My family doesn't.
What's the matter with them, you ask???
I dunno.
But remember that bounty of peppers I got a couple of weeks back? Well I could not in good conscience have all those peppers in the house and not stuff a few, so I did....
AND THEY WERE MARVELOUS!!!!
:)
So simple, too, it's truly no culinary masterpiece but a delight nonetheless.
Here's my simple recipe and jump in and add more ideas if you've got 'em!
Stuffed Pepper Recipe:
1 lb. Ground beef (chuck or round is fine)
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup rice (I use basmati because it holds its flavor and shape without getting gummy)
1 1/3 cup water
At least one teaspoon of salt in the water, I just shake.... :)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Prepare rice by boiling the 1 1/3 cup water. Add the rice, salt and oil. Return to boil, cover and turn down to low/simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, back at the ranch!!!!:
Brown ground beef, chopped onion, garlic, salt and pepper in frying pan.
When meat mix is cooked and rice is done, combine the two. (Now you can add cajun seasoning to this, or taco seasoning, you can salsa it up if you want but I have one of those crazy Yankee stomachs that can't do fun seasonings like that, so I keep it simple. Feel free to EXPLORE, though!!!)
Hollow out 6 green/red/yellow/orange peppers. Fill with rice/meat mix.
Cover top with ketchup.
Yup. You heard me. Plain old ketchup. Hey, don't argue. Just do it!!!!
Put in casserole pan with about 1/2 inch water in bottom. Cover with foil, bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, just until pepper is tender enough to cut through/pierce with fork.
And that's it. Done. Dinner is served, in its own bowl! Love it!!!!
And yes I froze the rest because it was JUST ME EATING THEM.
Silly men!!!
And hey, when I'm not writing, this is what I've been doing the past six weeks:
A mess, right????
And there's this:
And then this:
The cute side table from the co-op....
And my little darlings, loving the new "old" rag-rug!
How cute are they?????
ARE YOU LOVING THE WHITE FLOOR?????
BIG RUTHY GRIN, I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS ROOM! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA.
Okay, that's it from upstate as far as quick meal... delicious!!!!... and long, drawn out recovery process for long-abused dining room!
But now?
Oh, now it is becoming BEAUTIFUL!!!!
I keep trying to like stuffed peppers but just not wild about peppers :-( they have this odd taste. I've made it to where I can eat then in breakfast tacos and cut up really small in other dishs...maybe I'll give them another try!
ReplyDeleteI need to do some major stuff around my townhome..sigh..already dreading the work.
Susanna
Susanna, this poor room has been waiting so long, I was dying to get to work on it! And Dave won't eat stuffed peppers, either... He likes the stuffing, but not the pepper. Silly man!
Deleteyep I think the stuffing would be good - maybe with some of the pepper cut up in it! but it looks hard to eat- one cut and it all falls apart..kinda like tamales- I like the filling but not all the other stuff...
DeleteSusanna
My Croatian step mother makes AMAZING stuffed peppers. Really, really delicious and swimming in a wonderful soup/sauce.
ReplyDeleteSo, did you paint the floor?
You know, there's a Polish way of doing them in a tomato sauce that's yummy but I've never done it that way. Mostly because I'm the only one who'll eat them. But Virginia, can you share that Croatian recipe if you can wrassle it out of her? I bet it's delicious! And that's the kind of thing that makes a great "buffet" dish for a party, a huge tray of stuffed peppers, but I'd like to do them in the sauce.
DeleteYes, painted the floor. I used Valspar floor enamel (latex) and did three thin coats with a day or two drying time between. That's supposed to help durability.
We will (no doubt) put it to the test! :) But having the new playroom takes so much stress off the old part of the house. It actually sent me a thank you note:
Dear Ruthy, Thank you for the new addition. What took you so long? Love, Your House.
Love those built in shelves with the pretty scroll work! And aren't you brave painting the floor white?
ReplyDeleteI love stuffed peppers but mine aren't filled with beef though. Just veggies and rice but it might be interesting to try one of those tofu meat products and see what that tastes like. Think I'll put this on the menu for Christmas dinner. It's been ages since I had a stuffed pepper.
Kav, I'd love a veggie/rice filling! Or a pseudo bread/rice/sage filling, like you'd have with turkey. Oh, yum!!!!
DeleteOh my gosh what a great idea, Ruthy! I have a neat veggie stuffing recipe with cranberries...wouldn't that be yummy served up in a baked pepper? You've just made my holidays more festive!!!!! Thank you!
