One recipe that has always been one of my favorites is stuffed bell peppers. When I was a little girl, and it was time to stop playing kickball in the backyard and come in for supper, I remember always getting excited because my mother was (is) one amazing cook! She made the table look inviting with beautiful placemats, sparkling clean dishes and not one spot could be found on any of our glasses. Matching cloth napkins were always perfectly pressed and we sat down, as a family, to a homemade supper around a table that was handmade by my father. It was a knotty pine farmhouse table, stained and poly sealed, with legs that had so much character. I remember coming home from playing outside one day, and there it was! A brand new gorgeous kitchen table sitting right in front of the picture window of our kitchen!! I was so proud of it…so proud of my dad! It was the most beautiful table I’d ever seen! And I knew that in those late night hours, (more like the wee hours of the morning), when I would hear the roar of his sander, he was out in his shop making something new for our home.
Yes, I loved family supper time! But one memory that I will always treasure is what happened at the end of the meal. It was a habit of our household.
We’d either push our plates to the middle of the table, or she’d gather them up and place them on the counter. She’d then take her bible and a devotional book in her hands and hand one of them to our father. The devotionals were written so that we would read the day’s scripture reading, and then she or dad would read out loud the devotional thought for that day. It was our evening devotional time that we had “before anyone left the table.”
We’d talk about what we read, share prayer needs and then pray … all before leaving that special table. My dad and mom made supper time one of the most sacred minutes of our day. It was one of the “habits of our happy household” that I believe was the habit that formed the rest.
Which leads me right into what our next Interior Inspirations video theme is going to be –
“Habits of a Happy Household” – read the following blog post to find out more!!
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But one of my favorite dishes was my mom’s stuffed bell peppers. I’d see that big green pepper sitting upright on my plate, full of meat and rice and covered in cheese…and just loved them! Although my recipe is a little different from her’s, the men in this house seemed to devour them the other night as we sat on our back porch, holding hands while blessing our food, sitting around … my father’s handmade table. (Yes, it is the SAME exact table that sat in my kitchen when I was a young girl!) Now, it sits on our back porch and it’s where I start my day each morning with the Lord.
I hope you enjoy this recipe…and stop by again soon!
Stuffed Green Peppers – (this is a recipe for 4 peppers)
Cut the tops off 4 green peppers and scoop out the seeds and the white side rinds. You don’t have to use all green, you can also use red, yellow and orange peppers.
Then place the peppers into a deep pot full of hot water. I place my peppers into the water so that each pepper is full of water and the opening is facing up. I also give my water a few shakes of sea salt. Boil the peppers until the skin begins to look a tinge darker and you can squeeze the sides of the pepper easily. BUT, you don’t want to over boil them to the point that they are too tender and floppy. If that happens, they will not be able to hold the stuffing.
After 10-15 minutes of boiling, take them out to cool on a cutting board upside down. This helps the pepper to drain of excess water. While the pepper are boiling, you can be preparing the stuffing.
Stuffing for Peppers
Brown 1 lb of lean ground beef or ground turkey in a skillet with 1 small diced onion. Now is a good time to add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of black pepper and 1 tsp of Greek seasoning.
While meat and onions are cooking, in another deep sauce pan, prepare 2 cups of cooked rice. **It can be gluten free, wild rice, white rice, brown rice … It’s all a personal preference.
After you have prepared the rice and the meat mixture, pour it all into one large bowl. Stir it all together and let it cool a bit.While it is cooling, heat up 2 cans of seasoned black beans. I bought mine at Kroger and purchased the Kroger brand, but any seasoned black beans will work great. After the beans are thoroughly heated, add them to the meat and rice mixture. Stir. Then add 1 cup of either Mexican Mix Cheese, OR Mild Cheddar Jack Cheese. It’s a combination of cheddar and colby jack and is delicious in this recipe!
Then, stuff each pepper to the top with the meat and rice and bean mixture. Top each pepper off with one last & large pinch of cheese, being sure to cover the tops.
Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts.
Serve with steamed broccoli and a side dish of ambrosia … it is so yummy that I’m ready to make it all again!
Hope you enjoy!
**Check the following blogs for my ambrosia recipe!
