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. 

Lately (on Instagram)

As usual, in the land of Instagram, I captured some randomness from this week.

Like....airplanes on a dock......

And he didn't toss me into the lake afterward (as I had expected).

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Another item got checked off my summer list........

Mom taught me how to make her homemade biscuits.

Next up, her perfect pie crust!

*   *   *   *

I did try cleaning the special room a bit.  And discovered that I have way too many vintage dresses.......

Should "way too many" ever be associated with vintage dresses?  

Only when you don't have closet space for them.

*   *   *   *

I got flowers from my mama and a frapp from the mister on the same day!

 

For no reason, they said!  

(I was skeptical too!)

 *   *   *   *

In an attempt to drink more water, I fancied it up.......

I heard cucumbers made water more tasty.  Crisp.  I thought using a vintage pitcher might help too.

And guess what?  I drank the whole thing.  Then I bought more cucumbers.

Am I turning into a water drinker?

My New Year's Resolution will be happy!

Now if there was a magical trick to get me into running......

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Follow me on Instagram @thisvintagegrove!!

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

This Week (in Instagram)

This recap takes me all the way back to last Friday........to the annual garage sale.......where Nancy and I showed up in matching shirts........

We love our Kelly. 

And yes, someone did buy the Christmas tree.

*   *   *   *

We attended a fun little gathering Sunday evening.........

And while there was a fire, we didn't make S'mores.  

Why?

Because I got busy in the kitchen earlier that day and made Baked S'mores (no fire necessary)......

These are so good.  Simple recipe too.  One I'll put on repeat for sure.

*   *   *   *

Public Service Announcement:  Steak 'n Shake has red velvet milkshakes right now........

Being too lazy to make dinner the other night led to this realization.

See the benefits of being lazy?

You should probably go try one.  (They have salted caramel too.)

*   *   *   *

When your parents tell you that their neighbor is getting rid of some things, you check it out.........

And then they tell you it's all free.

Free.  Vintage.  Plant stand.  

Forget the booth.

Get on my porch!

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Follow me on Instagram @thisvintagegrove!!

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

Another recipe you should make....

I love easy recipes.  Those requiring little effort and minimal clean up.  And those that are pretty on a plate.

For some reason, seeing an actual picture of a dish inspires me to make it.  Because before Pinterest, I wasn't too experimental in the entree department.

But now, when the caption "crock pot" pops up underneath a pretty food photo, I'm sold.

That's what happened when I saw that pork roast recipe:  pinned it, made it, loved it.

Then I discovered another recipe, a few days later, that required some of the same ingredients.

That's being thrifty, right?  Using what you have on hand??

Just another reason I had to pin and make this easy chicken dish...

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken 

(copied directly from original source)

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 5

Salt and pepper

1 cup of honey

1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cornstarch

Sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Place the chicken thighs in the crockpot insert and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine well. Pour over the chicken in the crockpot.
3. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours.
4. When done, remove chicken from crockpot and cut into chunks. Prior to putting the chicken back in the crockpot, combine some cornstarch in water and whisk it into the crockpot to thicken up the sauce a bit. Throw the chicken back in and stir around to recoat the chicken in the sauce.
5. Serve hot over a bed of white rice (optional) and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

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It's a keeper.  Because it met all of my requirements:  easy to prepare and clean up, pretty on a plate, and it'll make your house smell great.

Serving this up felt very restauranty.  Like I transferred it from a take-out container almost.  

Maybe it was the sesame seeds.  

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Linking up with: 

You should make this...

....even though my picture may have you scrunching up your nose in disgust.

I am not a photographer.

But I can serve up a mean pork roast.

Who knew!?

I never buy pork roast.  However, Pinterest has inspired me to make and try things I never have attempted before.

And then there's the whole crock-pot obsession.  If a crock-pot is involved, I'm pretty much in.

Anyway.

This recipe is a keeper, as the mister loved it.  Leftovers were tasty too.  It took maybe ten minutes to prepare, then I walked away until it was time to serve it up.  And the house smelled great all day long.

*   *   *   *

Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

(copied straight from the original source)

Ingredients:

1 (2-3 pound) boneless pork roast
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.  Place roast in slow cooker.  In a small bowl, combine the cheese, honey, soy sauce, basil, garlic, oil and salt; pour over pork.  Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm.  To make the gravy, skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan.  Bring liquid to a boil.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth.  Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Slice roast; serve with gravy.

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I served this with mashed potatoes (like the source suggested).  The next night, I heated up the leftovers alongside baked potatoes.  

I will admit to a mishap with the gravy.  I completely scorched the first batch.  Luckily, there were plenty of drippings to do a take two.  And it was worth it....

So go buy a pork roast.

Do it.

