Here’s what I’m excited about today!
I loooooooove Adele’s first album, 19, and 21 promises to kick it up a notch. I wish I had as much soul as this woman has in her little finger. Evidence below – I find it impossible NOT to dance whenever I hear this song, and according to early reviews, the rest of the album is just as awesome! I think the video is fantastic, too (it doesn’t hurt that these are familiar themes for me :\).
(More substantial posts are on the way this week.)
I like stuffed bell peppers, but I’d never made them myself because they can be time-consuming. These are slightly ambitious (for me), but worth the effort! I just used what I had on hand, and since I only had three peppers, I cut the meat back to half a pound and halved the rice recipe. It filled the three peppers, with about a cup left over for snacks.
Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers
Slightly adapted from The Crepes of Wrath (my favorite cooking blog)
Ingredients:
For the meat:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey (I used turkey)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp chipotle chili powder (I used regular)
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp ground cumin
For the rice:
1/3 cup olive, canola, or vegetable oil
2 cups long grain white rice, uncooked (I used medium grain)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, roughly chopped
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
For the peppers:
4-5 bell peppers
1 ½ cups pepperjack cheese (or your choice of cheese)
1. For the meat: Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Saute the minced shallot until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the ground chicken, then the spices. Cook for 8 minutes or so, until cooked through, but don’t overcook.
2. Remove the meat from the pot and place in a bowl. Cover with foil and set aside. Drain the pot of any grease that has accumulated (I used lean turkey, so I didn’t have to do this).
3. For the rice: Preheat the oven to 325 F. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear (I didn’t do this, but maybe you need to if you buy rice in bulk?). Heat olive oil in an oven-proof pot over medium heat. Add rice and cook until almost translucent, about 8 minutes. (I was skeptical about leaving dry rice to cook in oil, but it didn’t burn!) Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. In a food processor or blender (yay Magic Bullet!), process the can of tomatoes with its juices, chopped onion, and chili powder.
5. When the rice and garlic are ready, add the tomato mixture to the rice, stir, and add broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and place in the oven. After 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir to make sure it isn’t burning on the bottom, then return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until most of the vegetable broth has been soaked up by the rice. (Due to the half-recipe, my rice only needed to cook for about 15 minutes total.) Stir and taste for seasoning. Add rice to the chicken or turkey mixture, and stop when you have added the amount that you want. Use the leftover rice to serve on the side or as leftovers for the next night. Or you can just mix it all up and have a sort of chicken/turkey fried rice later!
6. For the peppers: While the rice cooks, clean peppers and slice off their tops. Roast on a baking sheet in a 325 degree F oven for 10 minutes or so, until just barely tender. You can do this while baking the rice. Remove and set aside until ready to use.
7. When the meat and rice are ready, stuff the bell peppers with the mixture. Cover the tops with pepperjack cheese (I used regular Monterey Jack, but pepperjack would be delicious). Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or so, until the cheese is bubbling.
7 Comments + Posted in: food
I saw this cute video yesterday and found it so affirming and encouraging! I also love that there’s a black cat in the background of the sample frame.
2 Comments + Posted in: singleness
Only a week ago, we were all trying to get home in the ice and snow. But right now it’s brightly sunny and 71 degrees! There’s nothing like the freedom of leaving the building without a coat for the first time all winter. Or seeing your own legs again after they’ve been covered by pants, tights, and boots for several months. Actually, that can be a little scary.
The great weather has been in place since last weekend, when I visited a new friend’s farm in Millington! She showed me all around the farm, and I got to pet and/or hold chickens, baby goats, and cows. I had a BLAST!
(We joked that I should tag the cow on Facebook. LOL.)
Baby goats are so sweet!
Adult goats are pretty cute too.
Someday, if I live further out in the country, I’d like to have chickens. They’re messy and can be noisy, but it would be so cool to have fresh eggs every day. Plus I could feel all pioneery with chickens roaming around.
I’m loving life lately! Spring is on the way!
4 Comments + Posted in: nature, spring
I’ve always felt that Valentine’s Day is not solely about romance, but about showing love to everyone you love. Maybe this is why my first Valentine’s Day as a divorced person isn’t upsetting me. I have a LOT of love in my life: parents, siblings, and possibly more friends than I’ve ever had before. And, of course, God. Most of the time I don’t feel like I’m lacking much relationally. I feel very blessed. I only feel bad that I’m not giving a lot of Valentine gifts or mailing packages. I started thinking about it a few weeks ago, but the list grew longer and longer until I was overwhelmed, so I decided to stick to cards. :)
I made red velvet cupcakes for work:
I really wanted to make a rose cake (it’s so beautiful!), but was consumed with guilt at the mere thought of making and eating that huge quantity of frosting. So I made cupcakes instead and used about 1/4 of the frosting recipe (which ended up tasting funny to me anyway).
My mom showed up at my office with flowers:
Lilies are my favorite, but I can’t have them in the house because of the cats. So I love getting them at work! :)
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my readers! Whether you’re in a relationship or not, know that someone loves you!
PS: This post would be better if you were reading it while listening to Myla Smith’s brand-new single, “Everything Changes.” Download it here or on iTunes!
6 Comments + Posted in: baking, celebrate, love, winter