Enchilada-Style Stuffed Peppers

Let's talk about stuffed peppers. I have tried several kids but they always have ground meat and rice in the recipe which makes them kind of....dry and sad. They are supposed to oozing with goodness, tender, and tasty. These met all the criteria. I got the idea for these enchilada-style peppers from Pinterest, but I just did not like all of the ingredients in the Pinterest recipe. After doing a little online reading, I came up with a recipe that combined elements of four different ones. Rich, aka "the anti-veggie" did like the filling but of course does not like bell peppers. ;-) This recipe easily makes 8 peppers so I highly recommend you consider making only half the recipe, or freezing half of the filling. Or, at least invite some guests over :-) I wanted leftovers so I made 5 peppers and put the rest of the filling away.

To start, you've gotta make some roasted chicken. Drizzle four chicken breasts with olive oil, then sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, garlic salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Wrap them in foil and bake at 400 for 45-55 minutes. Cool & shred.

Now, let's make stuffed peppers!

5 large, even-shaped bell peppers in assorted colors (green, red, orange, yellow!)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 can Rotel, drained
1 cup finely shredded cheese, plus 1/2 cup for garnish
1 large can mild red enchilada sauce, any brand
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the "white stuff" and the seeds.

Spray a deep covered baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then place the peppers inside. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, beans, corn, cheese, Rotel, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, and the cumin and chili powder. 

Next. generously fill the peppers and pour the remaining enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Bake, covered, at 350 for about 50 minutes, then garnish with cheese and allow about 2-3 minutes for it to melt. 

I served ours with sweet corn tomalito. It's soooooo yummy! One pepper has approximately 325 calories, 8 grams of fat, 33 carbs and 34 grams of protein.

Until you serve with Mexican crema and Wholly Guacamole! Mmmmmmm. So good. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Why am I taking the time to write a post about chocolate chip cookies? Because this recipe is baking soda free, and I'm taking it for granted I'm not the only person who flips over the bag of Tollhouse chocolate morsels and then frowns because I don't have baking soda. Also, the Tollhouse recipe makes about a million cookies. This recipe makes about 2.5 dozen yummy, basic chocolate chip cookies. Enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1-2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted (you can also shake it through a mesh strainer into a  large bowl if you don't have a sifter)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag Tollhouse milk chocolate morsels

Preheat the oven to 375. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well-mixed and fluffy. Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until well incorporated. Stir in the milk chocolate morsels. Drop by generous, rounded teaspoon-fulls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 9-11 minutes. 10 minutes is the perfect cookie as far as I'm concerned. You will see the edges turning light golden but the top of the cookie should not be. That way once they cool you will still have a soft, chewy cookie instead of a golden rock. Enjoy!

Four-Hour Sick Soup (Aka Chicken Potato Soup)

It's that time of year again and Rich is sick. Every year he gets a bad chest cold sometime between winter and spring, and 3 times since we've been married it's turned into a bad case of pneumonia. Last year's was the worst by far, with him actually being delirious to the point that I wasn't sure if I could get him to Dr. by myself. But I did, and I'm also a Nazi type about illness. We had an amazing Dr. this last time Rich was sick, and he gave me very strict instructions for the next time illness would strike, since Rich is so prone to getting pneumonia. He let out his first cough last night and I went balistic. ;-) I currently have him all doped up and sleeping. Good.

One problem with him when he is sick is that he's so picky. And he will NOT eat chicken noodle soup, or really any other of the popular sickie foods. In an effort to get protein and green leafy veggies down his throat, I came up with a different type of chicken soup. I also made him eat scrambled eggs and spelt toast for breakfast. Lol.

Here's today's soup du jour.

2 skinless chicken breasts, with rib bones
6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb potatoes, any kind (I prefer yellow or gold, such as honey golds, etc)
1 cup mashed potatoes (leftovers, or store bought)
5 large carrots
32 oz container chicken broth or stock, plus a little extra...1-2 cups.
Fresh rosemary
Fresh Italian parsley
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

I believe that chicken for soup should always be roasted. I don't trust a person who would boil raw chicken for soup. Gross. :-) Spray your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray, then place the chicken breasts inside. Drizzle with about 2 tbsp olive oil, and generously add salt and pepper. Dump the chopped garlic on top. Cook on high for about 3 hours. When the chicken is done, remove the bones and cut it up. There will be a little meat left on the ribs--leave it there. Put the bones back into the crock pot. There will be juices from the chicken left in the crock pot--save them for now! Note: You could also use a deboned rotisserie chicken.

When the chicken is cooked, it's time to start the rest of the soup. Cut up potatoes and carrots into bite-sized pieces. As long as you do not use traditional "white" baking potatoes, you can leave the skin on. Leave the carrot skin on, too. You won't be able to tell the difference. Add the carrots and potatoes to your favorite soup pot, and *just* cover them with chicken broth. Add a generous amount of salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss in a decent-sized sprig of fresh rosemary. Don't rip it all apart, either. You'll be taking it out soon enough.

Bring this to a boil, reduce heat the medium and let it cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are tender. I am going to say 8-10 minutes.

Next toss in some fresh parsley leaves. Remove the icky stems. Only add the leaves.

Next add the chicken.

Now, pour the juices from the crock pot into the soup. Strain it, as shown, to prevent bones or fat from getting in. 

Now, it's time to thicken the soup with the mashed potatoes. Heat about 1 to 1-1/2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes, and whisk in 16 oz of chicken broth. Add to the soup along with any remaining broth until the desired consistency is achieved and add salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.... and the soup is finished. 

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Break out the crock pot and get ready. This is ridiculously easy, and you can make it so many different ways. It's a hash-brown & egg breakfast casserole. You have two options: you can turn it on low just before bedtime and allow it to cook for 8-10 hours, or you can cook it on high for 3-1/2 hours. The only difference is this: if you cook it overnight, make sure you add an extra 1/2 cup of milk to the eggs. Otherwise you will end up with a very dry, yucky breakfast casserole. I did the speedy version today and we had breakfast for dinner. It's also meatless Monday around here so I did not add any breakfast meat.

2 large, yellow potatoes, peeled and grated (with the cheese grater or a salad shooter)
2 tbsp butter
3/4 c shredded cheddar
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk (3/4 cup for the overnight version)
salt & pepper

Optional: scrambled sausage, crumbled bacon, bell peppers, onions, etc.

Place the potatoes in the crock pot and add the melted butter, cheese, plenty of salt, and a couple dashes of pepper. Stir until the butter is well mixed. This is a lot easier if you use a fork. :) Next, beat the eggs and milk together in a small bowl. I added a dash of salt and pepper to the eggs too. Pour the egg mixture on top of the potatoes. Done. Now let it cook and enjoy.