30 Minute Stuffed Pepper Soup

Tomorrow is the first day of spring, but we still have some patches of snow on the ground.  It is starting to warm up THANK GOODNESS!!!  I am not sure how much more cold weather I can handle-my kiddos REALLY need to start playing outside.  While it is still chilly outside I am going to make a few more soup recipes.  This recipe is quick, easy, hearty, and DELICIOUS!  The adults in my family (in-laws and husband) recently requested Stuffed Peppers.  I had to laugh at them because most of them don't even like pepper, they just love the "goodness" that is inside the stuffed pepper.  This is all of the good stuff in one pot!  They loved it! peppers and all!  Activities are starting to pick up (ok maybe they never calmed down) in our house which means that any meal that can be made in less than 30 minutes is a hit with me!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 Large Green Pepper (diced)
• 1/2 of an Onion (finely chopped)
• 14-16 oz of Beef Broth
• 1 14.5 oz Can of Basil, Oregano, and Garlic Diced Tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 Jar of Chunky Tomato Sauce (I used  a jar of Prego Thick and Chunky Garden Style Pasta Sauce)
• 1 Box of Long Grain and Wild Rice (cooked according to package)
• 1/4 pound of Mild or Spicy Italian Sausage
• 3/4 pound Ground Beef

The rice will take about 25 minutes so start cooking it when you start the sausage.  Cook sausage, onion, and green pepper in skillet until sausage is cooked through.  Dump can of tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth in soup pot.  When sausage and onion are done dump them in too.  Using the same skillet as the sausage, cook and crumble the ground beef.  Drain the ground beef and add to the soup mixture.  When the rice is done stir it into soup.  You will have a thick, slightly spicy, and yummy soup that is perfect for any chilly evening.  

Weekly Menu #5

Now that we've had a few nice days, I'm really itching to cook on the grill. Just the other night we threw some hot dogs on the grill because it was a last minute decision and we didn't have anything else to grill, and then sat around by a fire once the sun went down and it was awesome! So we'll start incorporating a few more grill ideas as we move forward. Hopefully it will get so nice outside that we can do an entire week full of grilled dinners!

Monday
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Flattened Redskin Potatoes

Tuesday
Cha Cha Chicken Tacos with mango Tango Salsa

Wednesday
Spicy Italian Beef Sandwiches
Cucumber Salad

Thursday
Grilled Bourbon Pork Medallions
Grilled Rosemary Chive Potatoes
Waldorf Salad

Friday
Lazy Lasagna
Caesar Salad

Here are some suggested snacks and desserts to go along with your menu this week.

Be sure to check out our other weekly menus for ideas and inspiration for your family's meal planning.

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Sharp Cheddar and Gruyere Mac and Cheese

I am notorious for throwing together a homemade mac and cheese with random cheese that I have on hand.  Some are winners and some are just okay.  This one is definitely one I will be making again.  I have used this same milk/butter/egg/flour combo a few times before.  I like it because it creates a great base for the cheese.  You can substitute other cheeses, but I like to make sure that at least one of them is on the stronger side.  I like cheese any cheese...YUM!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups of Sharp Cheddar
• 1 1/2 Cups of Guyere
• 12 oz of Pasta cooked al dente (I used medium shells)
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 teaspoon Ground Mustard
• 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1 1/2 Cups Milk (I used 1%)
• 1 Egg
• Salt and Pepper to taste

While the water for the pasta is coming to a boil I shred the cheese and gather and measure my ingredients because this is one of those recipes that the last 5 minutes is when it all comes together and you can't be scrambling for things.  

Once the pasta is cooked and drained, set it aside.  In the pot you boiled the pasta in melt the butter.  Once the butter is melted whisk in the flour.  Whisk continuously over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, don't let it burn.  Slowly add the milk, heavy cream, and ground mustard to the butter/flour mixture.  Continue whisking until sauce thickens.  This will take about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  The next step is a little (just a little) tricky.  Remove about 1/4 cup of the sauce mix.  Gradually whisk the sauce mix into the bowl with the beaten egg.  Make sure you do it slowly so that you don't cook the egg.  Pour the egg mixture into the sauce mixture, mix well.  Next, add the shredded cheese, salt, and pepper.  Mix until cheese is melted.  Last add the cooked macaroni and stir.

Apple Butter BBQ

This is one of those recipes that I started the blog post for and then forgot to complete it.  Darn these kiddos for wanting me to play with them instead of share this delicious recipe!  LOL!  So here we are about 6 months later and I am just getting around to completing it.  I made this for dinner again tonight with a new mac and cheese recipe and the whole thing was a HIT!  I love mixing old favorites with new recipes because it helps to keep dinner interesting.  The BBQ sauce in this recipe is on the sweeter side.  The nice thing is that you can start with this and then spice it up if you would like.
Check out the Sharp Cheddar and Gruyere Mac and Cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Ketchup
• 3/4 Cups Apple Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• A couple dashes of Cayenne Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 6-8 Chicken Thighs

The directions are super simple.  Combine all ingredients except chicken and mix well.  Divide sauce into two bowls.  The chicken can either be grilled or baked.  I have done it both ways, but since it is February and still freezing cold I decided to save my finger tips and bake it.  Place chicken in baking dish and brush on Apple Butter BBQ sauce.

Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  I like to brush on some more sauce about half way through the baking time.  The sauce is so yummy, I serve the reserved sauce on the side.  

This recipe was featured on our 30 Days of Dinners June Menu, Make sure to check out all of the other great recipes on this month's menu!

Weekly Menu #4

I'm not sure about you, but I am ready for winter to end!  It has been so snowy and cold here and I just can't wait for a little sunshine... and grilling! I did put a grill recipe in this week, but I am just going to make on my grill pan indoors. The key lime flavor will transport me to a tropical location in all this cold. I also threw in a few of my favorite slow cooker recipes, since we aren't anywhere tropical and nothing says "burr" better than a warm meal in the slow cooker.

Meatball Sub Casserole {Ridiculously Easy Weeknight Dinner}

I will admit, since beginning this blog, me and Tracy have really grown in our cooking and recipe creating abilities. We have become very creative with ingredients and flavors, and enjoy semi-complicated recipes. But we also need a few ridiculously easy weeknight dinners just to ensure our sanity during the week. This is one of those, and even better, it is ridiculously delicious!

Cheddar Bacon Mini Muffins

A while ago Tracy posted a recipe for some Jalapeno and Bacon Cheesy Bread and it was the most ooey gooey delicious bread I have ever tasted! Since then I have wanted to make something similar, and actually came across a recipe for Bacon Parmesan Muffins that looked good. I changed it up a bit and used shredded cheddar jack instead of parmesan, and oh my were these delicious! If you want to see the original recipe for the bacon parmesan muffins, click here.