Stuffed Bell Peppers

It's been awhile, blog-land.

I didn't mean to take a break from posting, but 2017 was pretty ho-hum.  No big house projects.  No vacations.  Nothing really noteworthy.

Now here I am with my fifth snow day of 2018, and I have the hankering to write again.  Mainly for the purpose of remembering a concoction I made last night.  (But maybe a little grading avoidance too.)

Anyway, after pouring over three different recipes for stuffed bell peppers, I decided to make my own version.  And we loved them.......so in order to duplicate them in the future.......here I am....

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

1 lb of ground turkey

1 can of red enchilada sauce

1/2 cup green salsa

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup of black beans ~ drained

1/2 cup of thawed frozen corn

1 pouch of Uncle Ben's Santa Fe Whole Grain Rice Medley

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 to 2 cups of grated cheese 

3 to 4 bell peppers

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown and drain the ground turkey.  Return the ground turkey to the skillet and stir in the red enchilada sauce, green salsa, cumin, and chili powder.  Once combined stir in the black beans, corn, rice, and cilantro.  Simmer for five minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese, saving some for topping.  Prep the peppers by removing the stems and seeds.  Fill peppers to with mixture and top with cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

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There.  Done.  Return to random blogging complete.  Now I can make these again without straining my brain or forgetting ingredients.

And maybe I'll continue to update this little corner of the internet.  I did get new curtains.  And there is a bedroom makeover in the works. 

We shall see.

Until then, find me on Instagram, which I never abandon for long. 

Chicken Vegetable Pesto Tortellini

Instagram is my favorite of all the social media outlets.  There is such a sense of community on Instagram.  You truly build relationships with people!  Mostly because you find folks with similar interests.  You banter and share!  You become friends. You meet in real life!  I love it!

But this post isn't just about Instagram.  It's also about food!

A friend posted a photo of her dinner on Instagram, and I just had to have the recipe!  Next thing you know, I'm getting all domestic.  Thank you, Bethany!!!

Chicken Vegetable Pesto Tortellini 

(via @bethanyscullawl)

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

16 oz package of frozen cheese tortellini

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 clove of pressed garlic

1 teas. Italian seasoning

1/3 cup of sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup of chopped zucchini 

1/2 cup of chopped squash 

1/3 cup of diced red pepper 

1/3 cup of cream cheese

jar of pesto

shredded mozzarella

Slice the raw chicken breasts into thin, bite size strips.  Sear the chicken in olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning over medium heat.

Begin cooking the tortellini as directed on the package.  Set aside.

When the chicken is almost cooked through, add all of the vegetables.  Saute the veggies as the chicken finishes cooking.  Add the cream cheese, stirring often, so it coats the veggies and chicken.

Plate a serving of tortellini.  Add a serving of chicken and veggies on top of the tortellini.  If desired, drizzle pesto over everything and sprinkle with mozzarella!

This will result in about four servings.  It would be very easy to adjust amounts to increase servings.  Oh, and it is very good leftover!!!

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Moral of the story, Instagram is the best for lots of reasons.  Thanks again, Bethany for sharing!  

Linking up with:  

Cranberry Pork Loin (crock pot style)

Missouri seasons are fickle.  If you don't like the weather, just wait a day or two.  We go from beautiful summer skies to days of rain.  Temps in the 90's to 75 degrees.  Swimsuits to cardigans.

Right now, we are in the middle of quite a few days of rain.  Cardigan weather.  Because 75 degrees is chilly!

And all of that has me dragging out the crock pot.

I love a good crock pot recipe, and boy did I find one!  (Thank you Pinterest!)  This recipe combines some unexpected ingredients that I never would have paired together........

Pork loin doused in cranberries?  YES!  ALL THE YESES!  I've made it twice in the last few weeks.  And you should too.......

Cranberry Pork Loin

(original source:  Julie's Eats and Treats)

3 lb pork loin

14 oz can of jellied cranberry sauce

1/2 cup of cranberry juice

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teas. mustard

1/2 teas. ground cloves

2 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. water

In a medium bowl, combine the jellied cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, sugar, mustard, and cloves.  Put the pork loin in a large crock pot, and pour the cranberry mixture over the loin.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  

Remove loin from crock pot.  It should shred easily, if it's done.  Set aside.....

Pour all the liquid from the crock pot in a saucepan.  Bring liquid to a boil over medium heat.  While you are waiting for it to boil, combine the water and cornstarch in a separate bowl.  Add to the liquid once it's boiling.  Stir until the liquid thickens.  It will serve as the gravy!

