Stuffed Peppers

 

COMFORT- my name is Stuffed Pepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whomever had the misfortune to not grow up with this yumfest, I am sorry. Hopefully you can rectify the situation- don't neglect your children (even if they just start eating the meaty centers- it leaves more pepper for you!).

 

My dad had a few go to dishes that only he made- chili, stuffed cabbage, and stuffed peppers. Some of the other things he made we would call Bill's concoctions and just sniff at it. But, lucky me- his other dishes really made an impact. I am always trying peppers a new way, trying to get them more like dad's- the quest is still on, but these were pretty good!

 

 

 

 

I started with 1 1/2 lb beef and 1/2 lb chicken/pork Italian sausage, 1 cup breadcrumb (go a little easier- this seemed like a lot!) 1/2 cup panko, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 cup cooked rice, 1 TB Italian Seasoning, 3 cloves minced garlic, salt, pepper, and some Worcestershire sauce- don't over mix the meat!

 

Next- make sure you clean out your peppers- seeds are not a nice addition. Then--- season the pepper. Salt, pepper, or your favorite season blend

 

 

 

Stuff peppers and top with a blend of crushed tomatoes, italian seasoning, and garlic

I baked these these puppies for about 45 minutes- but while they were baking I used the rest of the meat for meatballs- put the same sauce in the pan- baked in the oven while the peppers where. It turned into a two meals one prep kind of day- bonus.

 

 

 

Wes is still not a fan of the peppers- but he will eat the heck out of the meat with a little mashed taters and a couple brussel sprouts... but you have to have some good garlic bread- that makes it  little bit of heaven.

 

 

Chicken Wanton Tacos

 

Chicken Wonton Tacos

 

Jay's go to restaurant--- Applebee's. Don't know why. Maybe the great Long Island Ice Tea they serve, or the awesome 80's music at the Schererville location. Scratch that- he doesn't like 80's music. But for some reason, this is where he picks. He and my brother-in-law were out one day, and of course, this is where they end up eating lunch. The surprising thing- Jay tried something new! Since then, we have had the wonton tacos quite a few times- but I always thought it would be simple enough to make at home.

 

I have been rooting around the CopyCat sites for as long as they have been around. The things you find- quite amazing. Did you know- with Chocolate milk, Cool whip, and Sweetened Condensed Milk you can make a Wendy's Frosty? Yup. I buy the copycat cookbooks, stalk the sites- I love eating out. But would like to eat it at home. Made with great ingredients, with care- love if you will.

 

This has brought many good (uh- and a few not so good) new recipes to my table. I made the Applebee's Maple Butter Blondie, Olive Garden's Parmesan Crusted Chicken, and a Bunco favorite- P F Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Who says you have to leave your house to eat great restaurant food? Well, you do have to go to the store and buy all the wonderful ingredients (I spend hours- I MEAN HOURS, at the store- I don't know about you, but it just makes my head right)

 

So- onto this cool recipe, I found it at Applebees at Home

http://applebeesathome.blogspot.com/2011/08/chicken-wonton-tacos.html

 

I don't always follow the recipe exactly as it's written- but this one I tried to do exactly.

 

I started with 8 oz diced chicken breast

2 TB stir fry sauce

4 TB (I used a little less- I thought it was pretty strong) Asian Sesame Vinaigrette

1 TB olive oil

1 TB soy sauce

1 TB teriyaki

a little pepper (not in recipe)

and some fresh garlic (not in recipe)

 



I let it marinate for a little bit- while I got my accoutrement's ready.

 

I mixed a little Broccoli Slaw with some Asian Sesame Vinaigrette and Soy Sauce- just a little of each. Sliced some scallions, and cleaned some cilantro.

I also fried my wonton shells- it was kind of a pain in the but- by the third shell I figured out that I had to put a wooden spoon in (a nice thick one- so it stays open) the middle to keep it open. I fried these in a shallow pan, which probably made it harder. Next time I will bake the wontons- draping them on a large baking pan edge- spraying them with cooking spray and cooking for 5 minutes at 375°. (see- I learned how to make the degree symbol- I was dying to show off!)

 

I got a hot skillet ready and fried up chicken

 

 

 Finished product- squirt a little lime over each- YUM!

