Stuffed Pepper Casserole

All the delicious flavors of stuffed peppers without the additional work and mess of stuffing the peppers!  The flavors are amazing!  Enjoy a helping with a dollop of sour cream.  

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2-3 red bell peppers, chopped
1 cup uncooked rice (3 cups cooked rice)
1 cup can diced tomato 

1 cup tomato puree (I blended tomatoes)
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 Tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook rice using Instant pot, rice setting.  

In medium pan, cook hamburger with onion. 

Add diced bell pepper to pan, turn heat to medium and cover, stirring occasionally.
When pepper has softened, add spices, tomatoes and salt/pepper to taste. Continue cooking a couple additional minutes to blend flavors.

Stir in cooked rice.  

Spoon into greased 9 x 13 casserole dish, cover with cheese. 

Bake until cheese is melted.  Serve warm.  

No Bake Cookies

A delicious cookie, no oven required!  The secret is bringing the first mixture to a slow boil and then boiling  it for exactly one minute--so set a timer.  You'll have the perfect texture for these no bake cookies.

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter

3 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


In a medium saucepan, bring the cocoa, sugar, milk and butter to a boil over medium heat. Slowly bring to a boil. Once they reach a rolling boil, boil for 60 seconds. Being precise with this cooking creates the perfect no bake cookie!

Pull the saucepan off the heat after boiling. Add in the oats, peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well.
Allow the mixture to cool for 1 minute and scoop onto silicone mats. Allow them to cool until hardened.

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Chicken

Taco Tuesdays are a breeze with this simple Instant Pot recipe!  Serve the chicken on soft, warm tortillas and top with pico de gallo, avocado, and shredded lettuce.  Of course, you don't need a Tuesday to enjoy this fantastic meal! 

1 cup Italian Dressing

2 Tbsp Chicken Broth Base (from Costco)

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

1 Tbsp Cumin

1 Tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp kosher salt

6 lbs frozen chicken (thin breasts for tenderloins from Costco)

Place frozen chicken in the instant pot.  Mix Italian dressing, seasonings, and chicken broth base.  Pour over frozen chicken.  Cover pot and 'seal' valve.  Push manual button and set time to 30 minutes.  

When the pressure cooker beeps, let the pressure naturally release.  

Remove chicken from juices and shred. Mix small amount of juices with the shredded chicken to give moisture and flavor.  (There will be excess juices, this can be discarded) Serve warm.  

Greek Yogurt

➢ pour 1/2 gallon whole milk into instant pot (you can  add 1 pint heavy cream for extra creamy richness)
➢ push Yogurt button and to boil. Allow to run until it beeps. (Heats it to 180 degrees)
➢ Let milk cool to 115 degrees. (110 at the lowest) I remove pot and whisk occasionally until it drops in temperature)
➢Put  pot back in the IP.
➢ At 115 degrees (110 at the lowest) gently stir in 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt for starter... (if too cool, use saute to warm back up to 115 stirring constantly)
➢ Put on glass lid if you have one, or put on IP lid with valve set to "vent"
➢ press "yogurt" button on IP (8 hours is what you want....add more time if you want it more tart)
➢ When the pot beeps done and/or next morning you should have yogurt that a spoon can stand up in
(spoon out a small dish of about 3 tbsp for the next batch and put in fridge)
➢ Pour into yogurtbstrainer  and strain in fridge to the thickness (or slightly thicker) than you want (I like 4 to 5 hours)

Twice Baked Potatoes

These are a great side dish, full of wonderful flavor and easy to serve.  

The potatoes I scoop them out and add seasoning green onions sour cream or 1/4 bar of cream cheese and grated cheese. Refill the scooped out skins and bake again.

Crepes

2 cups flour
4 eggs
2 cups milk
½ teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoon butter, melted

4 teaspoons sugar if you are making dessert crepes, don't add if they are for savory crepes

Preheat crepe maker. Mix ingredients in blender. Pour into crepe batter plate.  Dip hot crepe plate into batter. Cool until done, repeat. 

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

I decided to try black bean tacos this week and was happy with the results.  I thought they were delicious! John and Kyla really liked them.  My boys...not so much.  Hopefully in time they will learn to like them, they will be making regular appearances at our house.  I also liked how easy these were to make.  

2 cups black beans, cooked (1 pint jar)
½ C. red onion, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
8 corn tortillas

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Salsa or fresh tomatoes
Sour cream

In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

In a large, non-stick skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape. As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.
* When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.

Serve tacos with toppings like salsa, avocados, and sour cream.