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

Roasted Chicken Tacos & (Mock) Deep Fried Ice Cream

We gathered at Teresa's house for some fun food and girl time. Funny enough we discussed the appropriate age that all women should probably take their bellybutton piercings. Apparently not all of us agereed on 27. What do you all think? :)

We also had a reader reach out and ask us to review her idea for a new app she's putting together. Here is what we were asked:

"For me, I think the problem with being healthy is motivation. It's an abstract, overwhelming goal. I think the best way to counter this is to have concrete, winnable games and small victories.
So, this app will makes living healthy, and fitness into a RPG game, where users earn points, and "level up' as they achieve their goals. Every time they eat something healthy like vegetables, they earn points. Every time they complete a workout, they earn points. Each level will present different challenges.

The challenges will follow a certain structure. First will come changing your environment such as getting rid of junk food. Then, reducing stress, as stress leads to eating comfort food. Then concrete goals like keeping track of everything you eat, or taking the stairs for a week. Small, concrete goals rather than abstract ones like "be healthy" or "exercise more".

The whole point is to create a holistic framework/game so people will rely less on willpower, and more on fun, achievement, and changing our environment."

We were excited to hear about this app and all agreed that, although there are so many food, health/exercise apps out there, that this one made it seem easier to achieve your goals in a more reasonable fashion. It is currently in the beginning phases and will be sure to pass along the info as soon as it goes live. Thanks for reaching out to us Christine :)

Teresa always has something new for us to try. Last week we pressed our own homemade corn tortillas for our chicken tacos with her tortilla press. Simply made of water, corn meal, and a little bit of corn starch (for texture). Have fun and experiment with the amounts until you achieve a desired texture (should be pliable and a little tacky). Fry in a small amt of vegetable oil.

She served a roasted chicken with a huge assortment of toppings including:

Beans
Guacamole
Jalapenos
Limes
Cabbage
Cotija Cheese (a crumbly Mexican style cheese)
Salsa
Red Onions

Man I know there were more but I'll let you personalize it to your own taste.

Dessert was Deep Fried Ice Cream that was everything but deep fried. If you didn't already know you roll a scoop in crushed up corn flakes and top with whatever you'd like. We had ours with strawberries and mint leaves. Though these are typically used as a garnish, it was really great to incorporate it into a bite.

Don't forget to follow our blog so you don't miss out on any of the great recipes or fun discussions. Thanks for visiting!

AK

Nelle's Famous Pulled Pork Sammies!

As a group of girls who appreciate an amazing menu, we cannot continue to keep this delicious bite a secret any longer. Danielle has been making these for us for years now. They're a big hit at the wedding showers & NYE parties we've celebrated, and we never have any left-overs...unless we mean to of course :)

PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

1 pre-packaged porkloin
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 14 oz bottle ketchup
1 cup brown sugar

Danielle says, "I usually make 2 batches of sauce. I cook the pork in 1 batch of sauce for about 6 hours. Then I pour out 1/2 the sauce with all the fat that cooked off and add the new batch of sauce. The meat should fall apart by itself. If not gently pull it apart with forks."

Serve on wheat buns (or rolls to achieve the "slider" effect). These are flavorful enough not to have to add anything but if you want, add a spoonfull of coleslaw either right on top or as a side.

I, myself, have now made these twice just in the last week for 2 different groups of friends & family. 2nds and 3rds were enjoyed whole heartedly, and not just by myself.

ENJOY (we promise you will)!

AK

Wazzu Tailgate Chili

At Lauren H's we gathered for some fun with her boys and once we read them some books and they went to bed we discussed the body's need for certain exercises :) Many of these Lauren learned about on her new venture to becoming a new Stroller Strides program operator.

