Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Summer!  The word evokes images of bright colors, cool drinks, and fresh off the vine foods.  Based on that criteria, this meal is perfect for a summer evening.  

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup rice

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 large onion - chopped

3 cloves garlic - chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 heaping tsp coriander

1 can diced tomatoes

shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

6 peppers (green, red, yellow, orange...you decide)

Add water and rice to a small pot.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes until rice is done.  Set rice to side.

In a larger pan, cook ground beef and onion until beef is cooked through.  Add garlic, salt, chili powder, cumin, and coriander.  Cook for 1 more minute.  Drain fat.

Add rice to meat mixture.  Add in diced tomatoes and stir to combine.  

While meat is cooking, wash and cut peppers.  This can be done various ways.  You can cut the peppers lengthwise then place them on their sides and fill them.  

I chose to cut off the tops, clean out the insides with a pairing knife, and then use the tops again.  I just liked the look of this better.

You may have to cut just a light bit off the bottom of each pepper to help them to stand up straight.

Stuff meat mixture into centers of prepared peppers.   At this point you can sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the peppers.  I was going to a slightly healthier meal, so I chose to replace the pepper tops instead.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, or until peppers are soft and slightly golden brown on top.

Beautiful and delicious!

Pumpkin Cake

This is the perfect time of year for everything pumpkin.  And me, personally, I love pumpkin.  So here is an amazing way to enjoy all things pumpkin - Pumpkin Cake!  

This recipe is from my mother-in-law and it has served me well over the years.  

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 2/3 cup for topping)

1/2 cube (4 TB) butter - at room temperature

1 egg

Filling:

1 16 oz can pumpkin puree

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice, dash of ginger and ground cloves)

Topping:

2 TB butter - at room temperature

2/3 cup reserved cake mix

1 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, butter and egg.  Mix with a fork or pasty cutter to combine.

Press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Use your fingers - it's the only way.

In another bowl (or the same one after you've washed it out), combine all the filling ingredients.   Stir with a whisk to throughly combine them all.

Pour filling mixture on top of crust.  

Take reserved cake mix and add cinnamon and butter.  Use a fork and combine until it forms a crumble consistency.

Sprinkle this mixture on top of the pumpkin filling.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.  It will come out golden and wonderful.

Serve it while it's still warm - although my kids have been know to eat this even if it's cold.

Make sure and add a large dollop of fresh whipped cream.   Believe me, you'll be going back for seconds.

Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna

My family loves Mexican food - well, the American version of Mexican food.  We like tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, tostadas.  So I decided to come up with another way to enjoy one of our favorite genres of food.  

Give this simple dish a try.  You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 large onion - chopped

1 can black beans - rinsed and drained

1 can tomato soup

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp coriander

3 cups grated cheese

4 flour tortillas - 8" wide

Brown your beef  and onions in a sauce pan.  I always put onions is my meat - even if it's just dried onions.  Onions make it taste so much better.  Once your meat is no longer pink, drain the fat (if you have any).

Add the beans, tomato soup, salt, garlic, chili, cumin and coriander.  Stir to combine and allow it to cook on the stove for about 5 minutes to help combine all the flavors.

Place a tortilla in the bottom of a non-stick springform pan.  This is the type of pan used to make a cheesecake.  If you don't have one - go get one.  Believe me, you'll love it.

Now you're going to layer everything.  Start with the meat.  Put about 1/4 of it on top of the tortilla.  Then sprinkle about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cheese.

Then add another tortilla, more meat, and more cheese.

You can use more or less cheese, depending on your preferences.  We like cheese in this house - so we may have used more than the recipe asks for.  : )

Do two more layers (tortilla, 1/4 of the meat, 3/4 cup cheese) and then it should look like this:

Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  The cheese will be melted and lightly browned and perfect!

This will be super hot.  So let it sit for a few minutes and then place it on a serving platter or plate.  Once you've set it on the plate, take the side off your springform pan.

What a beautiful and fun way to present your food.

You can see all the different layers of yumminess.

Cut it into wedges and serve with sour cream, guacamole, or chopped tomatoes.  Of course these toppings are all optional, but they sure do look good - and they taste even better!

Happy eating!

Apple Crumble

Many years ago, I was in a sorority in college.  At the end of the year, we put together cookbooks and each girl got to take one home.  There was a recipe similar to this in my cookbook...however over the years I seem to have lost the cookbook.  Who knows where it could be, but one place it isn't is my recipe cupboard.  Oh well, that meant that now I had to try to figure it out on my own.  

