 c. of the soup in a food processor or blender, and process till smooth. Return the pureed mixture to pan. Simmer an addt'l 5 minutes. Remove soup from heat. Add the spinach, stirring until spinach wilts. Serve with grilled cheese samo's... or warm, crusty bread. :) Thanks Mama Farr for sharing this delicious recipe!

Creamy Pasta Dishes

I just gotta share some recipes. I can't keep all the good ones to myself. These two involve whipping cream. (Not whipped cream! Don't confuse the two. haha)

Lets call this one...
Penne & Creamy Asparagus with Chicken

• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2" pieces
• 1lb penne pasta
• 2T butter
• 1 1/4lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1" pieces) -or- left over rotisserie chicken
• 3/4c. heavy cream
• 1/2c. grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2c. chicken broth
• 1/4t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4c. toasted walnuts

Now...
1. Bring water to a boil. Add asparagus & cook 2 mins. Scoop out asparagus and set aside.
2. Return water to a boil. Cook your pasta and drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook through till no longer pink. Add some kosher salt and pepper in there. Obviously if you're using leftover chicken, you skip this whole step.
3. In heated pan, combine chicken broth, heavy cream, s+p with the asparagus and chicken.
4. Simmer everything until slightly reduced, aprox 7-8 minutes. Toss with pasta. Add walnuts.

Why I love this recipe:

Well for one, I love creamy pasta dishes. Pasta is the ultimate in comfort food. This dish has been a favorite of ours since I discovered it 5 years ago. I appreciate that the walnuts work so well with the Parmesan cheese in this dish. And, sky loves the asparagus because it's covered in creamy yumminess.

_______________________________

The next recipe is from adapted from my friend, Alissa. She discovered a wonderful Alfredo sauce from allrecipes.com, and neither one of us have bought a can of Alfredo since! I wish I had a picture for this. And I don't want to hear how unhealthy this recipe is. You all know you love Alfredo. ;)

Easy Creamy Alfredo Sauce

• 1c. heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 c. butter
• 3/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
• chopped herbs, coursely chopped. I'm always partial to parsley.
• 1/2 T. of flour.

Now...
Over medium-low heat, combine whipping cream, and butter. Slowly add the parm cheese, whisking till sauce is heated through. Add parsley. If sauce seems too thin, slowly whisk flour. Serve over whole grain pasta and grilled chicken. Serves 4.

Delish. That's all I have to say. Hope you try it, and enjoy!

Baked Rice Pudding

I tried this Pillsbury recipe one day when I felt like we had *no* food in the house. I wanted something sweet and warm that I could serve with vanilla icecream, and it definitely exceeded my expectations! I got a, "Oh wow, this is amazing" out of every person I fed this to. Hope you try it and... ENJOY!

Rice Mixture:

• 1/2 c. uncooked regular long-grain white rice
• 2 T. sugar
• 2 c. milk
• 1 T. margarine or butter

Pudding:

• 6 eggs
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. nutmeg
• 1/2 c. raisins
• 2 c. milk

1. In medium saucepan, combine all rice mixture ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cook uncovered 20-25 minutes or until creamy, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool for ~10 min. or so.
2. Heat oven to 350 (there seriously should be a "degrees" buttons on computers!) Lightly grease an 8"square baking dish. In large bowl, beat eggs; stir in all remaining pudding ingredients and rice mixture. Pour into greased baking dish.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 55-60 mins or until set. Serve warm or cold.

Note: Don't forget the vanilla icecream! ;)