Stroller Strides is a nationwide fitness program for moms and babies. It combines power walking/jogging and strength training using resistance bands, your stroller, and the natural environment. It is designed to make mom fit for motherhood and engage baby at the same time. Our current location is at Lake Wilderness Park in Maple Valley. And another class at Lake Meridian in Kent will be opening in summer. All moms are welcome as well as all fitness levels. Another perk to stroller strides is that it has a support system built right in. Our classes are linked to a moms group that meets weekly after our workouts for play dates, arts and crafts, and coffee. It is a great way to get your workout in, meet other moms, and set a good example for your children. The main website is just http://www.strollerstrides.com/ From there you would search for a class. Until her program is open in Kent, Lauren's local website is: http://classes.strollerstrides.net/maple-valley/moreinfo/9df6c4263e14dbfc4181551f271d9046/98038/lake-wilderness-park---stroller-strides/maple-valley/index.aspx

For dinner Lauren made us Wazzu Tailgate Chili (courtesy of http://www.allrecipes.com/) Whether you're a fan or not, you'll love this hearty dish. Here is your recipe for this week...

Wazzu Tailgate Chili

2 lbs. ground beef
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, chopped, divided
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded & minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. chopped green onion
3 (15 oz. cans) beans (you can use all chili beans, or 2 chili & 1 black, or 2 kidney & 1 black which is what I used)
1 (14.5 oz can) diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz can) tomato sauce
1 (6 oz can) tomato paste
1 (12 oz can) beer
2 Tbs. cornmeal
1 cup water
1/4 cup chili powder
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. salt
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

-Cook meat til browned, drain
-Heat oil in large pot, stir in 3/4 of the onion, all green pepper, jalapeno, & garlic. Cook til onion has softened. Stir the meat into the onion mix with green onion, beans, diced tomatoes, sauce & paste, beer and water.
-Sprinkle with cornmeal, then season with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
-Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to medium low and simmer at least 2 hours. (The longer the better.)
-Top with your favorite things or nothing at all. We'll leave this up to you.

Dessert was Double Chocolate Lava Cakes from Fred Meyer. They have these new frozen offering by their in-store brand, Private Reserve. They were ooey-gooey and so delicious. I've also tried the Pineapple Upside Down Cake they offer, which are now a favorite of mine & my husband. Lauren, Emily & I are members of a word-of-mouth marketing program that send us free product or coupons for free product, which is how we heard of Fred Meyer's Private Reserve frozen goods. If you are interested in becoming a product tester or Bzz agent, as we're referred to, you can sign up at http://www.bzzagent.com/. It's easy and free. You answer a few surveys regarding your age, social environment, likes/dislikes and so forth and depending on how you answer they start to invite you to the "campaigns" that best suite you. You then have a certain amount of time to report back to them on the product. We all love it and sometimes end up all being invited to the same campaign so we have 3 times the free stuff to share at a dinner and lots of high value coupons to hand out to the rest of the girls.

Until next time, enjoy the chili!

AK

Pinterest is everywhere...Our tables are no exception!

It's no secret...anymore, Pinterest has opened up a world of ideas and new recipes, and we are right in line with the rest of you taking advantage of all the amazing-ness...Time consuming or not, we feel it's worth the research time. While at Tiff's we enjoyed an appetizer of German Cheddar & Beer Fondue. This recipe originally comes from foodnetwork.com courtesy of Rachael Ray:

Ingredients

• 1 sack, 10 ounces, 2 1/2 cups, shredded sharp Cheddar, available on dairy aisle
• 1/4 to 1/3 pound, 4 to 6 ounces, Gruyere, shredded
• 1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup German lager beer
• 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• A few drops hot sauce
• A few drops Worcestershire sauce

For Serving:

• 1 1/2 pounds cubed or thick sliced and browned wursts: knock or brat
• 1 package mini party franks (recommended: Boars Head)
• 1 head cauliflower, separated into florets
• 1 small jar mini Gherkin pickles, drained
• 1 small jar pickled onions, available on vegetable aisle
• 1 small, round loaf rye, pumpernickel or sour dough bread, cubed

Directions

Combine cheeses in a bowl with flour. Add beer to a small pot and bring up to a bubble over medium heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and add cheese in handfuls. Stir constantly, melting the cheese in batches. Stir in a figure-eight pattern with wooden spoon. When the cheese has been incorporated fully, stir in the mustard, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Transfer fondue to warm fondue pot.

