Stuffed Peppers

My beloved and I both LOVE stuffed peppers. However, as much as I love them I had never actually made them before until tonight. They turned out SO well! We both love the flavor combinations and he proclaimed that these were the best stuffed peppers he had ever eaten and asked that I include them in our regular meal rotation! I hope you enjoy them just as much as we did!

Ingredients:
6 green bell peppers, tops and seeds removed (reserve tops)
Salt to taste
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
16-oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 c. long-grain white rice (I actually used basmati rice since it is his favorite and it was so tasty!)
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 pinch ground black pepper
8-oz. can tomato sauce


Chop reserved green bell pepper tops and measure out 1/4 cup.
Bring a pot of water to a boil; Cook whole green peppers until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
Drain and season inside of bell peppers with a little bit of salt.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook and stir beef, onion, garlic, and chopped bell pepper in the hot skillet until beef is browned, then drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Stir diced tomatoes, rice, water, soy sauce, black pepper and 1 tsp of salt into ground beef mixture.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover skillet with a lid, and simmer until rice is tender, about 15-18 minutes.
Stir in tomato sauce.
Stuff peppers with beef/rice mixture and arrange in a baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Taco Salad

Long ago, in a land far far away, I shared another taco salad recipe here. It is very tasty and always a big hit at church potlucks and such. Recently I tried THIS recipe, which although it does have a few similarities to my other recipe, it is still very different and oh my heavens is it delicious! I made it for my hubby and my brother-in-law and they loved it just as much as I do. It is very easy to throw together quickly and uses ingredients that a lot of us keep on hand. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
2 Romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed (I used black beans with jalapeños and lime juice - if you can find these they are AMAZING but regular black beans will work as well)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup nacho cheese Doritos, broken into small pieces
1 cup Catalina dressing


Brown and crumble ground beef in a large skillet. Drain.
Add taco seasoning and water called for on seasoning packet.
Stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let meat cool slightly.

In a large salad bowl combine lettuce, black beans, corn, tomato, and cheese.
Add slightly cooled ground beef and gently toss to combine.
Serve now or chill in refrigerator until ready to eat.
When ready to serve, add Doritos and Catalina dressing to salad mixture.
Toss to coat.

Enjoy!!

I'm back!

Yes, I have returned to the world of blogging after a two-year hiatus. My schedule just got to be too crammed with my piano teaching career and church work that I couldn't devote proper time to keeping the blog going but my situation has changed quite a bit recently. You see, I got MARRIED! Yay! AND I moved 1900 miles away to a completely different state, different climate, different way of life. My new life involves being home much more and therefore having time to get back in the kitchen and try all kinds of great recipes AND blog about them! Another yay! So I will be posting regularly again, and again will only feature recipes that have been tried and proven in my kitchen or in the kitchens of friends. See you soon!

S'mores Bites

I am issuing a disclaimer before I type another word: These are addictive. Very addictive. If you are a calorie counter, take heart... each S'mores bite is a little less than 100 calories. You're welcome.

I keep seeing all kinds of S'more-inspired desserts these days and decided to make these after seeing the recipe online. They turned out even more delicious than I imagined!  Seriously. They were super easy to make too, which makes for a very happy baker! Here is a link to the website where I originally saw them:


http://www.grocerybudget101.com/content.php/659-smores-cup-bites


I followed the recipe pretty closely except for a couple of things. I used one large Hershey's candy bar (the kind that has 15 pieces) and cut those pieces in half. I used 24 of them for the S'mores themselves and then chopped the remaining pieces into small bits to sprinkle over the treats at the end instead of melting them and spooning the chocolate onto the treats.

These are definitely going into my repertoire of recipes that I go back to again and again. Try them and let me know what you think!

Maple Dijon Chicken

Yes, I know it has been months since I last posted. I PROMISE that I haven't totally abandoned my cooking duties but life has just been going by at lightning speed. That being said, I have discovered some really delicious recipes that have been huge hits with the family and I promise to be a little more faithful in my posting. 

Today's recipe is one that I tried out recently. I normally don't like to try out new recipes on guests but this one was the exception and I am certainly glad I did. "Yummy" just doesn't even BEGIN to describe the sauce! It is safe to say that this one will be a favorite go-to recipe for years to come. Hope you enjoy!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Rosemary (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl combine mustard, maple syrup and vinegar.
Place chicken breasts in greased baking dish.
Season with salt and pepper.
Pour mustard mixture over chicken, making sure each breast is coated.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Season with chopped rosemary before serving.

Chicken Casserole

This is another super-simple recipe made with things that I almost always have in my pantry and freezer... my favorite type of recipe! It is perfect for a weeknight family meal or even to make for guests. I made it for a church potluck recently and it was a success. It also passed my resident chef's test so I figured I would pass it along! Enjoy!

4 chicken breasts, boiled (reserve broth)
1 stick butter
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
14-oz. bag Pepperidge Farm cornbread stuffing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 13 x 9" baking dish.
Cut boiled chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Put stuffing in large bowl and set aside.
Melt butter; pour over stuffing and set aside.
Mix 1 cup of chicken broth with cream of mushroom soup.
In another bowl mix 1 cup of chicken broth with cream of chicken soup.
Layer the following in greased baking dish:

1/3 of stuffing mixture
Mushroom soup mixture
1/3 of stuffing mixture
Chicken
Chicken soup mixture
1/3 of stuffing mixture

Bake for 45-60 minutes.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Cake with Oreo Buttercream Frosting

I confess. I am a chocoholic. The fact that this cake is chocolate AND has an Oreo frosting did not escape my notice. I will not be held responsible for caloric content or fat grams, but I will tell you that it is worth it! You all know that I am a Duncan Hines cake mix girl but this chocolate cake is SO simple to put together and so delicious. I will be making it from now on whenever I need a chocolate cake for anything. It is THAT good. Hope you enjoy!!

FOR THE CAKE:

2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. cocoa powder (Hershey's, of course)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, room temperature
1 c. milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Stir together dry ingredients.
Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
Beat on medium speed for two minutes.
Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
Pour into two 9" round baking pans that have been generously coated with cooking spray and lined with parchment paper (trust me, this cake will stick if your pans are not properly prepared).
Bake for 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of each cake comes out clean.

While cake is cooling prepare your frosting. You will need:

1 cup butter, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. milk or heavy cream
4 c. powdered sugar
16 Oreos, finely crushed 

In a large bowl cream butter, vanilla and milk.
Slowly add in powdered sugar until creamy and fluffy.
Mix in crushed Oreos until well combined.
Spread onto cake after cake has cooled completely.