Then, because you'll have soy sauce and honey on hand, make Crock-pot Honey Sesame Chicken. 

Yeah, do that too.

But maybe on a different day.

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Linking up with....

eeeekk, an update, and a recipe

The eeeekk....

The Vanilla Tulip is featuring my blog this weekend, since I'm a new sponsor!  She posted a short little bio that (I hope) sums up the essence of This Vintage Grove.  It's like seeing my name in big, shiny lights.  I'm sorta giddy.

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The update.... 

Do you remember the ironing board cover giveaway?  Prepare yourself for the unveiling.....

After hitting up two stores for the perfect fabric, Schlager whipped it up yesterday!  Cathy, we hope you love it.  You will receive it this week!

If you wanna know how to d.i.y. head over to Spray Paint and a Staple Gun!!

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The recipe....

And lastly, for all of you who are searching the world over for the perfect pumpkin muffin....

I've found it (via Pinterest).

After trying four different recipes, this one is IT. 

Maybe it's the streusel.

Could be the cream cheese filling.

Recipe!!!

Cute muffin liners never hurt either.

Pumpkin should be enjoyed year round people.

Sometimes...

.....it is just a fish stick kind of night.

And I think they should always be kept on hand for evenings such as these.

I mean, I love trying out all those Pinterest inspired recipes.

But, on occasion, we all need to just preheat the oven, flop some fish sticks on a cookie sheet, and whip up a side of mac & cheese.....

And why it always mac & cheese?

For me, it was a staple as a child.  Fish sticks, mac & cheese, and peas.  That goes for the mister too.

Only the mister has banned peas.

I like peas, but I honor his no peas wishes.

I also honor his strange dipping sauce choice.  Ketchup is the only option for me.  The mister, however, coats his in mayo.....

Gross.

Buuuuut I guess if he doesn't mind the occasional fish stick dinner, then I don't mind the mayo.

Recently I....

....made another Pinterest recipe (that mom had been begging me to try too).  Crockpot Italian Chicken.  Boy howdy, it was tasty.  A keeper, fo sho.....

....stopped by our new (and only) Hy-vee.  I do not rush out to new stores.  It is against everything I believe in.  So I waited until the hype died down and parking was more plentiful.  Shrug.  It's cool, I guess.  Tasty coffee, while you're shopping, at least.  And I had a good cart.  Usually, I get the not-willing-to-turn-or-even-go-straight-cart.  But this cart glided along nicely...... 

....piled up all the books in my possession that I haven't read.  EEEEK!  I counted four.  Three of which are borrowed.  DOUBLE EEEEK!  I just need a good snow day or Christmas break to roll around......

....took stock of all my decluttering.  My 30 days are almost up.  I'm proud to say that I've definitely rid myself of 90 items.  The house is so clean, since I started.  Annnnnnd the special room has a walkway.  This.  Is.  Big.  People......

....got a new ironing board cover.  Handmade by Schlager!!!  Check out her tutorial!  I may have freaked out over her new cover, and she graciously volunteered to make one for me!  I picked out my fabric, and she whipped that baby up in no time.  What.  A.  Lovely.  Friend......

....have been listening to this Christmas song non-stop.  I have a major girl crush on Zooey.  Oh, that voice....

A Domestic Escapade Failure

You all know about my addiction to Starbucks. 

My addiction gets more expensive during the fall.  Because Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back.  And they are way more pricey than my regular vanilla latte.

So in an attempt to be thrifty today, I thought I'd try a recipe from Pinterest said by Sarah to be a pretty good knockoff.

I really wanted to like it.  I even put it in a Starbucks mug to make it feel legit.

But after a few sips, down the drain it went.

Did I go wrong when I used frozen pumpkin that I'd defrosted?  Did I not add enough coffee?

I don't know.

What I do know is that I just should have tried Sarah's first.

Something else I know is that my mister is great.  He felt so bad about the fail that he offered to take me for a Starbucks run afterward.

And you know I said yes.

Weekends are good!

Here is why...........

1.  You can go roller skating...........

I can't even explain the flood of memories

that came rushing back upon walking 

through those doors Saturday night.  The smell

of the lobby, the snack bar, the disco lights.  

And neither of us fell.

*   *   *   *

2.  You can celebrate birthdays.....

And what better way than to give the cutest 

two year old niece ever her first Cabbage Patch!

*   *   *   *

3.  You can zipline for the first time.........

  

Thanks to a half price dealio on Groupon.  We had

a great time and will definitely go again.  We had a 

wonderful experience at Adventure Ziplines of Branson.

*   *   *   *

4.  You can bake some tasty muffins from scratch.....

Found on Pinterest, these Snickerdoodle Muffins

were a big hit.  Even the mister, who is a hater of all 

things snickerdoodly, loved them.

*   *   *   *

Why can't the weekend last all week?