In a large skillet, bring 2-inches of water to a boil and blanch the cauliflower for 2 to 3 minutes, drain and arrange around the fondue pot.

In the same pan, bring the cooking water back to a boil and add the mini franks and sliced wursts. Cook, uncovered until all the liquid has evaporated. Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan to crisp the casings. Pile wursts and dogs near fondue. Complete the dipping selections with dishes of pickles, onions and cubed bread.

Our main course is a popular pin you might recognize...Chicken & Cheese Lasagna Roll Ups. You can fin the original recipe courtesy of ivilliage.com. Here it is in all it's deliciousness...

3 cups chopped cooked chicken		1/4 cup milk
1 cup Ricotta cheese		1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese		8 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese		2 cups Prego Spaghetti Sauce

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep: 1 hour 10 min (70 mins) Total:

• In medium bowl, combine chicken, cheeses, milk, and pepper
• Spread 1/2 cup mixture on each lasagna noodle; roll jelly-roll fashion
• In a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce
• Arrange lasagna rolls, seam-side down in sauce in baking dish
• Top with remaining spaghetti sauce
• Cover
• Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot
• Serve, if desired, with additional Parmesan cheese.

We finished off the evening with another fondue...chocolate this time. It was served with strawberries, graham crackers and marshmallows.

I think it's safe to say we were spoiled tonight! Thanks Tiff!
Enjoy!!

Happy Hour at Danielle's

When we heard we were having a night of appetizers for dinner a few of us definitely thought we were going to starve. Were we ever WRONG! We stuffed ourselves with 4 different plates, not to mention a mashed potato bar with all the fixins and dessert. 'Nelle is pretty well known for her appetizers and here she shares some of her secrets.

Baked Brie Cheese

From- Lisa Bauder (Jake’s Aunt)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans

1 tablespoon brandy

1 (14-ounce) round brie

For Serving-

Apple wedges

Pear wedges

2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Crackers

Baguette

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, nuts, and brandy. Cover and chill for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place the brie on an ovenproof platter or pie plate and bake for 4 or 5 minutes or until the brie is slightly softened. Spread the sugar mixture in an even layer on top of the warm brie and bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until the sugar melts. Brush the fruit wedges with lemon juice and arrange them around 1 side of the brie. Place crackers & baguette around the other side.

Lemon Quinoa Cilantro Chickpea Salad

From- Pinterest; The Diva Dish blog

Ingredients:

1/2 C. dry quinoa

2 C. vegetable broth

1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 c. cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 avocados diced

2 C. spinach

1 bunch cilantro

1/4 C. onion

2 small cloves garlic

For the dressing:

Juice of 2 lemons

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. agave nectar

1/2 tsp. cumin

Dash of salt and pepper

1. Make your quinoa first. Soak the quinoa in a pot in the veggie broth for about 15 minutes. After that, turn on the heat to medium high and let the quinoa come to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat to medium/low and let quinoa simmer. Stir every so often, and cook quinoa for about 20-25 minutes just until the liquid absorbs. You don’t want it completely dried out, so when there is just a TINY amount of liquid left in the pot, remove it from heat and put a lid on it. Set it aside, and make the rest of the salad.

2. In a food processor, add your spinach and cilantro. Make sure to wash you greens.

3. Process the greens until they are finely diced. You can do this by hand as well if you don’t have a food processor

4. Add the greens to a bowl, and set aside. Next take your onion and garlic and finely dice those (I do this in the food processor to), and add to the greens mixture. Next add your chickpeas and stir until everything is combined and coated. If the quinoa is cooled, you can add it to the chickpea mixture next.
5. Make your dressing by whisking all the ingredients together. Pour over salad, and mix until combined. Add in tomatoes and avocado and mix. Set in fridge for about 10-15 minutes before serving so the flavors set.