My newest discovery- listening to great 80's music while blogging can cause feel good food vibes!

 

 

 

 



 Wes and his best buddy Ian- aren't they adorable!

 

 

My pal and best pizza maker upper- Alex- we at the RT like to be the food.

Best friend a girl could ask for- doesn't hurt that she is a complete animal. This is mile 10- she looks like she just started!



Winter Blues

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter Blues-

 

 

It happens every year. Sometimes just a little sun can cure it. But when it seems when the world aligns to really get you down- you need to bring in the heavy hitters. A big pot of soup! The smell, the way it warms your kitchen... The most simple ingredients brought together to make a pot of love to nourish you, body and soul. Tell me you don't feel all warm and fuzzy when you smell the mixture of carrots, onions, celery, and garlic... and I'll tell you your crazy!

 

 

 Start by sweating 3 stalks of celery (diced), 3 carrots (peeled and diced), 2 medium onions (diced) and 4 cloves of minced garlic in 1 1/2 TB olive oil- I also add a little salt and pepper (but I don't really measure this- I just grab a couple pinches) over medium heat

These tomatoes are the bomb- they bring the fun to the party.

But first you need to puree them- A food processor or an immersion blender will knock it out

 When the veggies are tender add 6 cups of chicken broth or stock, 2 TB Worcestershire Sauce, 1 TB kosher salt, 1 TB pepper, 1 tsp thyme, and 2 tsp Srircha

 

Then add the pureed tomatoes 

 

I let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. Longer is better of course- but sometimes life gets in the way!

 

 

 

 

A little catch up-  This is Joe. At work he is the chocolate to my milk.

 

 

Wes- When he just started opening his Christmas presents

 

A tablescape for the NIAGS dinner-

 

Well what do you know... I am alive!

Hello everybody! I'm BACK! I sure did miss you guys.

Let me just start by saying- sorry for the long absence. I believe the job I took last February stole my food soul. I had lost the love for the kitchen, and was just kind of going through the motions. Recently I have reconnected with myself. I have been outside with my grill, inside with my mixer, just enjoying my equipment and feeding people again. It is a sad day when a restaurant chef loses her food soul. It makes work, well- work.

I don't think I will be posting more than once a week or every other week, but I have gotten to a place where I enjoy making food, GOOD FOOD again. I thank my new boss for that. Yes, I am working in another bar kitchen- but here we make real food. I still have to fry some cheese filled breadsticks- I refuse to call them Bosco sticks. I call them Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks- because we add a little love to it with our homemade Garlic Parmesan Sauce. And yes, I still feed a bunch of drunks- but... people are finding us. Real people. AND.... I get to make cupcakes. Oh, how I love my Chef for that. I get to make any kind of cupcake I can think of. And they sell. All the time! But mostly I get to work with food. We make most of our sauces in house, and the freedom I get with specials is just amazing. I am one of the luckiest girls I know.

So, if your in my area of the wonderful state of Indiana- come check us out. The Roasted Tomato is a great place for lunch or dinner- and the bartenders next door are wonderful!

But on to the real reason I get up in the morning- (besides that great kid- who lately, I will be honest, is driving me crazy!) food.

I made these over a year ago. I had a little spark, a need to make something. I found a recipe for Mini Chicken Alfredo- looked delicious! Yeah, looks were not deceiving- these were delicious! This recipe is adapted from Cuisine At Home



24 dry jumbo pasta shells
2 TB olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 tsp. black pepper
4 TB chopped parsley, divided


Preheat your broiler-

Spray two 24 cup mini-muffin trays and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add a little salt.

Cook shells in boiling water until al dente- about 12-13 minutes; drain and rinse under cold water

Heat oil in a skillet over medium flame and add chicken. Saute until cooked through- I cut them before to quicken cooking time- you can cook whole breasts and dice when cooked.

Warm cream and garlic in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat until steaming. Whisk in butter then add 1 cup Parmesan, 2 tsp. pepper, and 2 TB parsley. Increase heat to medium- high and simmer until it reduces a bit, about 10 minutes. Stir in chicken and remove from heat.

