Heather's Stuffed Peppers

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

4 large Green Bell Peppers (or any color bell pepper you would like)

1 pound Ground 80/20 chuck or beef

1, 12 oz can Diced Tomatoes, drained

1 Onion, chopped

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

2 tsp each Salt and Pepper

1 small can Tomato Sauce

1 cup prepared White Rice

2 cups Marinara Sauce

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 cup Shredded Cheese Blend

2 tbs parsley

Preheat oven to 350 F

Cut bell peppers in half from stem to bottom longways. Clean and place in a baking dish with just enough water to cover the bottom of the baking dish.  Cover with aluminum foil and place in hot oven for 20 min. ( This keeps the bell peppers tender but still firm.  If you like a very soft pepper, add 20 min)

Prepare rice.

In a large skillet, cook ground chuck or beef making sure to mince the meat as it cooks.  Add garlic, onion, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Once everything is cooked well together reduce heat to low and add rice and tomato sauce.  Add more salt and pepper to taste if necessary.  Scoop mixture into peppers and top with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and return to oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and top with shredded cheese blend and parsley and return to oven for 5 more minutes.  Feeds 4 to 8.  Serve with garlic bread

Heather's Monday Meatloaf with Balsamic Reduction

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour to 1 hour 20 min

Ingredients:

2 pounds Ground 80/20 chuck or beef

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup bread crumbs

3 tbs A1 sauce

2 tbs Soy Sauce

2 tsp each Salt and Pepper

1 Green Pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tbs oil

1 small can Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbs Brown Sugar

Balsamic Reduction:

In small sauce pan add 1/4 cup balsmic, 1/4 cup tomato sauce and brown sugar. (If you don't have very much tomato sauce left, add in some ketchup to equal 1/4 cup) Cook on Medium heat until reduced by half.

Preheat oven to 375 F

In a large bowl, mix well ground chuck or beef, egg, milk, bread crumbs, A1, soy sauce, salt and pepper

In a skillet, heat oil to med-high and add chopped onion and green pepper and cook until tender and translucent.  Allow to cool slightly and add to mixture.

Spray an 8 1/2 by 41/2 loaf pan with cooking spray.  Add meatloaf mixture to pan and press into loaf, pressing an indent down the middle with the side of your hand.  Pour some of the tomato sauce into the indent.  Place pan on a baking sheet and onto the center rack of the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 min or until internal temp reaches 160 F. ( I sometimes will divide this into 2 smaller meatloafs and cook for about 45 min to an hour)

Remove and let rest 10 min. Remove from pan if you don't want any fat to be absorbed back into the meatloaf.  Leave it in if you want some of the fat flavor absorbed back in. Slice and top with balsamic reduction. Feeds about 6.  Serve with Sweet Peas and Mashed Potatoes. ( See my recipe for Heather's Homemade Mashed Potatoes)

Heather's Spicy Cheddar Cilantro Turkey Burgers with Sriracha Mayo

Makes 4 Burgers

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound Ground Turkey Meat

1/2 onion, chopped small

2 cloves Garlic, chopped/minced

1 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped small

2 tbs chopped Ciliantro

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

3 tbs Soy Sauce

1 tsp Salt or Seasoned Salt

1 tsp Pepper

4 slices Pepper Jack Cheese

Sriracha Mayo:

1/4 cup Mayo

2 tbs Sriracha Chili Sauce (you can alter this amount to your heat preference, this amount is pretty spicy)

To build your burger:

4 Onion Rolls

Fresh Spinach

Campari Tomato

Whole Sliced Red Onion

Fresh Sprigs of Cliantro

In a large bowl mix together turkey meat, chopped onion, garlic jalapeno and cilantro, cheddar cheese, soy sauce, salt and pepper.  Portion out 4 equal sections and roll into large meatballs.  

Heat a large skillet to Med-High and spray with cooking oil.  Place all 4 meatballs into skillet, flattening slightly with the palm of your hand.  Allow to cook for 5 to 7minutes, then flip and flatten slightly with spatula and cook 5 to 7 more minutes.  This should just cook the meat through and leave the burgers juicy. Of course, this all depends on the size you make your burgers, the heat you choose to cook the burgers and the type of frying pan you use.  This time is based on 4 large patties cooked on med-high heat on a cast iron skillet.

Mix together mayo and sriracha chili sauce and place aside.

Once burgers are finished cooking, top each one with a slice of pepper jack cheese and cover with lid for about 30 seconds to 1 minute then remove from heat. 

Spread sriracha mayo on the both the insides of each bun and layer with fresh spinach, onion and tomato. Place burger on then top with fresh cilantro. Enjoy with Sweet Potato Fries.

Heather's Bangin Brown Sugar Pork Marinade

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup oil

3 tbs Balsamic Vinegar

3 tbs Soy Sauce

2 tbs brown mustard

2 tbs honey

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper

1 tbs parsley

2 tbs minced garlic

Mix all ingredients together and pour over meat and let marinade 1 to 4 hours in fridge.

This marinade taste best on pork chops and pork loin, my family request it all the time.

