Stuffed Bell Peppers

 Quick and easy comfort food.

• 1 tbsp canola oil 
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce, divided
• 1 1/4 cups water, divided
• 1 pkg (0.75 oz) powdered Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 cup Minute® White Rice
• 4 bell peppers
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 400˚F.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meat with onion until almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of tomato sauce, 1 cup of water and salad dressing mix. Bring to a boil.
• Stir in rice; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut tops off peppers. Scoop out seeds and discard. Mix remaining tomato sauce and remaining water in bottom of a 9-inch baking dish.
• Place peppers in baking dish. Spoon meat mixture into peppers; cover with foil.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until peppers are tender. Spoon sauce from the bottom of the dish over peppers just before serving. 

Notes:

Mine baked for 30 minutes on the convection setting.

I used my cookie scoop to get the stuff into the peppers.

Minute Rice is pretty perfect for this use. 

Earl Grey Rice Pudding

 4 cups milk

½ cup white sugar

½ cup long-grain white rice

1 tablespoon butter

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 Earl Grey teabag (I used Stash)

Directions

• Stir 4 cups milk, sugar, and rice together in a slow cooker until sugar dissolves. Add butter and the teabag, cover, and cook on High for 2 1/2 hours.
• Whisk egg, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, almond extract, and salt together in a bowl.
• Pour a small amount hot rice mixture into egg mixture, whisking quickly so egg doesn't cook. Pour mixture back into the slow cooker and whisk until combined. Continue to cook on High until creamy, about 15 more minutes.
• Transfer pudding to a glass baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap leaving two corners uncovered to vent, and refrigerate until chilled completely, at least 1 hour.

NOTES:

This is crazy-easy to do in the crock pot!

The original recipe had almond extract and no tea bag.

The Earl Grey flavor is subtle and delicious. Best served warm and maybe with a little whipped cream.

Source

One Pot Rice and Beans

•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped (about 1 ¼ cups)
• 1¾ cups chicken or vegetable stock or water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can black or pinto beans

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, cover and bring to a boil.

Add the salt, rice and beans (including the liquid). Stir just to combine, then cover.

Turn the heat down as low as it will go, then let simmer, undisturbed, for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 4 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Season to taste with salt and pepper, then garnish with lime or cilantro as you wish.

Greek Lemon Rice

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups long grain rice (uncooked)
•  extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (just over 1 cup chopped onions)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup orzo pasta
• 2 lemons, juice of (PLUS zest of 1 lemon)
• 2 cups low sodium broth (chicken or vegetable broth will work)
• Pinch salt
• Large handful chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp dill weed (dry dill)
• 
  
• Wash rice well and then soak it for about 15 to 20 minutes in plenty of cold water (enough to cover the rice by 1 inch). You should be able to easily break a grain of rice by simply placing it between your thumb and index finger. Drain well.

1. Heat about 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large sauce pan with a lid (like this one) until oil is shimmering but not smoking.  Add onions and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and orzo pasta. Toss around for a bit until the orzo has gained some color then stir in the rice. Toss to coat.
2. Now add lemon juice and broth. Bring liquid to a rolling boil (it should reduce a little), then turn heat to low. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is done (liquid should be fully absorbed and rice should be tender but not sticky.)
3. Remove rice from heat. For best results, leave it covered and do not disturb rice for about 10 minutes or so.
4. Uncover and stir in parsley, dill weed and lemon zest. If you like, add a few slices of lemon on top for garnish. Enjoy!

NOTES:

The flavor was delicious but the texture was too mushy.  Next time just try a regular rice method.

Use more than a pinch of salt.

I served it with tikka masala.