Whip up some mashed potatoes as a side, and cover everything with the gravy......

Unexpected taste explosion.  The leftovers are great too.

So, if you are also experiencing fall-in-the-summer, drag out the crock pot for this easy, tasty dinner!  Then come back and tell me how much you loved it!

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Homemade Waffles

The first official snow day of the school year is finally here!  It's safe to say that there's nothing better than a big breakfast made at leisure on a cold, snowy morning.

Last year's approximate 15 snow days forced me to be resourceful.  I would always try to prepare for snowpocalyptic forecasts, but sometimes, those days caught me off guard.

And that's where this recipe comes in handy.  All the ingredients are pantry staples!  I can guarantee that everything on this list of ingredients is probably in your house on the regular!  So handy on that surprise snow day!  Not to mention, healthier than a prepackaged mix too!

Homemade Waffles

(recipe source)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp granulated sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1 stick of melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

Prepare your waffle iron by preheating and greasing.  In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla, milk, and melted butter to eggs and stir.  Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients.  Mix until smooth.  Follow directions for your waffle iron regarding batter amount and cook time!  Top with syrup and butter.  Makes 4 to 6 waffles!

*These freeze like a dream!  I break them into fourths before freezing because the pieces fit in my toaster perfectly!  They toast beautifully too!  And I love the leftovers because they don't taste like leftovers!

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Now, what to do with the rest of my snow day.....

Stay in pajamas?  

Linking up with:  A Peek Into My Paradise

Butterfinger Brownies

I am all about quick and easy desserts!  I mean, I love baking cookies or muffins, but sometimes that just seems like too much work.  On occasion, I want little effort and minimal clean up.  Like on a school night.

I sound so lame.

On a school night.

But seriously.

Anyway.

Pinterest to the rescue again!  Who knew chopping up a Butterfinger candy bar and adding it to a brownie mix could result in a perfect quick go-to dessert?

So brilliant!  So simple!  

Butterfinger Brownies
(original source)

1 box of brownie mix (16 to 22 oz.)*
2 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 oz.)

*You will also need the ingredients the brownie mix calls for.

Follow directions on brownie packaging for preheating the oven, greasing the pan, and mixing the brownie batter.  Chop the Butterfinger bars and stir into batter.  Pour batter into pan, and bake as directed on packaging!  Cool completely before cutting!

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Quick to make.  Easy to clean up.  So tasty.  I bet other candy bars would work too! 

Snickers will be my next experiment......

Linking up with:   The Chicken Chick, Inspire Me Please and....

Cream Cheese Pesto Spread

Ever need a quick, easy, go-to appetizer for parties?

I've got you covered.

This recipe fits the bill.  It is SO tasty.  And it makes for a pretty presentation..........

 Cream Cheese Pesto Spread

(original source)

8 oz. package of cream cheese
1/4 cup of pesto
1/4 cup of mozzarella
1 small tomato, diced
Triscuits or French bread

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking dish with foil.  Place the brick of cream cheese in the center of the foil.  Top with pesto, mozzarella, and tomato.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted (but the cream cheese is still holding its shape).  Carefully transfer the spread, keeping it in the foil, to a platter.  On the platter, surround foil with crackers or slices of French bread!  It will spread easily with a butter knife. 

*My scalloped bread was made by baking refrigerated French bread dough in a Pampered Chef bread tube. 

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A friend introduced me to this recipe years ago, and it has been a party staple ever since.  It can be thrown together in NO TIME!  Clean up is minimal!  

And I can promise you, there won't be any leftover.

Linking up with:   The Chicken Chick, Inspire Me Please and....

Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos

I love cilantro.  I love lime.  So putting the two together is even better.

I'm no stranger to that combo.  My cilantro-lime chicken tacos are a regular around here.  We love to stuff peppers with a cilantro-lime mixture too.

What I had never tried making is fish tacos.  But after ordering the most delicious fish tacos ever at a restaurant, I knew I needed to try them at home. 

Another food experiment that worked........with credit going to my friend Schlager for the fajita seasoning idea........

Cilantro Lime Tilapia Tacos

4 tilapia filets (about 3 to 4 oz. each)

1 packet of fajita seasoning

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 limes
corn tortillas

To garnish:

shredded red cabbage

chopped cilantro
avocado slices

feta cheese

Warm a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour the fajita seasoning on a plate (or in a Ziploc bag).  Coat the tilapia on both sides with the fajita seasoning.  Cook the tilapia for about 3 to 4 minutes.  Squirt the juice of one lime onto the fish while cooking.  Flip filets and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes.  The fish should flake easily when done.  In the skillet, use a spatula to separate the filets into smaller strips for serving (roughly four strips per filet).

