First Real Meal Cooked in my New KItchen

Brian has been begging me for quite awhile to cook him stuffed bell peppers for dinner and I've had to put it off for over year because i just haven't had a place to cook. Now i am in my new apartment with a lovely kitchen that practically begs to be used. So tonight we made stuffed bell peppers and lemme tell you it turned out to be quite an undertaking, I used almost every pot and every pan i own not to mention the fact that I over looked the part about the 1.5cups of rice being cooked rice and not dry rice... I ended up with 4 cups of rice I didn't need! oh well, left over rice is great for fried rice, looks like I will have to find a chinese recipe for tomorrow!

• 6 green bell peppers
• 1 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or chuck
• 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice
• shredded mild Cheddar cheese, about 1/2 to 3/4 cup, optional

Preparation:

Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible part of tops and set aside. Rinse peppers under cold water. Place peppers in a large pot; cover with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain peppers and set aside.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté chopped green pepper (from tops), chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend; add ground beef, cooked rice, and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a 3-quart baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes. If desired, top stuffed peppers with a little shredded Cheddar cheese just before peppers are done; bake until cheese is melted.

Recipe for stuffed peppers serves 6.

next time i may look for a recipe with sausage instead of ground chuck, i think i prefer something with a little more kick!