After a few tries, I think I got it right!  This dessert is perfect for a crisp fall night.  Believe me, you will want to make this over and over again.

Ingredients:

5 medium apples - pealed, cored, and diced

1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/4 cup water

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 cube) butter at room temperature

Place your diced apples is a shallow baking dish.  You can use a 9x13 or any other dish of similar size.

Sprinkle the cinnamon and salt on top of the apples. 

Now pour the water on top and stir to distribute all that cinnamon.  Be careful not to spill those apples.

In a separate bowl, add flour, sugar and butter.  

Notice that I'm not using any oats.  That's why this is a crumble and not a crisp.  I'm sure if you like oats you can think of a way to incorporate them.  However,  give this a try first.  I think you'll like it just the way it is.   Anyway.....

Using a fork or a pastry cutter, mix until a crumbly mixture forms.

Sprinkle the flour mixture on top of the apples.  You can lightly press down if you need to, but really you should be just fine sprinkling it evenly over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Your apples should be nice and tender and the topping crisp and golden.

Serve while warm, and add some vanilla ice cream or a huge scoop of fresh whipped cream.  Believe me, you will be coming back for seconds!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

We have this favorite meal in our house - well, actually we have many favorite meals - but one of these favorites is Tomato And Basil Capellini.  We have it quite often, but I had to figure out some type of chicken to go with it.  That's how I came up with Parmesan Crusted Chicken.   This chicken is easy, tasty, and the perfect accompaniment to our Tomato And Basil Capellini.

Ingredients:

6 thin chicken breasts

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

3/4 tsp salt

olive oil

In a shallow dish combine the bread crumbs, cheese, seasonings and salt.  Stir to combine.

Place chicken breasts in a plastic bag and pound until about 1/2 inch thin.  I just used a rolling pin - you could use a mallet if you had one.

Cover the bottom of a non-stick pan with olive oil - about 1/2 to 1 cup.  Heat oil on medium-high heat.

Then place the chicken in the bread crumb mixture and coat completely.

Once your oil is nice and hot, place the chicken in the oil.  Cook until golden brown - about 5 minutes.

Then flip the chicken over and cook on the other side - another 5 to 7 minutes.

This is what it looks like when your chicken is all done.  Crispy, juicy, seasoned perfectly and absolutely amazing!

Ziti con Salsiccia

I have to say that this is quickly becoming one of our family's favorite dishes.  I once had a friend make us a dinner that was very similar to this.  So...I set to work and came up with a dish that is absolutely wonderful, and so simple to make.  Here you go - Ziti con Salsiccia - Ziti with Sausage.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ziti

1 lb. italian sausage - mild

3 cloves garlic - chopped

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Any time I make a pasta dish, the first thing I do is fill a large pot of water and get it on the stove.  Here in Texas (aka - sea level) it takes forever for water to come to boil.  Get that pot on early so you're not waiting for the pasta.

Place your sausages in a large non stick skillet and on medium to medium-high heat, brown all the edges.  These don't have to be cooked all the way through, just brown around the edges.  This should take around 7+ minutes. 

Another thing I should probably explain....I tend to cook at least three things at one time.  So...I thought I was turning down my skillet, but really I was turning down the temperature on my boiling water.  Hence the overly cooked edges on my sausages.  Oh well...they'll still work just fine. 

Once your sausages are brown along the edges, put your chopped garlic into the pan and saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Next pour in your tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Stir to combine.

Now it's time to add your seasonings - onion powder, salt, thyme, oregano and basil.  I had some fresh thyme, so I threw a little bit of that in there too. It helped to give it a fresh summery taste.

Remember those not quite fully cooked sausages?  Nows the time to get those things cooking.  Take a fork and a knife and slice the sausages into 1/2 inch medallions.

By now your sauce and your water should be boiling.  Place your pasta in the water and cook according to package directions - it should be around 10 minutes.   Here's a little hint - if you like your pasta with a little more sauce then only cook about 3/4 of a pound of ziti.

Turn your sauce down to a simmer and continue to simmer the sausages in the sauce while your pasta cooks - about 10 minutes.

If it all works out according to plan, your pasta and your sauce are both done at the same time.

Drain the pasta, and place it back in the large pot.  Pour the sauce over the top and stir to combine.

You could eat it just like this and serve it fresh out of the pot, but I decided to jazz it up a bit.

I threw on some mozzarella cheese, because, let's face it....everything is better with cheese.

Then stick it under the broiler for a few minutes until your cheese melts and gets slightly golden brown....but watch it close so it doesn't burn.

And there you have it - Ziti con Salsiccia.

Simple, delicious, and absolutely beautiful.