Prepare the corn tortillas as directed on packaging.  Divide the remaining lime into wedges for garnishing.  Top fish with shredded red cabbage, chopped cilantro, feta cheese, avocado slices, and another squirt of lime.  

Makes 4 to 6 tacos, depending on how much fish you add to each taco.

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Since the maiden-cilantro-lime-tilapia-voyage, we've added them to our summer rotation and made them at least two more times!  

You could probably even cook the fish on a grill!  

Maybe we'll try that next time!

Linking up with:   The Chicken Chick, Inspire Me Please and....

Recently (via Instagram)

May is a good month.

It's my birthday month.  It's our anniversary month.  And usually, school dismisses for the summer.

But I'll be working for another week or so.  Lots of snow this winter and an unforeseen boil order pushed our dismissal date well into June.

Gizzy fainted over the news..........

It's all good though.  The weather has been quite damp, so that lessens the blow.........

My Wal-Mart boots have been very handy lately.  (Not that I wouldn't mind a pair of Clementine Hunters.)

When the weather has cooperated, however, I've been taking advantage of it.........

Shouldn't everyone hit up the lake on Memorial Day?

And shouldn't everyone creep on their friend's porch during a lunch break? 

Then post it on Instagram for her to find?

(Yes!) 

(It's very fun.)

What else is fun?  Jumping on bandwagons.  I'm not much for that typically, but this one had me completely intrigued..........

Because migraines.

I've tried so many things.........acupuncture and massage therapy...........and nothing has worked.

I'm optimistic.

And also curious if anyone else has had success with oils for migraines.  Please share!

With seven more days of school left, I might need your suggestions.

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Follow me on Instagram @thisvintagegrove!!

Linking up with......High Five for Friday, Friday Favorites, and Insta-Friday.

Recently......

Around here, I've gone from snow days to spring break to back to the grind.  And in the middle of all of that, I've done a little bit of everything........like finding this vintage kilim purse......

It's perfect.  It's roomy.  It's surprisingly functional.  The colors.

I could go wild at the shop where I found it. 

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Had the ladies over for the Bachelor finale.......

Best After the Final Rose episode e.v.e.r.

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Found a perfect vintage chenille rug for the laundry room.......

Sir Chester likes to lay on it while I get ready every morning.

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Tried my hand at making homemade waffles.........

How have I owned a waffle maker for ten years and not used it til now?

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Went succulent shopping.........

I've killed all previously purchased succulents. 

I keep buying them anyway.

Surely one day I'll get the hang of it?

Instagram Roundup

Recently: 

The mister did a great job surprising me on Valentine's Day.....

Some of my favorites:  SanPellegrino, the new spring Escada scent and flowers.  

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Speaking of the mister, we've been together ten whole years!  This was our very first photo ever.......

This deserved to be revived for #tbt.  I mean, he used to wear earrings. 

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The car got a good washing on a warm day!  The mister cleaned all the winter grime off as the pups basked in the sun and watched.....

(While I probably should have been cleaning the grime off the front door.  WHOA!)

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But I was too busy baking.........

I made my favorite red velvet cookies for work.  Work ate them all.

Which is good, because I still have a sleeve of thin mints laying around here.

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Finally, some thrifting went down.......

This all went to the booth.  Even though I wanted to keep every last item.

I may be making small strides in my "no hoarding" resolution.

Baby steps.

Although parting with that end table was more like one giant leap for mankind.

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Follow me on Instagram @thisvintagegrove!!

Linking up with......High Five for Friday, Friday Favorites, and Insta-Friday.

Lately (via Instagram)

This week:

I finally spent some Christmas money and got this beautiful vintage Turkish kilim bag.....

I spent a little more money when I found the elusive middle bowls that would complete my Pyrex Butterprint set........

I made gnocchi soup for the first time and fell in love.  Keeper recipe.........

I also fell in love with a project the art teacher did with my class............

And I maybe ate a whole sleeve of thin mints after they were delivered......

But isn't that why they sell them just once a year? 

So you can gorge yourself silly? 

In order to brighten up a harsh winter?

(I know you agree.)

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Follow me on Instagram @thisvintagegrove!!

Linking up with......High Five for Friday, Friday Favorites, and Insta-Friday.

White Chicken Chili

Southwest Missouri was hit with some winter weather this last week.  And I got my first snow day of the school year!  Yippppeeeee!!!!

There's something about a snow day that makes me want to cook.  Specifically, warm comfort food. Like soup!

