Stuffed Peppers

Sorry, blog. I seem to be neglecting you these days. I started you with the intention of an entry at least twice a week and have slipped. Apologies.

I've been busy.

It's not that I haven't thought of things to write, because I have. Many times. But I just haven't had time. Well, as I sit here, one of my babies asleep, the other swinging to her heart's content outside, I have time. A little anyway...

Here is a recipe I resurrected from my youth. Mom used to make these a lot when I was a kid, and I had picked up a bunch of green peppers on sale at the store. Except I had no idea what I was going to do with them. So here you go. I'm sure it's a little different than mom used to make, but they tasted just about exactly like they used to.

The beauty of this meal is that you don't need to make anything to go with it. All your veggies, meat, dairy and carbs in one dish. Love that.

Stuffed Peppers

- 3-4 green peppers
- rice
- 1 lb ground beef (can use ground turkey as well)
- 1 onion
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- shredded cheddar cheese

Cut peppers in half lengthwise, seed and remove tops. Place in baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Cut off all usable flesh from tops and put into pan with one diced onion and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Cook until onion is transparent. Add one pound lean ground beef and cook until meat is browned. Then add two cans of diced tomatoes, undrained and combine thoroughly, heating through.

While preparing all that, cook rice until it is almost done, but not quite. (however you prefer to cook it, I have a rice cooker). You will need about 2 cups cooked rice.

Mix rice into meat mixture, spoon into prepared peppers. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Cover and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.

Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes

It's that time of year. Grilling season. I heart it.

Seriously.

I love that you don't have to heat up the house when it's warm out. I love that you can sit and enjoy an evening breeze, the air scented with the aroma of something delicious cooking over a fire. I love, love, love grilling season.

This is one of those meals that I found in some magazine a while back and tweaked. It might sound a little strange at first....I know it sounded icky to me initially. I'm not a fan of the sweet potato. I mean, I get that they are crazy good for you and all, I am just not a fan. Generally. But this way, I don't just tolerate them. I love them. And you will too.

Grilled Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes
- rub with olive oil and season with crushed sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- grill until juice run clear, time will depend of thickness of meat and whether they are bone-in or boneless.

- Peel 4-6 sweet potatoes. Cut into strips, ideally you want them about half an inch thick. Too thin, they will be mushy. Too thick and they won't get done all the way.
- Toss in a bowl with a little olive oil, crushed sea salt and pepper
- Grill in a grill basket over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Check for doneness. These usually take longer than the pork chops, so start cooking them first.
- Remove from basket, and toss with 3-4 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 cup diced green onions (this was the part I wasn't too sure about, but trust me)

We usually eat this with a salad and some watermelon. Happy grilling!

Brownies

Yes, I do know you can buy these in a box. But they are so much better if you make them from scratch. And really, it's not that much more work.

Glazed Double Fudge Brownies
- 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
- stick of butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- dash salt

Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler until smooth, cool slightly. Beat eggs and sugar. Combine salt and flour, then add to egg mixture. Stir in chocolate mixture, add vanilla last. Pour into greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Cool completely, the glaze with the following:
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp oil
Melt chips in saucepan, stir in oil. Let cool slightly, then spread over brownies. Let set for a while, then enjoy!

Islands

This is one of my most favorite meals, and has been approved by everyone who has ever tried it. It takes a bit of planning, since it's far better if you make most of it ahead and let it sit for a day. Not too much hands on time the day of the meal since the prep is done ahead.

Add a tossed green salad and go to your happy place. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, I've got a recipe for ginger salad dressing at the bottom. It's a bit of work, but worth it.

It's the kind of meal which can make you pretend you are far away, somewhere tropical. Almost.

The marinade is easy and quick, far better than anything you can buy from a store. I've used it for all different kinds of chicken, it works best on boneless thighs. If using chicken, marinate overnight. If using shrimp or fish, an hour is more than enough.

Island Marinade
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- zest and juice of 3 limes
- 3 tbsp olive oil

Tropical Fruit Salsa
- One mango, peeled and diced
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 cup fresh or drained canned pineapple, diced
- juice of 1-2 limes
- handful of cilantro, stems removed and chopped
- Combine and store in the fridge overnight, tastes better the next day. :)

Cilantro Lime Rice
- 8 cups cooked rice (preferably jasmine rice)
- 4 tbsp butter
- juice of 1-2 limes
- handful of cilantro, stems removed and chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
***as good as the cilantro lime rice from a nationwide burrito chain***
- I put the rice in the rice cooker about 15 minutes before the chicken goes on the grill, then mix it all up right after the chicken is done, this is the only thing you make the day you eat it. Yum.

Ginger Salad Dressing
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp diced fresh ginger root
- 2 tbsp diced celery
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Place all above in a blender, blend until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill. SO worth the effort, trust me.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

This is one of those meals that just kinda happened one day. I knew I wanted something easy, something that involved the crockpot. Mostly, I just threw a bunch of stuff in there and it was good. I've tweaked it every time I've made it since and I think tonight I perfected it.

Chicken Tacos
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (though you could really use any boneless chicken)
- can of diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cans of black beans, one rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning

Put the chicken in the crockpot, cover with the taco seasoning and the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low for 6-8, then shred the chicken.

We make tacos using the chicken mixture, shredded cheese and sour cream. Everyone loves this stuff, even the baby.

Parmesan Tilapia

I had tilapia thawed for dinner last night, but wanted to find a new recipe for it. I found something similar to what you see here, and tweaked it like I always do. It was good. Really good.

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia
4 tilapia fillets
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp light mayo
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
dash of ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Combine all the above in a bowl. Turn on broiler. Spray cooking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Broil tilapa fillets 3 minutes. Remove from oven, coat with cheese mixture, then broil for another 4 minutes. Done when topping starts to turn golden brown and fish flakes easily with a fork.