Source - https://www.themediterraneandish.com/greek-lemon-rice-recipe/

Thai Pork and Noodles

1 pound thin boneless pork chops, fat trimmed

8 ounces wide Thai rice noodles

1 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

2 slices peeled ginger

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 red jalapeno peppers, seeded and roughly chopped

2 shallots, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

4 tablespoons peanut oil

1/4 pound green beans, split lengthwise and cut into pieces

Directions

1. Place the pork in the freezer about 10 minutes to make it easier to slice. Soak the noodles in very hot water until just tender, about 10 minutes; drain. Snip the noodles with scissors into shorter lengths. Cut the frozen pork crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
2. Puree the cilantro, lime zest and juice, ginger, garlic, jalapenos, shallots, fish sauce, brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a food processor until smooth, scraping down the processor as needed.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add half the cilantro mixture and stir-fry 1 minute. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the pork with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil to the skillet; add the green beans and stir-fry until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the noodles, pork and 2 tablespoons of the remaining cilantro mixture. Cook, tossing with tongs, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining cilantro mixture to taste.

Chicken Teriyaki Dump Dinner

Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking dish
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce 
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 
2 tablespoons sesame oil 
2 teaspoons grated ginger 
3 cloves garlic, grated 
Kosher salt 
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced 
1 1/2 cups raw jasmine rice  
1 red onion, sliced 
1 medium bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 1/2 cups) 
1 red bell pepper, sliced 

 

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
• Whisk together the chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl until combined. Add the chicken and stir to coat. 
• Spread the rice evenly in the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour in the teriyaki mixture, scattering the chicken evenly. Scatter the onion, broccoli and bell pepper evenly over the top.  
• Cover with foil and bake until the vegetables have softened but are still vibrant, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the juices have thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow the rice to absorb more of the moisture. 

NOTES: 

• The method is good and simple.  I'll definitely make this again with (surprise) a few edits.
• Less teriyaki sauce.  Try 1/2 cup.
• I don't think the foil held in the moisture quite enough - my rice was still slightly crunchy after 25 minutes on the convection setting.  Try a little more broth and perhaps a casserole dish or dutch oven with a lid.
• Fewer onions and more broccoli
• Source - Food Network

Legendary Rice Pudding

The back story is that a friend of Grandma Donna’s brought this to her house on the day of Grandpa’s funeral. We ate it as we were writing thank you cards and it fed body and soul in a memorable way.

The proportions seem impossible but Katie has tried it and says it makes 6-7 cups.  So, one, maybe two servings.

Rice. Just plain rice.

Great texture, no scorching, dump into the pot and move on to the stir fry and potstickers.

Equal proportions of white rice and water. (Maybe just a bit of extra water.
Salt
Rinse the rice and put it in the water.
Lock the lid in place and push the Rice button.

I used this very wordy post to begin.
http://instantpot.com/how-to-cook-perfect-rice-in-an-electric-pressure-cooker/

Chicken Stroganoff

Making a note of this because it was a big hit (even with the forgotten paprika).  I served it with brown rice instead of noodles, which was also lauded.  Original here.

Ingredients
Kosher salt
12 ounces wide egg noodles (or rice)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, sliced (about 2 cups)
1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more for topping
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken or mushroom broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for topping
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook as the label directs, then drain.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until slightly soft, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the chicken, flour, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until the chicken browns, about 3 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a gentle simmer; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and season with salt and pepper. Continue simmering gently until the chicken is cooked through, about 2 more minutes.

Divide the noodles among plates. Top with the chicken mixture, parsley, some sour cream and paprika.

Delicious Hot Dish

Brown in 2 tbls of butter:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 3 c celery
• 2 c chopped onions

Mix with:

• 1 c uncooked rice (not minute rice)
• 1 10-ounce can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 10-ounce can of chicken noodle soup
• 2 soup cans of water
• 3 tbls soy sauce

Cover and bake at 350 for one hour or more, until rice is fully cooked.

I've been trying to come up with some different recipes, and lately "different" = "retro."  In short, I pulled a bunch of things from my old recipe box that I haven't made in years.

This one is pure Minnesota comfort food, probably copied from something my Mom used to make.  Everyone was pleased with the "new" recipe and ate a ridiculous amount.  If I had a regular rotation (which I  don't, but probably should), this would be on it.