A favorite around here is white chicken chili.

I first tried this at a school food day and begged for the recipe.  It's been on rotation at home ever since.

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
(via Andrea Prevo and her old Methodist Cookbook)

2 1/2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken

2 (15 oz.) cans of Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth

2 (4 oz.) cans of chopped green chilies

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup of sour cream

1/2 cups of whipping cream

shredded cheese

tortilla chips

In a large pot, add shredded chicken, beans (drained and rinsed), broth, green chilies and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  Stir in sour cream and whipping cream until well blended.  Simmer for about five more minutes, stirring often.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top, and serve with a side of tortilla chips!  Makes about 6 servings  (depending on serving size).

*I've even frozen the soup before........it's thaws perfectly!!!

*I've adapted this recipe from the original just a tad.  See the original HERE (in a photo).

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Perfect for those cold winter nights.

And speaking of cold winter nights, I'm looking at my second snow day tomorrow!!!!!

I feel some baking come on......

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Linking up with:   The Chicken Chick and....

Quesadilla Pie

I haven't posted a recipe in quite some time.

Maybe because in the summer, I'm less apt to experiment in the kitchen, which makes absolutely no sense, since I have two months off.

It's just how I operate.  When I'm off, I embrace all parts of being off.

Now that school is back in session, I am motivated to get into routine.  That means my version of menu planning begins:  Pick a few recipes for the week that will yield a night or two of leftovers.

This last week a new Pinterest find was on the menu.  And it will continue to make the rotation as it was insane.  Insanely tasty......

Quesadilla Pie

(adapted from original source)

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles 

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

1 medium tomato, chopped
1 can (10 oz) green chile enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2/3 cup of salsa verde
1/2 pound ground beef
2 teas. cumin
4 flour tortillas
sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spray a 9 inch pie dish with cooking spray.  Brown hamburger and drain.  Mix the cumin with the hamburger in a large bowl.  Add the drained black beans, green chiles, 1/4 cup cilantro, green enchilada sauce, pepper jack cheese, and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese to the hamburger and mix well.  Spread 1/3 cup of the salsa verde to the bottom of the pie plate.  Lay a tortilla on top.  Layer a 1/3 of the hamburger mixture over the tortilla.  Top this layer with a tortilla.  Repeat layering of salsa and hamburger mixture twice to make three layers.  Add the remaining tortilla on top and cover with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove and top with remaining cheddar cheese, then bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes without the foil.  Garnish with remaining cilantro and chopped tomatoes.  Serve with a side of sour cream, tortilla chips, and additional salsa verde.

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We absolutely loved this dish.  It was even great leftover the next night.  It's a keeper. 

And since I was attempting to menu plan, I decided to make cilantro lime chicken tacos a few days later to use up some of the remaining ingredients from this recipe.  

Thrifty right? 

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Linking up with:   This Gal Cooks, Six Sisters' Stuff, Pin It Monday,

Addicted to Recipes, A Pinteresting Party, Anything & Everything

 

Mom's Homemade Biscuits

As a child my favorite dinner was my mom's biscuits and gravy.

I actually could have gone without the gravy and just had biscuit after biscuit (with honey or molasses).  But mom wouldn't let me.  I "needed some protein". 

Whatever.

Anyway.

I'm not sure why it took me so long to ask mom for the recipe, but I finally did.  And since it was stored in her head, I thought it would be best for her to walk me through it while she wrote it down.

So I got some quality mom time in while learning to make her biscuits.  And I have her handwritten recipe to keep forever.

Mom's Homemade Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick of cold butter
1 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Using a butter knife, cut the stick of butter into pat-sized slices (the butter should not be softened) into a medium sized bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the bowl.  Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture.  Slowly add the milk and mix.  If it ends up being too wet or very sticky, add a bit more flour.  Next, spread flour onto your counter.  Knead the dough very lightly (to keep biscuits fluffy).  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough til it's about 3/4" thick.  Cut out the biscuits using a round cookie cutter, and put them on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  They can touch but it is not necessary.  (I use every last bit of dough.)  Bake until the tops are golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.  Makes about one dozen ~ depending on the size of cutter you use.  Also, the larger the cutter, the flatter the biscuits.

*   *   *   *

Now you might be asking, "WHY?"  When canned biscuits are cheap and quick.

They are heavenly.  Soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.  And really, they don't take long at all to whip up!

The mister even approved! 

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Linking up with:   This Gal Cooks, Six Sisters' Stuff, Pin It Monday,

Addicted to Recipes, A Pinteresting Party, Anything & Everything