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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Quick and Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers



Last night, we went meatless and taco "ish."  I was looking for something quick and easy because I was feeling lazy, but I was hungry.  So I decided to make stuffed bell peppers with a Mexican flavor.



I started with some cute little bell peppers my sister gave me from her garden, home-made salsa, 1/2 a small onion (chopped), tops of the peppers (chopped) and some rice and black beans I had already prepared and froze.



I mixed everything together, stuffed the peppers and then topped with Monterrey Jack cheese.  I thought we would eat two each and have leftovers, nope.  We each had 3 1/2!  They were very light and yummy.

Ingredients:

1 cup salsa
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
7 small green bell peppers
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (est.)
1 cup black beans  (est.)
Monterrey Jack cheese

Here's the rundown:

Bring large pan of water to boil, add bell peppers and boil for 3 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove bell peppers and set aside.  Saute chopped onions and peppers in oil of your choice until onions are transparent and peppers are soft.  Mix with salsa, rice and black beans.  My rice and beans were pre-
seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.  So put whatever spices you like, taste and re-season if necessary.
I lined a casserole dish with aluminum foil for easier clean-up.  Place bell peppers in dish or on baking sheet and stuff with rice mixture.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, place cheese on top and return to oven until cheese is melted.

I used really small bell peppers.  If you are using full-sized ones, you will need to add about 15 more minutes to the cooking time so they will be nice and toasty.

Do you make stuffed peppers?  What's your favorite way to prepare them?  If you try this recipe, let me know how they turned out.

Thanks for stopping by,
Natosha

Monday, July 23, 2012

Manic Monday: Etsy Round-up

Whew!  What a Monday!  I don't know about you, but I need to relax after this crazy beginning of the week.  I think some window shopping over at Etsy is in order.

When I splurge on lip balm, chapstick, etc, it is usually on Burt's Bees.  Random fact, I am a lip balm junkie. There are at least 3 floating around in my purse, another in my desk drawer, one in the car and who knows how many at home.  Sorry, TMI.  Anyhoo, Burt's Bees costs around $3.50.  Look what I found on Etsy:

Lemon Sugar Lip BalmLavender Lip BalmHoney Lip BalmApple Crumb Cake Lip Balm - Handmade Lip Balm

Firebird Bath and Body has some wonderful flavors.  Black Tea, Blood Orange, and Coconut Lemongrass to name a few.  All for just $3.50!


If I owned an iPhone (yeah, I know, I'm like the last person who doesn't own one), I might would get all three of these cases from Casestyle because they are so affordable.  How affordable?  Uh, $9.99.

Han Solo carbonite iPhone 4 case, iPhone 4s case, case for iPhone 4. Includes 3 layers Screen protector. Black or white.iPhone 4 case, iPhone 4s case, white case for iPhone 4, Chevron Carpet 003 . Includes 3 layers Screen protector.. Also available in Black .Dr Who Tardis iPhone 4 case, iPhone 4s case, case for iPhone 4. Includes 3 layers Screen protector. Black or white.iPhone 4 case, iPhone 4s case, case for iPhone 4, Pattern 004 . Includes 3 layers Screen protector. Black or white.

Han Solo, Chevrons and The TARDIS from Dr. Who!

I love to cook and only own one real apron.  Boojiboo has some adorable aprons and even has some in plus size for us curvy gals.

The BETTY - Plus Size Apron - Black and White Polka Dot with Lime GreenRetro Apron Vintage Style Sweetheart Neckline Yellow Kiss the Cook Full Apron MAGGIERetro Apron Pink Candy Flowers BELLA Full ApronApron Retro Style Sweetheart Neckline Bright Owls Full Apron MAGGIE

Jewelry?  Yes, please.  Richardwu has some very affordable and fun leather bracelets.  A few of my favorites:

Brown fashion and simple leather bracelet, elegant leather bracelet  Leather Bangle  LL613Silver bracelet  Anchor bracelet made of green weave leather cord and  Anchors,Angel password LL591Bronze leather bracelet  Anchor bracelet made of brown leather cord and  cotton rope  LL593Copper and alloys flowers and beads leather bracelet  Fashion Leather Bracelet LL28

And they range from $2.00 to $9.50!


And you can't go shopping without buying a little snack.

