Comfort Food Special - Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love entertaining...especially for these girls. They're really good at making you feel like all the effort you put into making a meal for 10+ was more than worth it, so I had fun having them over this past Thursday. Food is a big part of all of our lives and we believe you should be able to enjoy it with others that share the same love for tasty goodness. This is a huge reason why I love these ladies so much.

While catching up over glasses of wine and All Green Guacamole, I finished up our dinner for the evening - Stuffed Bell Peppers. This recipe was derived from my favorite cookbook, Best of Home Cooking, which can be bought for only $12.99 on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Family-Favorites-Best-Cooking/dp/1445405687/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329697272&sr=8-2

"This tasty cafeteria classic is the best use of leftover rice ever invented. You have to love a recipe where you get your meat, vegetable and starch all in one delicious package." (Serves 6-8)

For the sauce...
1 T olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1 c. beef broth
2 1/2 c. prepared marinara sauce
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 t red pepper flakes

Add the olive oil to a saucepan and lightly brown the onions with a large pinch of salt over med-high heat. Remove half, reserve for the stuffing. Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients ans bring to a simmer. Pour the sauce into the bottom of a large deep casserole dish. Preheat oven to 375.

For the peppers...
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb Italian pork sausage, casings removed
2 c. cooked rice
1 c. grated 'real' parmesan
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes
2 t salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne
4 large red peppers (or green if you prefer)

Add all the filling ingredients to a mixing bowl, along with the reserved onions, and stir with a fork, or your hands, until the mixture is combined. Tips: You can cook a small piece of the filling to test the seasoning. Use brown rice to make this dish even healthier.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the stem, seeds and white membrane from each pepper. Fill with the stuffing and place in the casserole dish. Additional cheese can be rated over the top if desired.

Cover with foil and bake for 45 mins. Remove foil and bake for another 20-30 mins, or until the peppers are very tender. Exact cooking time will depend on size, shape and thickness of the peppers. Best to let rest for 10 mins before serving. Serve with the sauce spooned over the top.


Dessert was courtesy of Folgers Coffee & Smucker's... Raspberry Fudge Mocha Mousse Trifle.

I had come across this recipe over the holidays and waited for just the right group to make it for. It's a huge success with my husband and little one too. I promise you won't be disappointed. You can find it here: http://www.folgers.com/coffee-dessert-recipes/raspberry-fudge-mocha-mousse-trifle.aspx

Enjoy...we sure did. Thanks for visiting!

AK

Slow Cooker Ginger Curry Chicken

As a group, we are lucky enough to get to share in each others birthdays. This week was my 31st and Lisa & Lauren F were gracious enough to host. Being at these girls place is great! They are both wine distributors so we have literally hundreds of bottle to choose from out of their custom made wine racks to enjoy with dinner. Sometimes we're even lucky enough to bring a bottle or two home with us :) We were all in for a treat for dinner this week. Lisa made Ginger Curry Chicken in her crock pot. It was so flavorful and, well...yummy! Here is the recipe: (hint: I enjoyed mine with a big scoop of Lauren's Tzatziki over the top!! I'm hoping she'll share that recipe so I can post it to go along with this one)

Ingredients:1/3 cup tomato paste
4 gloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of curry powder
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
1 medium onion
2 lbs of boneless chicken thighs
salt/pepper
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 scallions - sliced

Directions: 1. Whisk- tomato paste, garlic, curry, ginger, cumin and 3/4 cup water.  Add onion and stir. Place chicken on top and season with salt and pepper.
2. Put on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 until chicken is tender and cooked.
3. Cook rice about 10-15 minutes before serving (I used chicken broth instead of water when cooking the rice to add a deeper flavor, use about a can for every 2 cups of rice).
4. Before serving add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and yogurt and stir.
5. Serve over your choice of rice, sprinkled with sliced scallions.

If you'd like to stick to the Indian theme serve with Naan bread on the side.

Let me finish by adding that I am so freaking lucky to have such a wonderful group of girls on my side. Thank you all so much for the love and fun you each grace my life with each and every week. I am so blessed! -AK

Enjoy the dish everyone!