Emeril's Stuffed Peppers

Randazzo's has red and yellow peppers on their day old shelf 5/99¢. Here is a great recipe to use them in.

Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

40 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 medium green bell peppers
• 8 ounces ground pork sausage
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Essence, plus more for seasoning, recipe follows
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, green part only
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
• 4 teaspoons unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the top quarter of each bell pepper and reserve. Scoop the seeds and veins out from the inside of each pepper and discard. Set bell pepper shells aside. Remove and discard the stems from each bell pepper top. Dice enough of the bell pepper tops to make 1/2 cup. Set aside.

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, crumble and brown the sausage until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, 1/2 cup diced bell pepper, and the celery. Saute for 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the rice and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and Essence. Cook for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions and parsley. Season the insides of the bell pepper shells with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the rice mixture into the bell peppers.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and cheese. Season with a pinch of Essence and mix well. Sprinkle the crust over each pepper. Top each crust with 1 teaspoon of butter and place the peppers into an 8-inch baking dish or pan. Add just enough water to cover the bottom, about 1/3 cup. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are crusty and brown and warmed through. Serve hot.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Taco Salad

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

--

Level:

Easy

Serves:

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 pound sharp Cheddar, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, washed, drained and shredded
• 1 pound lean ground beef, browned, crumbled and drained
• 1 cup salad dressing (recommended: Catalina)
• 1 (7-ounce) bag taco flavored chips, crushed
• 1 cup salsa
• Tortilla chips, to serve

Directions

Combine the tomatoes, cheese, onion, lettuce, and ground beef in a large bowl. Add the salad dressing and mix well. Just before serving, add the taco chips, tossing to combine with other ingredients. Top each serving with salsa. Serve with tortilla chips.

Randazzo's had white asparagus on their discounted shelf yesterday, so I am going to give this recipe a try. I found it on Rachael Ray's Blog.

Risotto with Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus ( I look for the thinnest stalks I can find)

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup yellow onion, small dice

1 1/3 c. Arborio rice

1/2 c. dry white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)

4 c. chicken stock

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 c. grated parmesan cheese

Chopped parsley and grated parmesan for garnish (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Cut off the tough bottom portion of the asparagus, place on a rimmed baking sheet, toss with 2 tbsp. olive oil and the salt and pepper. Spread out flat on the sheet pan and roast for 20 to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the stalks until the asparagus is tender and slightly browned remove from the oven and let cool.

In a 2 qt. sauce pan, heat the chicken stock until just warm. Do not boil.

In a large skillet or 4 qt. saucier, heat the remaining olive oil on medium, add the onions and stir until the onions become clear. Add the rice and stir to coat, heat through until the outer coating of the rice gets clear and then add the wine. Stir the rice until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add 1 c. of warmed stock to the pan and continue stirring until most has been absorbed. Continue adding stock, 1/2 c. at a time until the rice becomes tender and creamy. You may not use all of the stock. That’s okay as long as the rice is done. Chop the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and add to the risotto, add the butter and finally, stir in to the parmesan cheese. Serve in warmed bowls. Add the chopped parsley and more parmesan to taste.

My pantry is overflowing. I am going to try to clear it out before purchasing anything else (unless it's free, of course). I have more bottles of Frank's than I care to count. Here is what I am making tonight to use some of it up. Recipe is from Clean Eating.

Buffalo Chicken

4 tbsp hot sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp paprika

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs) cut ito 3" pieces

Cooking Spray

In a small bowl, combine hot sauce, oil and paprika. Place chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour hot sauce mixture over chicken, tossing to coat. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mist a large baking sheet with cooking spray. Remove chicken from hot sauce marinade, discarding marinade, and place chicken on baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (no need to flip).

And to use up my Blue Cheese and Heavy Whipping Cream, serve with:

Blue Cheese Dressing

4 ounces blue cheese, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pinch of tarragon

Place the cheese, mayonnaise, heavy cream, vinegar, salt, pepper and tarragon in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth.

Weekly Meal Plan 5/16/10 - 5/22/10

Sunday

Rocky Mountain Sirloin Tip Steak Stew

Fresh Bread

Monday

Mexican Black Bean Lasagna

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed

2 (10 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

1 cup mexican-style cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with nonstick cookin spray. In a large bowl, combine beans, orn and tomatoes. In a small bowl, stir together ricota, sour cream and cumin. Place 2 tortillas on the bottom of prepared loaf pan. Spread about 1/3 cup ricotta mixture over tortillas. Top with about 1/2 cup black bean mixture. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat procedure 3 times.

Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Tuesday

Herbed Chicken use the leftover chicken for the salad on Friday

Salad

Rolls

Wednesday

Hamburgers with Homemade Hamburger Buns

French Fries

Cole Slaw

Thursday

Better Than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

Salad

Bread Sticks

Friday

Chicken Salad

Cinco De Mayo

I wasn't thinking when I made this week meal plan. Today is Cinco De Mayo. Here is a quick easy recipe with ingredients you may have on hand.

Black Bean Quesadillas

Enjoy!

Weekly Meal Plan 5/2/10 - 5/8/10

Sunday

Root Beer BBQ Chicken

For the Chicken:

1 Chicken, cut into 8 pieces (3 1/2 lb.) - I am using drumsticks and thighs

Vegetable oil

Salt Pepper

For the Root Beer Sauce:

1/2 cup diced onion

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups root beer

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard

2 Tbsp. molasses

1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

1 tsp. red peper flakes

Juice of 1/2 lime

Preheat oven to 400º

Coat chicken with vegetable oil, salt, and pepper; arrange on a baking sheet and roast 45 minutes.

Make the Sauce: Saute onion and garlic for the saue in olive oil over medium heat 2-3 minutes. Add root beer, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add lime juice.

Preheat Grill to medium-high

Dip chicken into BBQ sauce to coat, then grill, covered, for 5 minutes. Dip pieces in sauce again, turn over and grill until charred and crisp, 5 minutes more.

Sliced Tomatoes

Potato Salad

Monday

Nachos

Tuesday

Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza

Salad

Wednesday

Blackened Ham with Sweet Potato Salad

For the Sweet Potato Salad:

1/2 lb. sweet potato, peeled and ut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup diced fresh pineapple

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. plain yogurt

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Salt and White pepper to taste

For the Ham Steak:

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. each paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, dried thyme

1/2 tsp. cayene pepper

1 center-cut ham steak (16-20 oz)

Preheat grill to high.

Boil sweet potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender, 10 minutes. Drain and let cool. Combine potatoes with pineapple and parsley in a bowl.

Whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, lime juice, vanilla, salt and white pepper; toss with the potato mixture.

Combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, thyme and cayenne for the blackening spice mixture. Rub the mixture on both sides of the ham steak. Grill ham, covered, until the edges of steak begin to curl; flip steak and grill 1-2 more minutes.

Thursday

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Friday

Macaroni & Cheese

Toasted Bread Crumbs
1 C. fresh bread crumbs from French or Italian Bread
1 1/2 Tbsp. Butter
Macaroni and Cheese
Salt
1/2 lb. Elbow Macaroni (my preference is Barilla)
4 Tbsp. Butter
2 large eggs
1 can (12 oz.) Evaporated Milk, heated to warm
1/4 tsp. hot red pepper sauce
Ground black pepper
1 tsp. dry Mustard
10-12 oz. (3 cups) mild cheddar, American or Monterey Jack Cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees and set a 1 1/2 quart heatproof dish, such as a souffle pan in the oven to warm. Mix bread crumb ingredients together in a small backing pan set aside. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large soup kettle. Add 1 1/2 tsp. salt and macaroni; cook until almost tender, but still a little firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to preheated dish and stir in butter to melt. Meanwhile, mix eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk, pepper sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt (less if you are using American cheese) 1/4 teaspoon pepper and mustard mixture in a small bowl. Pour egg mixture over noodles along with three-fourths of cheese; stir until thoroughly combined and cheese starts to melt.

Place bread crumbs in oven to toast until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Place p an of macaroni and cheese in oven too and bake for 5 minutes. Remove pan from oven; thoroughly stir macaroni mixture adding a little remaining milk and cheese. Return to oven and cook 5 minutes longer. Remove macaroni pan from oven and stir thoroughly so that macaroni and cheese cooks evenly adding additional cheese and milk if mixture does not look moist and creamy. Return to the oven for a total of 20 minutes, removing pan from oven once more to stir in remaining milk and cheese. Serve immediately, sprinkled with bread crumbs.

Saturday

Go out to eat - keep your kitchen clean for Mothers Day!