DeleteI've never had a stuffed pepper.
ReplyDeleteThere. I've said it. It's out in the open for all to see.
Go ahead and shoot me.
Why? I hear you asking, and I'll answer.
Because for many, many years I didn't like peppers. Then I decided that since they're my dear husband's favorite, I should learn to like them.
So I learned, and yes, now I like them!!!
But they don't like me. :( If I eat peppers, I'm miserable for hours afterwards.
One of the great ironies of life, don't you think?
BUT - I made stuffed onions once! Same idea - cut a large onion in half, take out all but the outside couple layers (save the rest for oniony stuff), and then stuff it like a pepper.
I used a meatloaf-type filling, but this looks even better. I'll have to try it and let you know how it goes!
And Ruthy, I'm in love with that new room. You're doing a wonderful job making it perfect!
Jan, I hear ya'!!!! And the stuffed peppers are a New England thing, I think. And they're done so many different ways. But I'm glad you like the room, it's charming!!!! LOVE IT!!! #1: It's clean!!!!
Delete:)
#2: It looks like a dining room.
#3. Did I mention CLEAN?????
Never had a stuffed pepper. Probably because I'm not a huge fan of bell peppers. Can take 'em or leave 'em. Hubby, though, is more the won't-touch-'em-with-a-ten-foot-pole variety.
ReplyDeleteLoving the new room. Just think how beautiful it will look by the holidays!
In the fairness of truth: The stuffed cupcakes are BETTER!!!!
DeleteMindy, can't you just picture me looking NORMAL for the holidays??? At least some normal???? I'm so excited!!!! :)
DeleteRuthy, I said nothing about YOU looking normal for the holidays. I was only mentioned the room. :P
DeleteKETCHUP!!!! BLASPHEMY!!! That's all I want to say. blasphemy!!!
ReplyDeleteSacrilege!!
DeleteOh, I love them with Ketchup.... Really, it's like the best burger, chopped up. Love it!!! And Russo, really? There are stuffed pepper recipes in my old New England cookbooks.... And the Greeks claim their own version. But I'm willing to bet yours are better, mine are born of lack of time and love of peppers! Bring it to the cafe and we'll duel!!!!
DeleteBasel's restaurant did them with ketchup, but they had a tomato saucy thing they simmered them in as they baked.... but always topped with ketchup. I think that's where I learned the ketchup trick. Every Monday night, stuffed peppers. I waitressed there for 11 years and one of my customers brought me a used word processor because she knew I wanted to write books. How cool is that????
DeleteMunoz....
DeleteOh no.
THEY'RE RALLYING AGAINST ME!!! HELP!!!!!!! :)
It's because I dissed biscotti.
DeleteI knew I shouldn't have done that. It's just so dry.... I'll never diss biscotti again, I promise!!! Cross my heart!!!!
They aren't a NEW ENGLAND THING. THEY ARE AN ITALIAN THING. Okay, Logan Herne. We are going to have a stuffed pepper show down. My next visit in Yankee Belle. I will demonstrate the real Italian Pepper to die for recipe.
ReplyDeleteI think they're both. There's even a Boston version with some bean stuff.
Delete(wrinkles nose at that) I like these, I like simple and remember, it's only me eating them. I have no friends and my family would revolt.
BAD, BAD FAMILY!!!
what's wrong with ketchup?! it's the universal condiment..makes anything better...
ReplyDeleteSusanna
Susanna, my three-year-olds have adopted that mantra!!!!
DeleteI'm so excited to get this recipe!! I love it! But like you, I'm the only one. I think we need to combine forces with anyone else who loves them. Maybe a stuffed pepper co-op?? :)
ReplyDeleteLove the new room! And your cute plaid lamp. :)
Missy!!! Thank you for not yelling at me!!! (Note Russo Radcliffe's challenge above, she's just mad because I called her out for NOT SHARING HER AMAZING CHOCOLATE SPICE COOKIE!!! SHAME ON HER!!!!) And you know what I did? I froze the rest of the meat mixture (and I don't mix sauce with mine on purpose, I like the straight meat/seasonings/basmati rice without the tomatoey-ness you find in "Spanish Rice") Now I can just stuff a pepper whenever and heat it... and eat! And half the time I'm groping for low-carb quick meals: THIS IS IT!!!! God bless you Missy Tippens for being nice to me and my lamp. :)
Delete