Pinterest & A Public Service Annoucement

I'm still as addicted to Pinterest as I was a few months ago.

At first, I couldn't get enough of the home decor ideas that flooded the screen in front of me.  But then I discovered recipes.  Ohhhh the recipes.

Pictures of red velvet this and pumpkin that.

After making a few desserts, I graduated into entree territory.  For some reason, Pinterest had me actually wanting to cook.  And I don't mean Hamburger Helper (which I love.....tsk tsk tsk......no judging).

So far I've been thrilled with all the recipes I've tried!  The mister has been too!  He especially loved a Chicken Enchilada Pasta dish, and he even ate the leftovers.  We also liked a White Chicken Enchilada recipe.

But his favorite of my escapades was probably the Jalapeno Poppers, which he didn't even eat.  No, he doesn't like jalapenos.  He just likes terrorizing me when I'm clumsy or forgetful.

While making the poppers, I sort of forgot that I'd handled jalapenos.  And I guess I must have touched my face.  Because all of a sudden, I was aflame!  Random spots on my face were stinging.  It was the worst burning sensation you can imagine. 

Washing my face didn't work.  I had to resort to Google.  And in my search, I read that milk was a great remedy for jalapeno burns.  So, a plate of milk was served up.  And face first I went.

Being in such a vulnerable state left me defenseless against the mister, who was snapping photo after photo of this horrifying event......

So let this be a lesson.  Upon touching jalapenos, wash your hands in soapy water prior to touching your face.  Or earlobe.

But if you forget, remember the tale of the terrorized wife, and pray you have a jug of milk.

A Keeper

Remember this.......

It's my turn to host again tonight!  And what good is a hostess without tasty treats? 

Fear not!

This hostess just made the best brownies, and she'd like to sing it from the mountaintop. 

Or just blog about it. 

But not in third person.

Anyway, remember that whole Pinterest thing I mentioned awhile back?  It's good for many things.  Like finding recipes.  And that's how I found the recipe for tonight's shindig......

Those, my friends, are Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies.  And they taste as good as they look!  I believe I have Casey to thank for finding them so I could repin them.  And make them.  And try not to eat them before all the girls get here.

This recipe is a keeper!

But who will be a keeper on tonight's show?

Hahahaha!!!!!!!

(I'm such a dork.)

What's for dinner?

Do you ever find yourself with no food in the house?

Well, guess what?  Your problem is solved!

I stumbled across a site that can produce a recipe based on what is in your cabinet.

My Fridge Food has a spot for you to click on things that you do have on hand (perishable to pantry items), and it produces recipes using only the ingredients you submitted.

I'm intrigued by it.

And I might be a little scared by it.

But overall, I think it sounds like a fun experiment! 

Not tonight though.

Tonight is a fish stick/mac-n-cheese night.  But not because my cupboards are empty.

I'm lazy.

For good reason though!  The MAP test (our state achievement test) began this week, and golly, it drains kids and teachers.  First of all, teachers have to be super prepared.

For instance, apparel during testing is of the utmost importance.  You need to be comfortable.  You should probably find a friend, and plan to wear something identical.  And it would just be better if the identical article of clothing was a shirt that said something like "#2 is #1, if you're a pencil."

Because you know you can't use mechanical pencils. 

And really, it's just funny.  Good ole test humor.  It lightens the mood.

Also, hula-ing at a MAP assembly really takes it out of ya.......

I was pretty much out of breath after our little number.

So, no food experiments tonight.

But I do need to coordinate next week's MAP outfits.

Be Impressed

I would never, by any stretch of the imagination, call myself thrifty.  Nor would any of my friends or family.  But the more I read about clipping coupons, the more I wanna be that girl.

I do already make homemade laundry detergent, so I figure I'm on the verge of a financial revolution when it comes to grocery store trips.  I even stumbled upon a recipe for dishwasher detergent, which I'm thinking about trying.

Recently, I also started hunting down the Sunday paper and have acquired a nice little stockpile of coupons.  So a few days ago, I decided to hit up the store to see what bargains could be had.  I went with no real goal in mind.  Just use coupons to get cheap stuff.  And I think I did pretty darn good!!  I got all this for just $10.83...........

The Hamburger Helper was on sale for $1.00 a box, and I had a .75 off coupon.  Four boxes ended up being $3.25.

Don't judge me for making Hamburger Helper for dinner.  Or Tuna Helper.  They are both quick and tasty.

So there.

Next came cereal.  I had two .50 coupons.  One for Chex and the other for Total.  Both were already on sale for $2.00 a box.  Pricecutter doubled those coupons, so I ended up with two boxes of cereal for $2.00.  $1.00 each!!!!

The Texas Toast was on sale for $2.50, and I had a doubled forty cent coupon for it......so that was $1.70.

