Month: February 2020

Stuffed Pepper Rice

When I was growing up, I really loved stuffed peppers. I had only had homemade stuffed peppers 2 times growing up, otherwise I always had to buy them frozen because they took too long to make. I first made this dish when I was in High School. I wanted the taste of stuffed peppers without the time that it took to make them. I decided to just chop up the peppers and add them to the rice, and so I did. That is how this dish was formed. I like to top my bowl with some shredded cheese to get that final stuffed pepper vide. I also only cook the peppers enough to get warm, because I don’t like the texture of the mushy peppers, and I don’t want them to dissolve into the rest of the dish. Finally, I also like the crunch that the lightly cooked peppers brings to the dish.

  1. Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Dice up one medium onion (1 cup), and dice up 2 green peppers (1 1/2 cups). After 5 minutes, add 3 Tbsp of oil and add 1 lb of ground beef. Begin browning the beef, after 5 minutes, add onion and cook.
  2. In a side pan, add 1 1/2 cup rice, rinse until the water is clear, then add 1 1/2 cup water. Heat to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
  3. Once beef and onion is cooked, add one jar of spaghetti sauce, and add 1 cup of water to jar, shake then add that also to the mix. Stir, turn heat to low, cover and let heat for 5 minute until hot. Add the green peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add cooked rice stir and remove from heat. Wait 5 minutes before serving then top with shredded cheese.
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Homemade Apple Pie

This was my first time making a pie and it turned out beautifully. I had trouble crimping the edges and I had no idea how much to fill the pies, but in the end it tasted good, despite both my pies overflowing. Oh! This recipe is enough to make 2 pies, if you want to just make one, half the recipe. It was really delicious when I tried it later that night, and the crust was a lot tastier that other crusts I’ve had. This recipe is for 9″ pie pans.

  1. Wash, peel, core, and slice 13 apples. Place the apple slices into a large bowl filled 1/2 way with water and with 1 Tbsp of lemon juice added to keep them from browning. Once done, dump apples into a strainer. Rinse bowl and apples. Dry the bowl and add 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 tsp ground nutmeg. Mix together add apples and mix until everything is evenly coated. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 4 cups of flour, and 1 1/3 cup of room temperature butter. Using 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour until the largest chunks are the size of peas. Add 12 Tbsp of water and start beating the dough on low speed with the dough hook attachment, or start mixing in a large bowl until the dough starts to come together. You may have to add an additional 2 Tbsp of water.
  3. Turn dough out onto a clean countertop. Take 1/4 of the dough at a time and roll out a circle about 12″ round. When rolling out dough, rotate the dough after a few passes in each direction to prevent it from sticking to the counter top. Make 2 circles and line each pan with one gently stretching the dough to get into the bottom edges. Fill both pans with filling, splitting it between the two, then place small pads of butter over the top of the filling. Roll out another 2 circles. Top the pies, trim and crimp the edges, add vent holes, add aluminum foil over the edges of the pies, then bake for 30 minutes each, removing the foil then baking for an additional 15 minutes.
  4. Remove the pies from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Once cooled, wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate up to 5 days. You can also wrap them in aluminum foil in addition to cling wrap and then freeze them up to 4 months.
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Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes

Meatloaf was always a favorite in my house growing up. My father would make meatloaf and mashed potatoes for my mom every Valentine’s day, and so to me, meatloaf will always be a Valentine’s day dinner. This is a classic Meatloaf that many make. I also made the mashed potatoes following the recipe I posted this thanksgiving, I just halved it. I also made a packet of instant gravy.

  1. Wash, peel, and cube about 6 medium potatoes (about 5 cups). Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Place potatoes into a pot and rinse 1-2 times, then fill pot with warm water and place over medium-high heat.
  3. Toast 2 slices of bread. Place 1 lb of ground beef into a small casserole dish. Add to it, the two pieces of toast shredded (or about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs), 1/4 cup diced onion (1/2 a small onion), 1 egg, 3 Tbsp A1, and 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Mix with your hands until homogeneous then form into an loaf. In a small bowl, mix together 3 Tbsp A1 and Ketchep, then spread over meatloaf. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until an internal temp of at least 160F.
  4. Once the potatoes are boiling or the water starts to get starchy, it should take about 20 minutes. The potatoes are done when you can stab a large piece with a fork, and the potato splits and falls off the fork. If you want less chunky mashed potatoes cook for an additional 3 minutes.
  5. Strain your potatoes then put in a large bowl to beat with a hand mixer, or put in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
  6. Start pulsing low speed and add 1/4 a cup of milk and 1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup).
  7. Once most of the big chunks are broken up, turn your speed to medium-low and slowly add more milk until you reach your desired consistency. Add salt to taste.
  8. Place your potatoes into a casserole dish and heat in oven uncovered to keep warm while meatloaf finishes.
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Shrimp Scampi with Vermicelli

I’ve been making shrimp scampi for a few years now. I’ve had my fair share of over cooked shrimp in my day, and so the biggest hint for this meal is to add precooked shrimp just long enough to get hot, but not long enough to cook much. I also added a bit of lemon this time, and it was delicious! I highly recommend. Toward the end, I also added some oil, but you can also substitute in more butter instead, I just like to limit the butter I use. If you are using pre-minced garlic, you will have to add some garlic powder. It’s also not a bad idea to have mints or some dessert afterwards.

  1. In a pot of water, boil 8 oz of pasta about 15 minutes until al dente.
  2. In a bowl, add desired number of precooked shrimp. Defrost under lukewarm water and remove tails.
  3. In a separate pot, add 5 Tbsp of butter, 3 Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 Tbsp minced onion, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, and 1/2 cup of pasta water. With 5 minutes left on the pasta, heat butter and seasoning over medium heat. Once all the butter is melted and bubbling, add 2 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and add shrimp. Stir in for 30 seconds, remove from heat. Let sit for one minute and strain pasta. If desired, add pasta to sauce and stir together, or just serve pasta and top with sauce. Top with parsley and parmasean.
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Pan Seared Lemon Pepper Tilapia

Lemon and pepper beautifully compliment this fish! I do not cook much fish, but lemon is always one flavor that goes well with almost every type of fish. This is a quick and easy meal that does not take long to cook. I served my tilapia with chicken flavored rice and yellow sweet corn.

  1. Heat a large frying pan over Medium high heat for 5 minutes.
  2. Gently rinse tilapia under cool water. Transfer to plate.
  3. Add 1/2 Tbsp of butter to pan. Coat bottom of pan. Add tilapia without any overlapping, and cook on first side for 2 minutes. Flip your tilapia. Add 2 Tbsp of lemon juice, then cook for an additional 1.5 minutes over high heat. Remove tilapia from heat. Pepper the fillets, then carefully plate.
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