Making the Cut

T-shirt cutting has become extremely popular - especially in the Zumba community.  Since I've got several upcoming holiday Zumba events, I wanted to make a cute tank to wear that was Christmas themed.  A lot of people have asked me to do a tutorial on cutting t-shirts.  It's a very economical way to express creativity and recycle old tees.  

No Use Crying Over Chopped Onions

Over my birthday trip to KC, my in-laws kindly gave me some of their garden harvests from over the summer.  Along with quart sized jars of green beans and tomato juice, I was blessed with about 15 beautiful white onions.  When stored correctly, onions can stay good for several months.  When we got home I promptly looked up some good ways to store them on Pinterest.  I found this little beauty.  Brilliant!

Protein Energy Balls

Protein Energy Balls are so easy to make and you can use whatever things you have on hand.  These little gems are perfect for a quick breakfast, snacking while hiking, or post workout when you need to replenish your energy!  Word the wise, these babies are NOT low in fat and are not a "diet" food.  I rarely eat anything that constitutes "diet" food anymore.  They ARE however packed full of nutrients and are a healthy way to get a punch when you need one.  They have similar ingredients to protein bars you might find at the store but they have no additives and are completely natural.  Plus, they are way cheaper!

Crazy for Canning!

Well hello blog!  It's been a while.  I'm sorry I've been cheating on you with my latest obsession in food preparation and preservation. 

It's true.  I'm officially obsessed.  Who knew that canning was so fun and satisfying !  I have been a canning fool, spending entire days in the kitchen, and neglecting things like my blogs, my chores, and basically anything else that doesn't have to do with cooking.  Between my dehydrator and canning, I've been a busy girl!  So how about I share my accomplishments with you, my trusty blog audience.

Pumpkin Seeds

Halloween is over and chances are you probably carved some pumpkins for your front porch.  Did you save the seeds?  I hope so!  My birthday is in October and this year I decided to purchase a nice food dehydrator with some of my birthday money.  It's been almost constantly running since the UPS driver dropped it off on my doorstep about a week and a half ago!

My first project was pumpkin seeds.  I've made them in the oven before but I thought I might like to try them with my new toy this time.  Since I have never made anything in a dehydrator before I had to do some searching online which led me to discover all sorts of great health benefits of pumpkin seeds.

Road Trip Goodies

Last week our family packed up and headed East to Kansas City for a family visit.  It was a great trip - always good to go back "home" for a bit.  The only downside is the loooooooong car ride!  It's about 9 hours with a 2 and 4 year old and the temptation to stop and eat, eat, eat, eat....  You know the drill.  Bored to tears with nothing to do but pop something in your mouth.  

Savory Stuffed Peppers

This is a dish I put off making for a while. When I was young my great grandmother, whom I called “Nanny” with much adoration, used to make stuffed peppers. I distinctly remember hating them. I was a no peppers-no rice-no anything green, kind of child. Like my dad. The dish that the rest of my family adored went against all of my taste buds at the time. It wasn't until only recently (as in the last 6 months) that I even began eating rice. And green peppers? I've been afraid to try them. The smell alone brought back memories of slyly pushing my cooked green peppers into a napkin.

That all changed last week. I figured with all of my eating habit changes it was time to give it a go. I don’t know my Nanny’s recipe so I searched the next best thing in this day and age, Pinterest. I found THIS tasty recipe but I have to admit, I made several changes.

Ingredients:

4 large green peppers (or yellow, orange, or red if you choose – I used some of each)
1 lb good quality ground beef
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 onion diced, red or white – I used red
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cheese chunked (or 2 cups shredded) for the filling and to top with (I used mozzarella and provolone because that’s what I had on hand)
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil the bottom of an oven safe dish with olive oil.

1) Cut the tops off of your peppers. Trim the bottoms so they stand upright without making large holes in the pepper if possible. Place in dish. Discard the seeds and stem but save all usable pieces.

2) Chop up the pepper bits you just cut off. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onion, garlic, and peppers to the pan. Sauté for about 5 minutes or so until the onion is translucent.

3) Place the sautéed veggies in a bowl and use the skillet to brown the ground beef. Once browned, return the veggies to the skillet.

4) Add the brown rice, 4 oz (or 1 cup shredded) cheese chunks, and salt and pepper. Mix well.

5) Stuff your raw peppers, pressing the filling down as you go. It should be just enough for all 4 peppers but if you have smaller peppers than I used, you may have extra. You can cook the extra in a ramekin.

6) Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove peppers and top with a generous amount of cheese. I used 1oz pre-sliced fresh mozzarella and it turned out sooooooo good! Bake for another 10 minutes or so until the cheese is thoroughly melted. You can even broil for a few minutes to give it some crispier brown spots on top.