Omit the brown sugar and it is especially great on steak and chicken. 

Heather's Homemade Fragrant Chicken Stock

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 6 to 8 hours minimum.  This is an ALL DAY recipe.  If you do not have the time to spend at least a day preparing, cooking and storing this stock, I suggest putting it off until you have the time to do so.  Rushing homemade stock will result in bland flavor and less productive cooking with the stock.

Ingredients:
The leftover Chicken Carcass from roasted Chicken ( see my recipe for Sunday Roasted Chicken)

2 medium to large Carrots, chopped

3 to 4 stalks of celery, chopped

1 large yellow or white onion, halved

1 large sprig of Rosemary

3 cloves of garlic

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

Place chicken carcass in a large stock pot along with remaining lemon, rosemary and garlic from roasting.  Add enough water to just cover the carcass and bring to a rapid boil.  ( you may add as much water as you want but note that it will need to simmer much longer and may need extra ingredients) 

Add chopped carrots, celery, halved onion, rosemary sprig, garlic, salt and pepper.  Cover and allow to boil on high heat for about 30 to 45 minutes

Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for at least 6 to 8 hours.  You can allow stock to simmer as long as you like, the longer it simmers, the better the flavor of your stock.  Once stock is finished, strain out and discard all ingredients.

Stock can be stored in refrigerator in plastic or glass containers for a week or so, considering its kept in the back and in tight containers, however, the fat on the broth that will float to the top will act as an air tight seal and can be stored for up to 6 months in the refrigerator as long as the fat has formed a seal and it is kept in an air tight glass jar.  When using stock out of the refrigerator, keep the fat layer for another jar of stock, or use to fry meats, potatoes or other vegetables with.  

Store stock in the freezer in 1 to 2 cup portions in air tight containers for 4 to 6 months. You can also freeze stock in ice cube trays for an easy way to saute vegetables or meats or to add to soups or bases. Simply pour your stock into your choice of ice cube tray and once frozen, remove and place in freezer bags or freezer containers for up to 4 to 6 months.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

You will need:

3 ½ cups tomato sauce
3 cups chicken stock/broth
3 green bell peppers, diced (Set aside ¼ cup for garnish)
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup diced tomato
1 ½ pounds 80/20 ground chuck
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon each salt and pepper
Season salt of your choice
3 tablespoons chopped parsley 
3 cups cooked rice (I use parboiled)

In a large quart pan, add tomato sauce, chicken stock, sun dried and diced tomatoes and turn on medium heat, and let simmer.

In a large skillet or frying pan, brown ground chuck and drain. Return to heat and add season salt to taste, I use about 1 tablespoon, diced green pepper, diced onion and garlic and cook together until pepper and onion are tender and add to soup along with the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer 1 to 2 hours on low heat and covered. Note: The longer you let simmer the better the flavor will be.

Prepare rice about 30 min before soup is ready. Ladal soup into bowls and top with ¼ cup rice. Garnish with chopped green pepper and/or fresh herbs of your choice. Feeds 8, 4 if everyone gets 2nds

Note: I used my homemade stock and prepared my own diced tomatoes from fresh cherry tomatoes I bought at my local farmer's market.  While this soup will still taste amazing with canned ingredients, using the homemade stock (see my recipe for Heather's Homemade Fragrant Chicken Stock) and preparing the fresh diced tomatoes really made this soup delicious.  This recipe can also be made vegetarian by substituting for vegetable broth and tofu, or just eliminating the ground chuck. 

Sunday Roasted Chicken

Prep time : 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour to 1 hour and a half

Ingredients:

1, 5 pound, whole chicken

2 lemons, 1 halved and 1 quartered

1 - 3 sprigs fresh Rosemary

4 cloves fresh Garlic, plus 3 more chopped

4 Tbsp Salted Butter

Salt 

Pepper

1 to 2 cups Chicken Stock or Broth

Preheat oven to 425 F and heat chicken stock or broth on low heat in small pot. Do not turn off heat.

Prepare chicken by cleaning and removing any innards.  Place the 2 pieces of halved lemon, 4 whole garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary inside the chicken cavity and tie legs together. This is important to insure the chicken stays moist and juicy and better allows the lemon, garlic and rosemary to flavor the chicken. Season all sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a cast iron Dutch Oven or a large,

deep skillet (cast iron will render the best results and flavor) to med-high heat, then place in butter and 3 chopped garlic cloves until butter is melted.  Brown top and bottom of chicken then add quartered lemon in the bottom of the skillet.  Place in oven and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and a half, turning chicken clockwise and basting with warmed stock and drippings in bottom of skillet every 15 minutes. This is also very important to have an even roast and moist chicken. Once chicken reaches 165 F, take out of oven and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the juices to sink back into the meat for a tender, juicy roasted chicken.  Carve and serve with wild rice and garlic string beans. Enjoy!

Important!! Do Not Throw Away Chicken Carcass or Lemon, Garlic and Rosemary used for Roasting! You will need this to make Homemade Chicken Stock (See my recipe for Heather's Homemade Fragrant Chicken Stock)