Stuffed Peppers

Today was the kind of day that found me standing in front of my fridge and trying to decide what to do with anything that was fast approaching it's 'life as we know it' date.  I found half a bag of bell peppers in the bottom crisper that I had forgotten were there, and one was just beginning to get a little patch of that 'wrinkley' effect as they start the downward spiral towards the compost heap, but they were plenty fresh enough for these stuffed peppers that I decided to make with them.  I like this recipe because you can basically add any spice or flavour that you feel like and they'll usually turn out delicious.

Stuffed Peppers
makes 4-6 servings

4-6 bell peppers
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can (19 fl oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rice (uncooked)
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
a few dashes of Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
1 cup grated cheese

• cut off the tops of the peppers;  remove the membranes and seeds;  sprinkle the insides of the peppers generously with salt.
• put the peppers, upright, into a baking dish and set aside.
• in a large skillet on medium to high heat, saute the onions and ground beef until all the pink has gone.
• add the salt and pepper, diced tomatoes, water, rice, worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce to the browned beef and mix thoroughly.
• reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, approximately 15-20 minutes.
• by the end of the simmering period most of the liquid should of been absorbed.
• add the grated cheese and mix until melted and combined.
• preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• spoon the beef mixture into the prepared bell pepper shells up to the top edge and pack down well.
• bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes until the peppers have softened slightly and the tops are browned.
• these are quite substantial on their own, especially if your peppers are large like ours were, so I just served them with some homemade garlic bread.
• I only had 4 peppers left in the fridge so I popped the remainder of the beef mixture into a container and froze it.  We'll use it either in more stuffed peppers, or even possibly as a filling for burritos.

 Stuffed Peppers ingredients

chop the tops off of your peppers and place them into a baking dish ready to be stuffed.

saute the ground beef and onion until no more pink remains.

add all the other ingredients, except the grated cheese, and combine thoroughly.

once it has simmered most of the liquid away, add the cheese and mix.

stuff the pepper shells well, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

alongside some soft garlic bread.....deeeeeelish!!!!

Spicy Mini Meatballs

I LOVE MEATBALLS!!!!
There, I've said it.  I just wanted that to be out in the open and for you all to hear it from me first - I love them hot, cold, baked, bubbling in marinara sauce, over pasta, in a sub....hey, slap them on a flip flop and I'd still probably eat them (thanks Guy Fieri for that analogy :)

Whenever I make my own meatballs I tend to have a basic ingredients list and then I get to the spices and stand for about 10 minutes in front of my spice rack (i.e. a large Tupperware container in the pantry) to decide which way I want to take them; italian seasoning for that subtle aromatic flavour, mesquite for a more smoky hint, maybe cajun for that spicy 'slap'.  Today, after enlisting the opinion of my hubby by thrusting various tubs under his nose and asking "what do you want your meatballs to taste like?", we went with the cajun and a huge hit it was too, if I do say so myself.  This mix would also make great meatloaf or even burgers - maybe mini sliders!! :o)

Spicy Mini Meatballs
makes 80-90 mini meatballs (1-1 1/2 inch diam)

1 kg  ground beef
3/4 cup quick cook oats
1 cup milk
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs cajun seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

• line a couple of rimmed baking trays with wax paper and set aside.
• in a large bowl combine ALL the ingredients and with clean hands mix thoroughly until it resembles an almost pate consistency.
• form the mixture into 1-1 1/2 inch diam balls (the size of a small walnut), and place on the prepared baking tray.
• at this stage you can freeze the meatballs on their trays, and once frozen pack in ziploc bags in individual or 2 person servings for future meals.
• to cook, defrost and either pan fry in a little oil or, as I like to do, place in a baking dish and bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through but still moist.
• these can be eating as bite size appetizers on toothpicks, mixed with marinara sauce over pasta, or as we had them for lunch today as open-faced meatball subs.

Spicy Mini Meatball ingredients - oops, it wasn't until after I'd downloaded my photos that I realised I hadn't included the main ingredient in this shot - the ground beef!!!

begin throwing everything in one big bowl - don't you just love recipes like that? :)

you can mix it all together using a spoon if you really don't like to get your hands all gooey.

when it's at an almost pate stage it's ready to form.

pinch off a little mixture and roll between your palms to make 'balls'.

place them all onto the prepared trays ready to either cook or freeze - I managed to get 88 out of today's batch and don't they look adorable :)

yummy, cajun goodness!!!!