Stuffed Peppers

I felt like I broke some rules with this recipe.  Typically, stuffed peppers are made with green peppers and I used red & yellow.  Also, I sliced my peppers in half sideways versus cutting the tops off.  I really liked the results.  The red & yellow peppers have a much milder flavor than the green and cutting sideways made the presentation nicer and avoided the pepper tipping over when serving.  The ground turkey absorbed the flavor of the sausage and garlic making the stuffing taste like it was a big Italian meatball ... YUM!  I made a total of 12 peppers, baked 2 of them for dinner and divided the rest of them into containers and put them in the freezer for another day.  I love making extra when I cook and freezing it so the next time all the work is already done.  You can serve these alone or with a side of spaghetti.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
6 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow or green)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup cooked brown or white rice
1 lb Italian sausage (remove casings, cook & drain fat)
1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1 egg
4 oz mozzarella cheese
Makes 12 stuffed peppers

Prep Peppers ...Slice peppers sideways remove stems and white membrane.  Put in a pot, cover with water, add a dash of salt and bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from pot and rinse with cold water.

Prepare rice according to package instructions.  1/2 cup dry rice will make 1 cup cooked.

Remove casings from sausage and cook over low heat until browned. Drain fat.

ready for the freezer

Preheat oven to 350'.  Sauté onion & garlic in olive oil until the onion is softened.  Mix meats, seasonings, rice, egg, onion/garlic, and 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce in a large bowl.  Stuff pepper halves with the mixture.  Top with additional spaghetti sauce. Cover with foil and bake 50 minutes.  Remove foil, top with shredded cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts.  The peppers may have juice around the bottom of the pan ... make sure to drain off before serving. Serve alone or with a side of spaghetti.

Crab Cakes

I've made crab cakes bunches of times.  I've tried recipes on the crabmeat container, the old bay container, online, cookbooks, etc. but they always turned out to be ... just okay.  Some had too much seasoning, some had too many breadcrumbs and so on.  Then I stumbled upon this seasoning packet in the seafood section of the grocery store.  LOVE IT!!!!   It makes the perfect crab cake!  Top it with my favorite spicy tartar sauce and your mouth will be in heaven.

INGREDIENTS
1 package of Old Bay brand Crab Cake Seasoning Mix
1/2 cup mayo
1 pound lump crab meat

Mix first two ingredients in a bowl.  Fold in crabmeat.  Shape into 4 large patties.  Bake in the oven at 350' for about 20 minutes.  Finish by broiling for the final 2-3 minutes until slightly browned.  Makes 4 servings.  Enjoy!

Spicy Tartar Sauce
1/4 cup mayo
1 tablespoon pickle relish
1 teaspoon siracha sauce

Mix and serve on top of a broiled crab cake.

Shrimp Scampi over Linguini

Okay, this is by far my FAVORITE dinner ever! I made this for Valentine's day dinner this year.  The butter, garlic and shrimp go together so well I absolutely LOVE it.  I used to try to make this recipe years ago and just couldn't seem to get the flavor I was craving until I found this awesome seasoning ...so I highly recommend using "Johnny's Garlic Seasoning" to get the perfect flavor.  Costco used to sell this ... I'm not sure if they do anymore or not since we are only members at Sam's Club.  I did however order it online the last time I needed it and included the link below. One jar lasts a LONG time and can also be used to make some amazing garlic bread to go with your favorite Italian meals.

INGREDIENTS
24 raw large shrimp or 12 jumbo, peeled, tails removed (Key West Pinks/Gulf Shrimp have the best flavor)
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon Johnny's Garlic Seasoning*
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (1 tsp if using fresh)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
8-10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 box linguini
salt & pepper to taste
serves 2

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile in a large frying pan melt the butter & olive oil, add garlic, white wine & seasonings.  Add the shrimp and cook about 3 minutes on each side.  Add the cheese & tomatoes.  When the pasta is finished cooking. drain in a colander and then add to the shrimp/butter mixture. Toss to coat and serve immediately.  Can be topped with additional grated parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!


*Johnny's Garlic Seasoning can be purchased online or make your own.

Chicken Salad

I was debating on whether or not to share this recipe on my blog.  It wasn't even a recipe up to this point ... I mean, I've been making it for a few years now but I usually just throw it together and I sort of know what looks right without measuring anything.  I was actually making Buffalo Chicken Dip this past weekend for the Superbowl and looked at the other half of the rotisserie chicken wondering what to make with it and decided on chicken salad.  I purposely took time to measure all the ingredients with the sole intention of sharing the recipe.  We went skiing on Saturday and I packed chicken salad wraps for us for lunch but I didn't take time to take a photo.  I mentioned blogging the recipe to my husband who LOVES my chicken salad and it was one of the first times he suggested not having something on my blog.  Usually when he likes a recipe he suggests I blog it and this time I got some hesitation and it wasn't a hesitation because he didn't like what it tastes like ...it was a hesitation because its sooooo good we should probably keep it a secret. So that's where the debating part comes in ... to share or not to share ... and obviously I decided on sharing with you!  I made a wrap with the remaining scoop of chicken salad today for my lunch, snapped a photo of it and pulled the trigger on blogging the recipe.  So here it is ... my SECRET chicken salad recipe.  Hope you love it as much as we do!!!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 rotisserie chicken, chopped or shredded (I use the ones from Sams Club which tend to be larger then the grocery store chickens so its about 3 cups chicken)*
1 celery stalk finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 tbs chopped onion
1/2 cup Miracle Whip (or generic brand salad dressing)
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 tsp garlic powder
dash of salt & pepper
2-3 tbs pickle relish
2 tbs sliced almonds (optional)
1/4 cup chopped grapes (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients together.  Makes about 4 cups.  Can be stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to a week.  Use on sandwiches, wraps, on crackers or even on top of a salad.  We like ours on a wrap with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese (as shown in the photo).  Enjoy!

*note:  the chicken can be any cooked chicken, it doesn't necessarily have to be a rotisserie chicken however the rotisserie chicken does add good flavor to this salad.  Smoked chicken breasts work great too.  You can use all white meat or a combo of white & dark.