Stuffed Bell Peppers

I made these the other night for dinner. They were great! As a side note - when browning meat always make sure to break up the big chunks so it all cooks evenly. INGREDIENTS 4 large green bell peppers; 1 package ground chuck; 1 cup of rice, cooked; 1 yellow onion, chopped; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce; salt and pepper; cajun seasoning pepperjack cheese breadcrumbs DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375. Cut tops off of bell peppers and take out seeds. Brown meat and add onions/garlic...cook until tender..and additional 5 minutes. Fill a large pot with water and boil bell peppers for 5 minutes...remove from water and place in a baking dish. Add cooked rice, spaghetti sauce, seasonings to the same skillet you are browning the meat. Mix all together and fill each bell pepper with the mixture. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and then pepperjack cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

Caprese Chicken

I had this at my friend's house one night. It was amazing! I used chicken thighs, instead of chicken breasts. It's very easy to make...if you have friends/family over they will be impressed! INGREDIENTS 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1/4 cup olive oil 1 cup balsamic vinegar 4 cloves garlic, minced sprinkle of salt and pepper 1 red bell pepper, sliced thick 5-6 pieces of fresh mozzarella, sliced 5-6 fresh basil leaves In a large ziplock bag, place chicken and marinate in garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in baking dish and top with cheese, bell pepper slices and basil. Bake for 1 hour, covered.

Italian Sausage Subs

I was trying to find something I could make in a hurry the other night. I had bought some Italian Sausage a few weeks ago that I had frozen. I also had marinara sauce, mozzarella and hoagie buns. I know what I'm making for dinner! These are delicious with carmalized onions. INGREDIENTS 1 onion sliced 1 package mild Italian sausage 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce 4 hoagie buns 1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese DIRECTIONS Cut the sausage up in 1 inch pieces and brown for about 15-20 minutes. Add Onions and carmalize about 5 minutes until tender. Warm the marinara sauce. Place buns in oven on 350 for about 5 minutes. When buns are done, place sausage pieces in the middle, top with onions, marinara sauce and cheese. Serve hot.

Shrimp Pistolettes

These are awesome! I had one at a Farmers' Market last weekend and I had to make it. This is a popular Louisiana treat..fried bread with a cheesy filling consisting of either crawfish or shrimp. Since I have a ton of fresh shrimp my inlaws got me from South Louisiana, that was the obvious choice. The tricky part is getting the bread just right. INGREDIENTS French rolls - about 12 1 lb of shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 8oz pkg of Mexican processed cheese (I used Velveeta) 1 cup of evaporated milk 1 onion, chopped 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup celery, chopped 1/4 cup green onions, chopped 3 cloves of minced garlic 1 bottle of canola oil 3 TBL butter 2 TBL butter (for cooking shrimp) salt and pepper to taste garlic powder cayenne pepper cajun seasoning In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add all veggies and saute for about 5 minutes. Add evaporated milk, bring to a boil. Reduce heat medium to low and stir in cubed cheese until melted. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add shrimp and also add seasonings...adjust spice to any level you would like -(remember: a little cayenne goes a long way! Just do a little sprinkle and add more at the end) Cook shrimp in skillet for 3-5 minutes. Add shrimp to cheese mixture and cook another 5 minutes on medium heat. FRYING THE ROLLS heat oil to 350 degrees over medium heat. Place rolls in hot oil and cook until golden brown (about 1 minute each side). Remove, place on towels and let cool. Split the rolls open and spoon in about 1/4 cup of cheese mixture.