Peppered Stuff

My mom used to make stuffed peppers--rice, hamburger, various seasonings mixed in and into the bell peppers. Used to. Of the seven kids in my family, maybe one would taste a pepper, but none of us would actually eat one. After a few attempts at this, my mom started stuffing only three or four peppers and filling the rest of the pan with only the rice and hamburger. And, over time, she gave up on stuffing the peppers all together and instead peppered the stuff.

Ingredients:

1-2 bell peppers
1 lb. hamburger
3 cups uncooked rice
onion, salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the rice as directed.

2. Brown the hamburger. Season as desired. Add chopped peppers and onions.

3. Combine rice and hamburger mixture in 9 x 13 pan.


4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until rice on top is crispy.


Variations:

Add tomato soup or taco seasoning before putting it into the oven.

Top the final dish with barbeque or hot sauce. I myself prefer ketchup. :)


From the Kitchen of Laura W.

St. Patty's Cupcake Bites

These cupcakes are divine! We made them for St. Patrick's Day, but change the frosting color and they are great for any holiday.

(Lucas was trying to steal a cupcake during the picture :)

St. Patty's White Cake:

2 3/4 sifted cake flour
4 teaspoons backing powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups butter
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Measure sifted flour, baking powder, and salt; sift together three times. In a mixing bowl beat egg whites until foamy, then add 1/2 cup sugar gradually and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.
In another bowl, cream butter. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Mix in flavorings. Add meringue, and beat thoroughly into batter. Spread batter in paper line mini cupcake tins.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes till done.

Frosting:

1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form; set aside.

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, then fold in whipped cream.

Frost your cupcakes!

Tips: If you don't have cake flour, mit 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of all purpose.

If you are using a mini tine, don't over fill your tin and use paper liners. I didn't have paper liners for my mini tin and it was a real hassle trying to get the cupcakes out. The second tray of cupcakes ended up being regular sized because I had paper cups for that tin.

I am not great at frosting, so I took a ziploc bag and snipped off a corner. I then filled the bag with frosting and used that to frost my cupcakes.

From the kitchen of Megan.

Recipe from: http://www.crazibeautiful.com/ConfessionsAndCooking/

Hawaiian Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts
Flour
Salt
Cooking Oil
1 can (15 1/2 oz. ) Pineapple chunks--I think I use a 20 oz.
1/2 c. honey
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 c. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 chicken bouillon cube(sometimes I use 2)
1 green pepper, cut in 1/4 inch strips

Roll chicken pieces in flour and sprinkle with salt. Brown in oil.(Don't fully cook the chicken) Drain pineapple, reserve pineapple chunks, and pour juice into measuring cup.
Add honey, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and bouillon cube into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour over chicken pieces in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Add pineapple chunks and green pepper; bake 5 minutes longer. Serve with cooked rice.


Makes 4-6 servings.

From the kitchen of Kym Allen(who got it from the LionHouse Classics Cookbook)

Scotch-a-roos

This is a fun and super yummy twist on the classic Rice Crispy treat.

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar

Melt the above ingredients on low heat. Stir in 5-6 cups Rice Crispies. Press in 9X13 pan.

Topping:
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips
1/2 bag of butterscotch chips

Melt the above ingredients and spread on top of Rice Crispy mix in pan.

Veggie and Chip Dips

Here are just a few simple recipes to try out. These are great party dips or just for you to have around the house.

Dill Vegetable Dip

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vinegar
1 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
dash garlic powder
*Note: Buttermilk can be used instead of milk and then vinegar can be omitted.

Whisk all ingredients and check for taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Tips: I seriously make this dip about once a week - I just LOVE the dill taste in it. This dip is perfect for vegetables (it isn't a really good chip dip though). I always have chopped up veggies in my fridge that I just pull out for a snack, or I give to my kids at lunch time. My daughter eats raw veggies so well this way, and it keeps me snacking healthy too.

I always use FAT FREE mayo and LOW FAT sour cream. And honestly, I can't even tell the difference from when I use regular ingredients. I tried it with fat free sour cream and it turned out too runny so I'd go with low fat. But I love using the low fat because then I feel like I can load up those veggies a little more and not fill guilty that I'm ruining the goodness of the vegetables. Also DON'T use Miracle Whip - I tried it once and it tasted awful. I love Miracle Whip for sandwiches, but for dips - YUCK!

Chip Dip

1 carton of sour cream
1 jar of mayonnaise
1 package of dry ranch dip
1 package of dry onion dip

Pour the sour cream into a medium bowl. Fill the sour cream container with mayonnaise so you have equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream. Then mix sour cream and mayonnaise together. Add about half the package of ranch dip and half the package of onion dip. Depending on how strong you like your dip, just keep adding the dry ingredients in equal parts until you reach a taste you love. Have some chips on hand to test with.

Tips: This dip is the best for chips but is also good on veggies. It is best with plain potato chips or Veggie Chips. A great low fat option is to buy baked potato chips which only have a few grams of fat per serving. And just like the dip recipe above, you can use nonfat mayonnaise and low fat sour cream to cut calories and fat.

This makes a lot of dip, so if you don't want to do the full recipe then just add equal parts of sour cream and mayonnaise and then equal parts of onion and ranch dip (that's what I always do - I NEVER make the full recipe).

Have fun dippin!

From the kitchen of Tannie Datwyler

Eggplant Rollatini

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant(2 pounds), cut lengthwise into 1/2inch-thick slices(about 8)
salt and pepper
1 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup part-skin ricotta(I just used cottage cheese)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnishing
1 large egg
1 garlic clove, minced(I used 1/2 tsp. of jarred minced garlic, it's keeps longer)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
Crusty bread for serving, optional.(I used a bagette from Crumb Brothers that they sell at Lee's)


Directions:
1-Season eggplant with salt and pepper; arrange in a shallow 2-quart microwave-safe dish with a lid. Microwave on high until tender and pliable but not fully cooked, 6-8 minutes.


2-With a spatula, transfer eggplant slices from dish to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet, and arrange in a single layer. Blot baking dish dry and spread bottom with 1/4 cup marinara sauce; set aside.


3-In a small bowl, mix together ricotta, Parmesan, egg, garlic, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Pat eggplant dry with paper towels. Dividing evenly, spoon ricotta mixture onto the wide end of eggplant slices, leaving a 1-inch border on the wide end and a 1/4-inch border on either side. Starting at the wide end, roll up slices; arrange seam side down in a single layer in prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 3/4 cup marinara sauce.



4-Cover dish, and microwave on high until eggplant is very tender, 15-17 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; microwave until cheese is melted, 2-3 minutes. cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan for garnishing, if desired. Serve with crusty bread.



*Tips on picking a good eggplant(I got the instructions from the produce guy at Lee's.)
-Make sure it's uniform in color.
-It needs to be firm.
-Try to get one that doesn't have a bunch of brown scars(or spots) on it.

From the Kitchen of Kym Allen (Thank you so much for giving us a recipe Kym).

Taco Skillet

I originally found this recipe on campbellskitchen.com and changed it slightly.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 can corn
1/2 cup salsa
5 flour tortillas (6-8 in.), cut in squares
1/2 cheddar cheese


Directions:

1. Brown hamburger. Drain excess fat.
2. Add soup, corn, salsa, and tortillas and mix. Bring to a low boil.
3. Reduce heat and cook for five minutes, until everything is heated through.
4. Top with cheese and serve. Mix in sour cream if desired.

...and that's it. Doesn't get much easier!

from the kitchen of laura w.