Chicken Parmesan Bites

From- Rachel Ray Big Orange Cookbook

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup bread crumbs

¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; grated

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

2 pounds chicken (cut into pieces)

Salt & Pepper

3 tablespoons oil for pan cooking the chicken (I prefer vegetable oil)

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

½ cup homemade basil pesto (or store bought)

Arrange 3 bowls, fill one with the flour, one with the eggs and the third with a mixture of the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic, lemon zest and parsley.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and coat each first with the flour, then egg and finally the bread crumb mixture. Set the coated pieces on a baking sheet.

Place a large pan over medium-high heat with the oil.  Cook the coated chicken bites in 2 batches, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.

While the chicken bites are cooking, place a small pot over medium heat with the crushed tomatoes and bring to bubble. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pesto.

Serve the chicken bites with the tomato-pesto sauce alongside.

The mashed potato bar is pretty straight forward...

Then for dessert we had Santa Hat Brownies...This recipe is easily found on Pinterest and also pretty easy to put together yourself with any brownie recipe.

Enjoy!
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!

Eggplant Parmesan - A Hearty Vegetarian Dish

Thursday the 22nd was at my house. I wanted to try to make something I'd never had before and came across this dish, courtesy of Bobby Flay, on foodnetwork.com. I wasn't sure eggplant was going to be my thing...I proved myself wrong - I'm hooked!

Now before you go following this recipe verbatim, I do have a few tips I want to share that will shorten the prep time for this dish, because although it says prep is 30 mins, it took me nearly an hour. I'm all about a quick & easily prepared dinner.

• Use jarred roasted red peppers if you don't want to make your own (will save you 40 mins of broiling time plus the 15 mins it will take you to let them set and peel them of their skins. Jarred are nearly as good as the real thing)
• Use pre-dried breadcrumbs from the bakery and a food processor to crumble them (will save you 30 mins of baking time)
• Do NOT sub jarred spaghetti sauce for this homemade version. This one is delicious, fun to make and completely worth it in the end. I'll probably use it in the future for lasagna and spaghetti.

Total Time: 1 hr 40 min

Prep: 30 min

Inactive: 10 min
Cook: 1 hr 0 min
Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Ingredients

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 2 (28-ounce) cans plum tomatoes and their juices, crushed with your hands
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Honey, to taste

Eggplant:

• 5 cups fresh dried breadcrumbs (made from dried day-old bread)
• Butter, for greasing the dish
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 to 3 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4-pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices (need about 18 slices)
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce
• 12 ounces grated mozzarella (not fresh), plus1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 12 ounces grated fontina
• 3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• Fresh basil leaves, torn

For the Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce:

Directions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the red peppers and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth. Return the mixture back to the pot, add the parsley, basil and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes longer and season with honey, if needed.

For the Eggplant:

To dry out the bread crumbs:

Preheat the oven to 300 degree F.

Evenly spread the bread crumbs on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the oven off and let the bread crumbs sit in the oven for 30 minutes or until just dry.
Raise the temperature of the oven up to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 15 by 10 by 2-inch baking dish and set aside.
Place the bread crumbs into a large shallow bowl. Add the herbs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In another medium shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 tablespoons of water together.
Season each eggplant slice on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off excess, then dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the bread crumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the egg plant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Heat 1/2-inch of oil in 2 large straight-sided saute pans over medium heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 385 degrees F. Working in small batches, fry a few of the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with some of the tomato sauce and arrange 1/2 of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with some of the sauce, grated mozzarella, fontina, Romano cheese and some of the basil. Repeat to make 3 layers ending with the sauce. Top with the fresh mozzarella and remaining Romano and bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!
Amanda