I had coupons for those other items too!  They doubled all the coupons that were fifty cents or less.  So with sales and coupons, I got those nine items for $10.83.

I was feeling pretty smug about that purchase.  But I know there are techniques and tricks to the trade that I've never heard of.  So enlighten me, folks.  Tell me your secrets!!!

And just so you know, my "helper" dinners are for those nights that I'm lazy.

Tonight, however, I tackled our fave tilapia recipe with fresh green beans and new potatoes!

I was pretty much channeling Betty Crocker.

Love & Hate: Food Edition

LOVE:  White Chicken Chili

Yes, I realize we're on the edge of soup and chili season.  But with the recent snowfall and temps in the 30's, I figured it was still okay to whip up a batch.

This recipe hails all the way from Miami, Oklahoma and was shared by a coworker last year (hollaaaaa to Andrea Singer).  She graciously handed out the recipe, and I've been making it ever since.  It is soooo easy and even more tasty.

I did tweak the directions a bit to accommodate some issues I had, which I'll explain further in a moment.

And because I'm too lazy to type out the ingredients and such, you get a photo of the recipe instead:

Like I said, I did deviate from the directions a little because this recipe calls for two things I detest.......

*   *   *

HATE:  Onions and raw chicken

The only good kind of onion is a fried one.  In the shape of a ring.

All other onions can take a flying leap. 

I have hated onions since the beginning of time.  So much so, that as a child, I would try to separate them from whatever they were in.........hide them in a napkin........and try to flush the whole lot.

Onions are very good at floating.

I had to get more crafty after that incident.

Anyway, for this recipe, I omit the onion step, which leads me to raw chicken......

Raw chicken makes me gag.  I can barely touch it.  It's slimy.  There are yucky parts which need to be cut away.

Frozen chicken, which is cooked in a crockpot and not slimy, is how I roll.

But that adds a few hours to the process, so I thought I'd try canned chicken.  I was extremely unsure of this choice, until I actually opened a can.  It didn't look too suspicious.  It was all white meat.  I eat tuna from a can.  How was it that different?

Yes, this was better than sauteing chicken with onions.

So I took the leap with two cans of chicken and a few shakes of onion powder, and I've never looked back.  It tastes exactly the same as the original sample I'd gone crazy for.  Annnnnd it's quicker.  Easier too. 

Mom would tell me that onions add flavor.

Whatever.

Domestic Escapade

After seeing a recipe on a friend's blog recently, I knew I had to make a batch of these muffins myself.....

I love all things pumpkin.

And cream cheese.

So combining the two?

Rill tasty.

This will be a great departure from my normal breakfast of peanut butter and bananas (that I scrunch my face up at every single day when I choke it down and almost gag ~ like I'm being forced to eat cole slaw and liver at the same time).

Thank you again, Amanda!

A Fairytale Facelift

Once upon a time (in 2006) there was a very outdated kitchen. It was awful.........

Carpet on the floor.....

(and the surprise of linoleum underneath)

Saloon doors at the end......

(sorta liked those swinging doors, but they really
closed in the space and were always in the way)

Vintage laminate on the counter and backsplash......


A barely working stovetop and hood.......


Super old lighting........


And ugly brown cabinets with awful copper hardware.......


But along came a determined, new homeowner ready to tackle a project. Little did she know, it would take four years for the wave of her magic wand to work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In 2007, the floors underwent a transformation.

With the help of her trusty sidekick, the homeowner tiled her own kitchen.....


Upon tiling the kitchen, the refrigerator was banished to the living room.

Where it would stay.

For the next three years.

(look behind us......by the door)

Two years went by. The kitchen got put on the back burner (hehehe). Then in 2009, Bob the Builder came to the rescue. New counters and a tile backsplash were installed, along with a new hood and stovetop.


Things were looking up, but it still wasn't finished. One more project remained.

The cabinets.


So the painting began.

And abruptly ended.

Because school started, and the homeowner got busy.

Another year went by.

But finally, in the summer of 2010, with the help of Bob and his sprayer, the cabinets were painted and new hardware was attached.

And after three years of being banished from the kitchen, the frig made its way back to its original home.

(please ignore the skanky paneling/wallpaper remnants above
the dishwasher in the following photo......the upgrade of this area
is in the works.......big plans for that space......big plans)

The homeowner was overcome with happiness.

But after three weeks, she still found herself walking to the fireplace to retrieve things from the frig.

It had been there for three years, after all.

Today, she wishes she had a dollar for every time she walked toward the fireplace for milk. Or ketchup.

She could probably finance a laundry room remodel. Or at the very least, quite a few lattes at Starbucks.

She's also decided that writing an entry in 3rd person isn't for her.

And she probably won't do it again.

The End