Crock Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers *UPDATE*

So, I did make the Crock Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers! And they were awesome...my son really enjoyed them and I am excited because I can easily make this into a vegetarian option for the Lenten season for a Friday meal.

Anyway, here is what I did.

1 lb ground bison
1 to 2 cups quinoa, toasted and prepared according to the label
1 zucchini, medium dice (about 1/4"x1/4"x1/4")
1 yellow neck squash, medium dice
1 shallot, brunoised (small dice or 1/8" cubed)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup or so of a dry white wine to deglaze your pan
3 to 4 medium bell peppers, tops removed, seeded and cored...try to get as much of the white pith out as possible since this is bitter
1 box of Pomi Chopped Tomatoes
1 Carton of Chicken Stock (once I get back into a groove, I intend on making my own stock but I have these in the kitchen and need to use them up!)
Kosher salt 
Fresh ground black pepper
Your favorite cheese, shredded, I used left over mozzarella and Parmesan from our 8 year old sleep over pizza party
Fresh parsley, minced

Brown your bison (or beef) with a pinch of salt, drain if needed, add in the shallots and be sure to add some more salt (build your flavor layers as you go, seasoning with each new layer).

Once the scallions become translucent, add in the garlic.

 

 Now add your zucchini, squash, and some more salt.

Deglaze your pan with the wine, simmering until the alcohol smell has cooked off. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.

If you are ready to stuff peppers at this point (I did mine the night before), combine with cooked quinoa (toast it until it smells nutty in a skillet, then add your water to cook it. I did it all in one non-stick pan.)

Now add your cheese if you want it cheesy.

Salt the bell peppers, stuff them, and then place them into the crock pot.

Cover with tomatoes and pour in the chicken stock. If you want a veg alternative, omit the bison and use vegetable stock.

I hit it with just a pinch more salt to make sure my flavors sung. Then, I turned the crock pot on to low and cooked for 8 hours or you could do high for 4 to 6 hours.

I made a quick sauce (reduction) using the chicken broth and tomatoes that had cooked down to serve with the peppers.

 And for my left over use, I baked a spaghetti squash, scraped it out and used the bell pepper stuffing I had left over as my "sauce." Yum!

Candygram for Mongo

 It is Christmas at my house...looks like I have been a very good girl.

Cold and Snowy Night

Today I had an MRI done, so I was home this afternoon and had time to try my hand at making my own sweet Italian sausage. I attempted to add a little heat but it turned out to be more sweet than hot sausage (which is good since I have a 7 year old pallet to deal with as well.)

I used this spice:

And added garlic, red wine vinegar, and some actual red wine. I mixed and let it sit in the "walk-in" for about 2 hours.

I sweated onions and shallots, then browned my sausage.

 Once I had some nice fond in my pan, I deglazed it using our very own Italian Merlot blend.

Here is the wine...it is still pretty young but I think the strawberry component to this wine brought out the sweetness of the paprika in my seasoning.

 Deglazing.

Once the wine cooked off (no more cooking wine smell), I added a box of my favorite chopped tomatoes. Now, I this recipe actually only calls for about half the box. But since I did not have bell peppers in my pantry or fridge, I had to improvise.

I simmered and kept stirring to avoid having it burn on the bottom.

I served with al dente pasta, parsley, and parm cheese. It was quite yummy and went well with the wine!

Keep Calm and Drink More Wine

I believe this label says it all.

Chicken Pot Pie and Labels

So, tonight I took my left over lemon rosemary chicken, peas, and carrots and made a pot pie. I was under the weather today, so instead of making a pie crust from scratch, I used crescent roll dough. The result was yummy!

I did not make a roux, which I would have preferred to do...instead, to add moisture and fat to the chicken mixture, I added sharp cheddar cheese and dabs of butter.

I topped it with the crescent rolls and baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

The result was a tasty comfort food with very little effort on my part. It was bubbly and the sharp cheddar was a lovely contrast to the sweetness the peas and carrots brought forth.

I also messed around with another attempt at making my own wine labels. Below are the two I currently have created for our Italian Merlot.

I don't like the white accents on the two bigger labels but I like the background. I am going to mess with that background a little more and see if I can develop a label I like.