Stuffed Peppers

I remember my mom making this recipe when I was little, but it only had meat and cheese as the filling.....tastes great, but what about the veggies??? I found this recipe that is much healthier. So I love this recipe because it is so healthy and filling. I saute the veggies really well and then my 11 month old will eat it too. I personally like making these with red peppers, but they can be pricey if you are feeding your whole family so I opted for 3 green, 1 red this time. I also leave out the meat occasionally and it still tastes great.

Stuffed PeppersSouthernfood.com

INGREDIENTS: Serves 4

4 bell peppers: red, yellow or green
2 tsp salt

Filling:
2 TBS olive oil
½ C chopped onion
½ C chopped celery
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
3 TBS tomato paste
1/3 C water (I leave this out and just do not drain the tomatoes)
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp dried leaf basil
1 ½ tsp salt, divided
½ tsp ground black pepper, divided
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 C cooked long-grain rice
shredded mild cheddar cheese, about ½ C

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible part of tops and set aside. Rinse peppers under cold water. Place peppers in a large pot; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté chopped green pepper (from tops), chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water, crushed garlic, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Gently stir to blend; add ground beef, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well.
6. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers.
7. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes. Top stuffed peppers with a little shredded Cheddar cheese just before peppers are done; bake until cheese is melted.

Photo Source: Cooking Creations

Chicken Salad

Sam’s Club Chicken SaladJana B.

Blend together:

½ C mayonnaise
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dry mustard

Add:
2 TBS chopped green onion
½ C diced celery
1 13 oz can Member’s Mark Chicken, drained and flake with fork or hands.
red grapes cut in half (optional)
cashews (optional)

Mix well. Chill in fridge. Best if done day ahead. Serve on small croissants.

Photo Source: My Recipes

Lil' Smokies

Bake Time: 20 minutes
Temperature: 400 degrees

INGREDIENTS:

1 package Little Smokeys hot dog sausages
1 package bacon
brown sugar
toothpicks
tinfoil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut slices of bacon in half.
2. Wrap each half slice of bacon around a little smokey and pin it with a toothpick.
3. Thickly coat in brown sugar.
4. Place on a tinfoil-lined pan. If not, your pan will never be clean again!
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or longer if you like the bacon cooked more.

Photo Source: Tasty Kitchen

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

I found this recipe online somewhere and was really impressed with it. Have you ever heard the joke about how its not ok to eat cake for breakfast, but a muffin is just fine?? Well, I'm NOT a sweet muffin person because I AM eating this for breakfast and I don't want it to have as much sugar in it as a candy bar. There are 2 versions to this recipe. The first is the original....sweeter and really good, the second is not nearly as sweet but I actually like it better for that reason alone. So, think about what your family will eat when making these yummy muffins. Maybe half milk-half apple juice concentrate would be the best option.

Oatmeal Banana Muffins



Mix in a large bowl:
1 1/4 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda



Mix in a small bowl:
3/4 C apple juice concentrate, thawed (for my version I substitute half milk half juice concentrate to reduce sweetness. You can even substitute all of the apple juice for milk, but it won't be sweet.)
1 egg, beaten
1 C ripe bananas (usually about 3), mashed
1/4 C raisins



Mix wet and dry ingredients and spoon into muffin cups. Muffins can be to the brim of the muffin tin. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 12 muffins. If making "mini muffins" it makes 24.



*Optional: Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top of muffin batter before baking.

Photo Source: My Kitchen

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie
Makes 4 servings
Bakes 45-55 minutes
Temp 350 degrees

INGREDIENTS:

2 C cooked cubed chicken, salted
½ C sliced carrots
1 C cubed potatoes
½ C chopped onions
¼ C sliced celery
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ can evaporated milk or 2% milk
½ tsp crushed thyme
1/4 tsp freshly grated pepper
1 TBS butter
1 C frozen peas
pastry for 1 pie crust (or 2 crusts if wanting to have crust on top and bottom)

DIRECTIONS:

1. If pie crust is frozen, take out of freezer so it can thaw. This can take 60-90 minutes to come to room temperature.

2. Steam or boil carrots, potatoes and celery until barely tender, drain.


3. Stir in meat, onions, soup, milk, butter, thyme, pepper and peas.

4. Pour mixture into a 9 inch pie pan. (optional-can have it lined with one pie crust if desiring crust on top and bottom).

5. Roll out pastry pie crust over the filled pie dish. Seal edges around the rim or it will leak when you cook it. Make three 3” slices in the center of pie pastry for venting.

6. Brush pastry with milk. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

7. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating.


Recipe Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything
Note: I am looking to update this recipe with one that does not contain Cream of Chicken Soup :)

Peppermint Bark

So this recipe is super yummy and easy. I made the above almond bark pretty thin. Next time I will make it thicker and not spread it so thin. A Christmas classic!

Peppermint Bark

1 lb (24 oz) block of white almond bark

1 tsp peppermint extract

1 package peppermint candy canes

1. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.

2. Unwrap all candy canes and put them in a food processor. Pulse until the candy canes are small chunks to a coarse powder. If desired, remove bigger chunks and set aside.

3. Melt almond bark in a double boiler until fully melted, stirring frequently.

4. Mix candy canes and peppermint extract into the almond bark.

5. Spread mixture over wax paper. Sprinkle with reserved bigger pieces of candy canes, pushing them down into the hot mixture before it cools. Let cool.

6. Once cooled, break into 2-3 inch sized pieces.

Note-do not store peppermint bark in the same bag as other candies or else your entire stash will taste like peppermint.

Butterflied Coconut Shrimp

Coconut Butterflied Shrimp

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb large shrimp, shelled with tails intact
1 extra large egg
6 TBS milk
1 TBS brown sugar
½ C all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
4 oz (1 1/3 C) unsweetened shredded coconut
vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

1. Butterfly shrimp by cutting along curved back almost through other side. Open each shrimp like a book and remove intestinal vein. Rinse gently under cold running water.
2. Whisk the egg, milk and sugar in mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in flour and salt, then continue whisking constantly until batter is perfectly smooth. Let stand 30 minutes.
3. Spread coconut in a thin layer on baking sheet. Hold one shrimp by the tail and dip in batter, making sure batter coats all surfaces. Wipe shrimp against rim of bowl to remove excess batter and place on coconut. Repeat with remaining shrimp.
4. Turn each shrimp in coconut to lightly coat and place on wire rack to allow coating to set.
5. Pour enough oil into large deep skillet to measure 1 inch. Heat over medium high heat until end of shrimp dipped in oil sizzles at once. OR If available, use a deep fryer; it is much easier.
6. Add half the shrimp to skillet and fry, turning once, until shrimp are cooked through and coating deep golden brown, about 2 minutes.
7. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to paper towels to drain briefly. Fry remaining shrimp in same manner. Serve as a hot appetizer.


Coconut Shrimp Dipping Sauce
(Note: I am looking for another dipping sauce recipe.  This one is still good, just not "The One").
Mix Together:
½ C orange marmalade
¼ C Dijon mustard
¼ C honey
shredded ginger
optional: few drops hot pepper sauce


Recipe Source: My SIL Heather, not sure where she got the recipe.
Photo Source: Forkful of Comfort