Stuffed Bell Peppers

Old Fashioned Stuffed Peppers

4 green peppers

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, minced

3 cups cooked rice

2 eggs

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp paprika

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

8 oz can tomato sauce (opt)

1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (opt)

Heat oven 350*. 

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, remove core from peppers and cut them in half lengthwise.  Remove the white membrane.  Dunk pepper halves in boiling water to soften – about 5 minutes.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, combine ground beef and onion in a skillet and cook over medium heat until the beef is cooked and the onion is soft.  Remove from the heat and mix in rice plus ¼ cup of water (if rice is hot and freshly cooked, you can omit the water).

Beat eggs with salt, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper and add to hamburger mixture.  Use this mixture to fill the pepper halves (about ¼ to ½ cup per half).  Place halves in a lightly greased baking dish and drape loosely with aluminum foil for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

If you like, spoon a Tbsp of tomato sauce over each pepper, and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Sloppy Joes

Or in the words of my girls...Slappyjos. These were delish! Homemade hamburger buns.

French Bread, Hoagies, and Buns

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 1/2 c. warm water

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

4-5 1/2 c. flour

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 egg, separated

2 Tbsp. cold water

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk (set white aside for later) and combine. Add 3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead, either by hand or in mixer (my personal and very lazy choice) for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and allow to rise 1 hour 45 minutes.

Punch down dough. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. For a loaf of bread, shape into loaf and place on greased cookie sheet. For buns or hoagies, divide equally into 8-10 (or even 12, if you want smaller buns when you're done, and let's face it, who doesn't want smaller buns??) pieces and shape as desired. Use a scale if you have one to get equal-sized buns.

It's okay if they touch (or will touch after having risen). Cover and allow to rise another 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours or until doubled. Keep an eye on things--if they seem like they're getting so big that they might collapse, hurry and get them into the oven.

Preheat oven to 375. Mix egg white with water and brush over dough. Bake for 10 minutes and repeat brushing the dough with the egg wash.

Bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until bread is golden brown and your house smells like heaven.

Can you say YUM!

Here's the link to where I found this wonderful recipe http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/09/french-bread-hoagies-and-buns.html.

Shepherd's Pie

4-5 potatoes cooked and mashed
1 lb ground beef
1 can tomato soup
1 can green beans, drained
1 can corn (optional)
cheddar cheese

Brown meat and drain. Add tomato soup, beans, and corn. Pour meat mixture into a casserole dish. Layer potatoes on top and cover with cheese. Bake covered at 350 for 45-50 minutes.