It's probably worth noting that I only used 1 pound of hamburger, and this would probably be classed up a bit if it used cooked chicken or turkey instead of the beef.

Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers

12 oz pkg sausage, cut into ¼ in piece
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can Italian diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag, zip close & place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

NOTES:

• Sorry, but I didn't get a photo on this one.
• I'm intrigued by the idea of freeze-ahead meals for the crockpot and decided to start here.  I'll post my findings as I try more.
• I didn't use the red pepper (just extra green) - too expensive at this time of year.
• I used Johnsonville Brats, and they were good, but it would probably be better with Italian sausage.
• Also, I started with room temperature ingredients and cooked it on low for about 7 hours.  This was definitely more time than it needed.
• It would be very easy to extend with a larger can of tomatoes or more sausage.
• It was good.  I'd make it again.

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

I followed this link from Jen's 7 Quick Takes last week and we all found it to be as delicious as they did.

2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips
 garlic powder to taste
 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
 1 cube beef bouillon
 1/4 cup hot water
 1 tablespoon cornstarch
 1/2 cup chopped onion
 2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped
 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
 2 tablespoons soy sauce
 1 teaspoon white sugar

• Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.
• Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
• Cover, and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 8 hours.

NOTES:

• The original recipe called for a beef bouillon cube, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and a teaspoon of salt.  That's a ridiculous amount of sodium so I cut out the salt and only used 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.  We thought it was good (and it would be easy to add more soy sauce at the end of the process if you didn't agree).
• I used venison instead of beef and that worked well too.  This would be a good place to use a cheaper cut of meat, just be sure to cut it across the grain.
• It was pretty fantastic to have dinner done when I got home today. :)  (Why don't I do more crock pot meals?)

Old Fashioned Rice Pudding

2 cups of cooked white rice 

2 cups milk

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of sugar

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large saucepan, combine the rice, milk, sugar and salt.  Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring often.  Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.  Spoon into serving dishes.  Serve warm; top with whipped cream if desired.  

NOTES:  We make this for food prep and the students are almost always skeptical at first, but then give it highest marks in the end of the year evaluation.

It's a fantastic comfort food that's easy and cheap to make.

Filipino Chocolate Rice Pudding(Champorado)

1 cup short grained rice(sushi rice)
1 can coconut milk
3 cups water
1/3 cup sugar
6 oz bittersweet chocolate
Half and half

Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear.  Combine rice, coconut milk and water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and the mixture thickens, remove from the heat.  Microwave the chocolate until just melted and stir it and the sugar into the rice.  Serve either warm or chilled, drizzled with milk or half and half.

Cucumber Chicken

1 1/2 cucumbers

6 chicken breasts

3 scallions (or green onions)

3 tbls oil

2 lemons

salt, pepper, paprika to taste

Peel cucumbers, cut into quarters lengthwise and remove seeds. Then cube. Blanch them in boiling salted water for 3 minutes and rinse in cold water. Cut onions and cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and saute in the oil until cooked. Add lemon juice and 1/4 cup water. Bring to boil and add spices to taste. Put in cucumbers and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

NOTES:

I changes the proportions to be more cucumber and less chicken heavy. I used a regular onion instead of green and I only had one lemon, so I added some lemon pepper in addition. In general, this recipe could use more color, but maybe if I hadn't messed with it so much it would be better. (Hello green onion and paprika!)

It tastes good and is a great way to use up garden cucumbers.

Chicken and Rice Pilaf

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt, pepper, paprika to taste

1 1/4 cups water or chicken broth

1 cup regular uncooked rice

1/2 envelope dry onion soup mix (1/4 c)

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 tbls. pimentos (1/2 of a 2 ounce jar)

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and paprika. Mix chicken broth, uncooked rice, onion soup mix, cream soup, and pimentos together; put in an 11x7 baking dish. Place chicken breasts on top of rice mixture. Cover dish and freeze.