Fill each shell with 1 heaping TB of chicken mixture. Sprinkle shells with the rest of the 1/2 cup Parmesan

Broil shells until sauce bubbles and Parmesan melts- about 2 minutes and garnish with remaining 2 TB parsley.

I skipped the parsley.

So- it has been a while, so here is the latest pic of my lil guy!

Not your Mama's Hamburger Helper

Let's just get right to it- I found this recipe at Chaos in the Kitchen. I changed it around a little- added my own little twist- but I love this blog!

Brown 1 pound of Italian seasoning. While I do this I bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta and I prep the broccoli for steaming.

 I charred the pepper on the stove- (once it was done- I put it in a plastic bag until it was cool enough to handle- then I pulled all the skin off and get rid of the seeds. Cut the pepper into small strips and set aside) and this is what Wes looked like when he saw it-

 He actually thought I didn't know what I was doing- he told me how I could really cook the pepper.

 Remove the sausage, and most of the oil. At the end I only left 2 tsp of the sausage fat.

Add 3 cloves of garlic- I use the Trader Joe's frozen garlic and cook on low until it is golden brown. 

I steamed 2 small heads of broccoli at this point in my Pampered Chef Micro-cooker bowl thing- and added the pasta (3/4 of a pound of rotini- or whatever pasta you like) to the water.

 I added the steamed broccoli to the golden garlic

 Then came the roasted red bell peppers

 The meat

 Then the noodles- right out of the pot. A little water ends up in the pan also, that's good- you need that little bit of liquid.

 Finally I added the juice of 1/2 of a lemon and a handful of Parmesan cheese. At this point check for seasoning- and stir

 My boys were asking for some hamburger helper- this is what they got. I did not hear ANY complaints. The best part, 2 days of lunches for me!

My handsome little guy giving me his sweet face. How can you say no to that face.

Beef and Mushroom Soup

 Leftovers and soup... 2 things I love, but aren't too popular in this household. I got both out of this dish... while feeding a great friend= WINNER!

Heidi came over for dinner- we started with this soup (minus the croutons). Then had enough for lunch the next day. So leftovers turned into dinner became leftovers again- like that saying... In whence we came we shall become again? Maybe like that- that might not even be the saying.

But this was a difficult night for Heidi, one that I have weathered- and wanted her to have a special night. Not a sad night.

This recipe was adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen 

I didn't follow exactly- but I will go through it with you. Cuz- I like you. 

Melt 4 Tb in a soup pot- then add 1 small onion, diced; 2 cloves of minced garlic; and 8 oz of sliced mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms and onions are browned and deglaze pot with1/2 cup beef broth (the original recipe says 1/2 cup red wine) scrape the pan and stir. Add 40 oz more beef broth and bring to a boil. Stir in 2 cups left over beef or steak and simmer. 

While it is simmering- heat 2 TB butter then add 2 TB flour (making a roux) and stir until golden.

Stir small amounts of cooked flour into soup until it thickens to your liking. Add a little salt and pepper and it is ready!

 For the leftovers- I buttered both sides of the bread and seasoned with garlic pepper- then cooked until golden.

 Once it was browned on one side- I flipped it and added an Italian Blend then topped with the lid to help it melt. It was a great addition to the soup- making it a filling lunch.

This is Wes's addition to the blog. He has been practicing picture taking. One of his favorite things to do is set up his army guys and make a movie of a battle. 

Thanks for reading! Take a little time and treat yourself right!

Herb Butter Chicken

 Sunday night dinner is important. We are gearing up for a grueling school/work week- taking some family time with some good food is a good start.

 This is a one dish meal- veg, starch, and protein! Serve with a slice of whole wheat bread or roll-  add a side salad with sliced strawberries or apples.

This is the compound butter- 1/2 stick softened butter and a TB of fresh herbs (I used the poultry blend)

 Once you clean the chicken up- make a slice into the chicken- you can do the side or front- then squeeze butter in. I use a ziploc bag

 The chicken, potatoes and peppers are sprinkled with kosher salt, pepper, paprika and the extra herb butter- 

1 bell pepper was cut into large chunks

2 red potatoes cut into large dice

Chicken was baked at 375* for 45 minutes- there are a lot of left overs- these chicken breasts were HUGE!