TwoDorks.net

Yes, rice is cheap…. but there is only so much you can eat before you notice it coming out of your ears. So here was a way to spruce up our normal rice routine.

Recipe from BDEGER from allrecipes.com
serves 6

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 cup water
6 green bell peppers
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 t Italian seasonings
shredded cheese and sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Place the rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook 20 minutes. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef until evenly browned.
3. Remove and discard the tops, seeds, and membranes of the bell peppers. Arrange peppers in a baking dish with the hollowed sides facing upward (slice the bottoms of the peppers if necessary so that they will stand upright). **If you have long, thin peppers, use a muffin pan and keep the peppers stable with tin foil around the bottoms**
4. In a bowl, mix the browned beef, cooked rice, 1 can tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each hollowed pepper. Mix the remaining tomato sauce and Italian seasoning in a bowl, and pour over the stuffed peppers.
5. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, basting with sauce every 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender. During the last 15 minutes sprinkle cheese on top. Serve with some sour cream.

Oh dispair! Oh malcontent!
I’ve lost my bride to an author with unholy bent!

My love weeps and cackles, page by page
And it only serves to deepen my rage!

An author of such cunning and guile,
Imprisoning my wife for quite a while.

In her tale of wolf and tooth,
And a lasso of love, forsooth!

It’s captured my flame within it’s embrace,
And taken me for a widower with a lump in her place.

Tho I cry and and scream her name,
Alas, it’s not the same.

For the only sound I get,
Emerges as “No I’m not done yet!”

“Matt, When will you ever learn?
You have to wait until it’s your turn!”

Damn books.

This recipe was absolutely amazing! Jean gave me the challenge to make dessert for their fantastic rib, corn, and fantastic slaw and I believe I hit the nail on the head. I will be making this again while in Virginia. Cheap dessert that looks like a million bucks!

From: Tyler Florence, 2007
Serves 4

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tsp sugar (to sprinkle - I used cinnamon sugar)
2 T unsalted butter
4 golden delicious apples, peeled, split in 1/2, cored (if you are afraid of the apples browning, rub some lemon juice on them after you slice and peel them)
1 sheet puff pastry (thawed…takes about 40 minutes on the counter)
vanilla ice cream (can be substituted for any ice cream that taste good with apple desserts)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add water and sugar and cook to caramelize the sugar, about 10 minutes. Add the butter until melted (when I did this, I put the water and sugar in at the same time and it made a nice pale caramel but it never browned. Matt suggests you put the sugar in first and let it melt and then add the water. I will try this next time).
3. Take 4 large ramekins and pour the caramel into bottoms and arrange 1 apple half, cut side down in the bottom of each ramekin. (I prepared the apples while I was waiting for the puff pastry to thaw.) Take the remaining halves and cut them into 3 wedges so you can fill the gaps in the top of each ramekin to create a level surface on which the pastry will lie across.
4. Sprinkle apples with sugar (I used cinnamon sugar). Roll the pastry out and use a cookie-cutter to cut out circles the size of the ramekins and place over the apples folding it in at the edges (if your cookie cutter is not large enough, make a small circle and then add pieces of the dough around the edges). Make 3 or 4 holes with a knife and 1 in the middle to let steam out.
5. Bake for 20 minutes and let it rest for 15 minutes (This is very important. If you do not let the dessert rest, it will not stay solid when you flip it.
6. Take a dinner plate and put it over ramekin. Turn over slowly and remove ramekin slowly. Serve luke warm with vanilla bean ice cream.

Matt thought he would hate this. In fact when I told him I could see the sadness in his face. Turns out it was awesome!
From: advertisement from Rachael Ray Magazine
serves: 4

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 3/4 cups Swanson chicken broth*
1/2 cup orange juice*

*I changed the recipe up a little bit. I did 1 1/4 cup chicken broth and 1 cup orange juice. Makes the orange juice flavor stronger and its really yummy!

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Sauteed orange slices

1. Cook chicken in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 10 min. or until browned. Set chicken aside.
2. Add the broth, orange juice, onion, and rice. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 min.
3. Return chicken to skillet. Cover and cook 10 min. or until the chicken and rice are cooked. Stir in Parsley (It was easier to cut the chicken into strips and it cooked better…use your discretion).

For a special touch, saute orange slices in a hot nonstick skillet until lightly browned. Garnish chicken with slices. I added a little cinnamon sugar on them and they were a tasty treat as well as a garnish.

Matt absolutely loves this recipe. Anytime I’m on the bad list, this always puts me back to good!
From Pillsbury.com

1 1/2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef (can substitute Turkey Meat)
1 (15 oz) can spicy chili beans, undrained (or kidney beans)
1 package (1.25 oz) Old El Paso 40% less-sodium taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup water
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury Grands refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4oz)
1/2 cup shredded lettuce, if desired
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, if desired
1/2 cup sour cream, if desired (YOU WILL WANT THIS…IT’S YUMMY)
1/2 cup Old El Paso Salsa, if desired

You may add anything you like to this that you normally add to tacos.

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.
2. Add chili beans, taco seasoning mix, and water; mix well. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 10 minutes or until ground beef mixture is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, spray outside bottom and sides of 8 (6oz) custard cups lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Separate dough into eight biscuits. Roll or pat each biscuit to form 4 1/2 inch round. Place rounds over outside of sprayed cups; Press to fit over bottom and part way down sides of cups. Place cups upside down, in ungreased 15×10x1 inch baking pan.
4. Bake at 375 F for 14 to 16 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove pan from oven. Carefully remove biscuit cups from custard cups. Place biscuits cups, right side up, in same baking pan. Spoon beef mixture evenly into each cup.
5. Top with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and salsa.