Happy Halloween!

Monday, October 31, 2011

We're ready for our first Halloween in the house!


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Recipe Rut Solution #10

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Two entries in one day?

Last night I made Greek stuffed peppers. They were cheap, easy, healthy and yummy! I will definitely be making these again.

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
  • 1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3 large red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, chopped with juice reserved
  • 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Directions:

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(I realize that this ingredients picture looks like an ad for Super Giant generic brand)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bread crumbs, egg, oregano and salt.

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3. Arrange the peppers cut-side up in the baking dish. Fill each pepper half with the meat mixture.

4. Pour the tomatoes and their juice over the peppers. Sprinkle the feta over the peppers.

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5. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the peppers are tender and the filling is cooked through, about 45 minutes.

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What I would do differently: This made alot of filling mixture, so I actually made up some hamburger patties and froze them for some future Greek Burgers! Next time, I'll add the feta cheese into the mixture and not sprinkle on top so it's easier to taste. Also, it takes a long time to cook...luckily we have a convection oven, so I was able to bake them in about 50 minutes.

Total Meal Cost: less than $20

Adam's Rating: 8 out of 10 (I would give it a 9)

Next Day Lunchability: These were great the next day! The peppers were softer, but it was still fantastic.

Recipe Rut Solution #9

Oh my gosh! It's been over a year since I last did a recipe rut solution! Time flies when you're working, going to school, buying a house and moving.

But have no fear, blog readers (if there are any out there), I recently picked out five new recipes and bought the ingredients for them...so Recipe Rut solutions is back!

Last week I made a spin on jambalaya, complete with shrimp and sausage. It was really good for a chilly fall evening!

Ingredients:
  • 2 T. olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 lb. andouille sausage, diced or crumbled
  • 3 T. butter
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1 medium to large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 fresno or jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 T. thyme leaves, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 T. regular sweet paprika
  • 2 T. all-purpose flour
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 lbs. medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • Rice for serving


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Directions:

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the sausage and cook until brown. Remove the sausage from the pan and drain on paper towels. Reserve.

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2. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the butter to the pot. Stir in the green pepper, onion, garlic, chile pepper, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 7 to 8 minutes.

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3. Sprinkle in the paprika and stir, then add the flour and stir for 1 minute more.

4. Pour in the beer and cook for 2 minutes, scraping any bits off the bottom of the pot. Stir in the stock and Worcestershire sauce, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes to combine flavors.

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Add the reserved sausage to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a low boil over medium heat, then stir in the shrimp. Cover and cook until the shrimp are pink and firm, about 3 to 5 minutes.

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What I would do differently: Next time I might add a can of beans to the mix to thicken it. I might also leave out the hot pepper...it was a bit spicy for me!

Total Meal Cost: about $30.00. The shrimp were expensive!

Adam's Rating: 9 out of 10

Next Day Lunchability: Adam gave it two thumbs up the next day! I didn't take it to work because it is one of my biggest pet peeves when people bring seafood in and stink up the break room!