Stuffed Peppers with Beef

Lately all I want to do is sit and sew.  I don't feel like going anywhere.  I just feel like sewing.  Start the day out with a nice walk and then sit down at my sewing machine.  I go upstairs and I see some laundry that needs to be put away and then I think geez I really need to empty out my hamper, take it down stairs.  Then I get down stairs and think, oh yeah, I forgot I had a ton of laundry to do.  So I throw in a load and think, okay, now I will go upstairs and sew.  Then I have to go to the bathroom and I realize the bathroom needs a cleaning.  On and on it goes all day.  At the end of the day I realize I have not done any sewing, just chores all day long.  Ugh, so I try again the next day and guess what?  The same things happen. Different room, different mess.

I am not complaining though.  Well, I guess I kind of am.  But my thought right after that is always how grateful I am for what I have.  And really I am.  I try to count my blessings often.

Stuffed Peppers


6 peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 roma tomatoes or 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 leaves of basil
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup cooked long-grain rice or Black Thai rice
shredded mild Cheddar cheese, about 1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes.Place in baking dish (casserole type dish), cover with foil and bake.  This will pre-bake your peppers a little.  You don't want to do it too much.  Bake until they kind of slouch a little.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Saute chopped green pepper (from tops) and chopped onion for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water, crushed garlic, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg with 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 back in baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the stuffed peppers. Bake at 350° for 55 to 65 minutes. 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.