To prepare for serving, thaw and bake uncovered* in a preheated 375 degree oven 1-1/4 hours or until chicken and rice are tender. Makes 4 servings.

NOTES* We really liked this and it was super easy to prepare. The only change I'd make is to cover it with foil as it's cooking. Our rice got too dry. (Maybe it just needed more liquid though.) I'd definitely try this recipe again, but watch the moisture content.

Source: Once A Month Cooking

Wild Rice Soup

¾ c uncooked wild rice
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 c. water
½ tsp. salt
1 med. onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, chopped
½ c butter
½ c flour
3 c chicken or turkey broth
*2 c milk or half and half
¾ c diced turkey, chicken or ham
½ tsp. dried rosemary
parsley, salt, pepper

Rinse rice, sauté in oil, add water and salt. Simmer rice about 30 minutes, or until cooked. Drain, reserving 1 ½ cups of liquid. In large soup kettle, sauté onions and carrot in butter until onion is transparent, reduce heat. Thoroughly blend in flour and cook five minutes, stirring frequently. Do not brown. Using a whisk, blend in hot chicken stock and reserved rice liquid. Cook, allowing to thicken slightly.
*If you want a creamy soup, add the milk or half-and-half.
Add rice, meat, and seasonings. Simmer 20 minutes. 8-10 servings.

Ginger Peach Sauce

1 fresh peach

1/2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. ginger (or more to taste)

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Cut peach into 8-12 slices, drizzle with balsamic vinegar if desired, grill 3-5 minutes per side. Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add peach slices, and simmer until slightly thickened. Serve with pork and rice.

Notes:

• This was made on the fly, so all measurements are approximate.
• I was in the midst of slow cooking a large pork loin, so I used that, but obviously the yummiest option would be to grill pork chops along with the peaches.
• This makes a pretty thin sauce, so if you like it thicker, mix a little more orange juice with some cornstarch and add that to the sauce as it simmers.

Risotto of the Gods

2 tbsp. Butter
2 tsp. Garlic powder(or use fresh)
3 slices of Prosciutto, diced
1/2 lb. Arborio rice
1/2 c. White wine(Riesling or Gewürztraminer)
2-3 cans Chicken Broth
1/2 c. Heavy Cream
1 c. Parmesan cheese

Brown butter and garlic powder in a large skillet over medium heat; add prosciutto and rice, toss to coat; add wine and stir. Slowly add chicken broth to cover and simmer, stirring until most of the broth has been absorbed; repeat until all of the broth has been used or the rice is just tender, whichever comes first. Add the cream and continue cooking until just thickened, stir in cheese. The end result should be thick and creamy. Drink the remainder of the wine with dinner.

Chicken-Peanut Butter Stew

Revised:

4 c. diced chicken (3-4 large chicken breasts)

1 1/2 c milk

1 c creamy peanut butter

1 sliced onion

1 diced green pepper

6 stalks diced celery

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp pepper or to taste

5 c chicken broth

1/4 c cornstrach

Simmer chicken in 1/2 cup broth until cooked. Saute the onion, peppers and celery and mix them with the chicken. Mix remaining chicken broth, cornstarch, peanut butter, salt and pepper. Stir liquid mixture into simmering chicken. Add vegetables. Cook at low until thickened, stirring often. Serve over rice.

Original recipe (revised because we didn't like the liquid-solid ratio):

4 c. diced chicken (3 large chicken breasts)

2-3 tsp flour (more for thicker gravy)

1 1/2 c milk

1 c creamy peanut butter

1 sliced onion

1 diced green pepper

6 stalks diced celery

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp pepper or to taste

water (enough to simmer chicken)

7 c chicken broth

Simmer chicken in water for approximately 1 hour. Saute the onion, peppers and celery. Mix flour, chicken broth, peanut butter, salt and pepper. Stir liquid mixture into simmering chicken and stir until creamy. Add vegetables. Cook at low heat for 1 hour, stirring often. Serve over rice.