Savory Gorgonzola-Pistachio Shortbread by BakeCraft-artisan savory shortbread perfect for snacks
Gorgonzola-Pistachio Shortbread
by BakeCraft


Sweet and Salty Candied Bacon
Sweet and Salty Candied Bacon
from HashDelectableEdible


Dehydrated Strawberry / Pineapple / Kiwi slices - Shipping included
Dehydrated Pineapple, Kiwi and Strawberries
from Sweet Mother Nature

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Bean Burgers

I finally decided to go back to our theme-night style of menu planning as it helped make dinner so much easier when I was using it.  Here's are my themes for the time-being:

Sunday:  Chicken
Monday:  Meatless
Tuesday:  Tacos
Wednesday:  Salad (with or without meat)
Thursday:  Whatever Mike wants to cook!
Friday:  Takeout  (see how I gave myself 2 nights in a row off!)
Saturday:  Anything goes!

There are SO many different variations of each meal, it shouldn't be hard to keep it interesting.  I'll probably change it around every one or two months.

So, last night I decided to make bean burgers (because somehow we got mixed up and had tacos on Monday night 0_0).  I used this recipe by Mark Bittman:



Bean Burgers (found here)
Time: 20 minutes, with cooked beans 

2 cups well-cooked white, black or red beans, or chickpeas or lentils, or 1 14-ounce can, drained 
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered 
1/2 cup rolled oats (preferably not instant) 
1 tablespoon chili powder, or the spice mix of your choice 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 egg 
Bean-cooking liquid, stock or other liquid (wine, cream, milk, water or ketchup) if necessary 
Extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn. 

1. Combine all ingredients except liquid and oil in food processor and pulse until chunky but not puréed. If necessary, add a little liquid for a mixture that is moist but not wet. Let mixture rest for a few minutes. 
2. With wet hands, shape into patties and let rest again for a few minutes. (Burger mixture or shaped burgers can be covered tightly and refrigerated for up to a day. Bring back to room temperature before cooking.) Film bottom of a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet with oil and turn heat to medium. When hot, add patties. Cook undisturbed until browned, about 5 minutes; turn carefully with spatula and cook 3 or 4 minutes until firm and browned. 
3. Serve on buns with mustard, ketchup, chutney or other toppings. 

Yield: 4 servings. 


I used canned cannellini beans (1 can) and for my spice mix I used about a tsp of garlic powder and paprika.  After eating the burgers, I would have added a tsp of minced fresh garlic and a little more paprika.  Since I didn't cook my beans from dry and I didn't want to use the liquid with the beans (I rinsed the beans well in cold water before using them), I used a little chicken stock.  If you are going for vegetarian, you could use vegetable stock, water, or whatever you have on hand.  


My food processor is tiny so I did mine in two batches.  The first batch turned out like bean dip, really creamy.  The second batch I just pulsed several times in order to leave the beans kinda chunky.  I mixed the two together and it was way too soft to form into patties.  I put the mixture in the fridge in the hopes it would tighten up some.  


After about 30 minutes I took the mixture out of the fridge and it was still pretty soft.  So, I took some panko bread crumbs and put them in a plate.  I got my non-stick pan, added some olive oil and set the burner on medium heat.  I wet my hands and formed a patty, flipped it over onto the panko and pressed the bread crumbs all over the patty.  This was really messy.  I got 4 good-sized patties.  I let them sit for a few minutes before putting them in the pan.  In hindsight, I might have put them in the fridge for a little while.  Anyway, I cooked them for about 5 minutes on each side, until they were golden brown.  Let them sit for a couple of minutes and as they cool, they will firm up some.


They were really good.  Mike liked them and I even got my picky 2 year old to take 3 bites!  We didn't eat them on a bun.  I just served them with a chopped salad and some french fries.  We used Tapatio hot sauce on them.  Yummy!


Sorry, I didn't take pictures.  I promise I will next time.  



Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Random Facts About Me

I've been super busy lately with work (I work with juvenile delinquents, yay) and home (I have a 2 1/2 yr old, can I get an amen) and I have been struggling with what I want to do with this blog.  While I'm thinking about what direction I want to take, here are some random facts about me.

1.  I love Popeyes Chicken

2.  Sweet tea is my drink of choice (Dr. Pepper a close 2nd)

3.  I used to sing a lot.  From a young child through college.

4.  I like trying to make my own jewelry (try being the operative word).

5.  I think Phineas and Ferb are so funny.

6.  I think spiders are horrific.

7.  I have watched the Lord of The Rings trilogy at least 100 times, probably more.

8.  I like my wine red and sweet.  Is it in a box, well that's great with me.

9.  I have step-children:  a daughter who is almost 18 and a son who is almost 21.  They are wonderful and live too far away.

10. I want to start a small organic farm on my property with cows, chickens, goats  and a huge garden.

Thanks for stopping by, and let me know something random about you in the comments!

Natosha

Monday, July 16, 2012

Monday, July 2, 2012

Photo A Day - July

Ok, maybe I will make it through the month this time.  Here is July's Photo A Day list:



Thanks for stopping by,
Natosha