Stuffed Green Peppers & Stuffed Invisible Peppers

I have been cooking on my own, without parental supervision, since I was around 13 years old.  One of my favorite possessions is my Betty Crocker Cookbook.  I think I might have permanently borrowed it (aka stole it) from my Mom when I left California, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't care so much anymore.  Although the cover says "New and Revised Edition" I am going to have to assume that since it is showing as being copyrighted in 1978 it probably has had a few more editions that have been published since!  This book is a whole year older than I am.  It has interesting things in it like how to prepare and freeze your own TV dinners, how to make fondue and provides you with every popular recipe if you ever want to pretend like you are back in the 50's.  I love this cookbook! Every Saturday morning after my high school best friend would stay the night, we would cook waffles from this very cookbook.  We needed something to energize us after those long nights staying up talking about boys and other teen angst type stuff.  The recipe still has the half recipe written in pencil next to the printed recipe because apparently when I was 15 it was just to hard to convert 1 cup to 1/2 cup in my head.

The Holy Grail of my cookbook collection!  Note the tattered binding and peeling label.  It is well loved.

Hands down my favorite picture!  Who wouldn't be confident in that yellow apron?!?  And who wouldn't want to serve your perfect family a perfect dinner in that stylish striped turtleneck?!?  Classy!!

The most used recipe in the book.  The page is absolutely stained with butter and oil marks!

On a side note, I was deciding what to make for dinner that week during lunchtime when my kids decided to take up one of their very favorite games, made up strangely enough by my 2 year old.  He will shout out "Aiden's turn!" and then tense up every muscle in his face and body.  Then he will shout out "Sister's turn!" or "Mama's turn!" and the next person will have to imitate what he did.  I grabbed my camera sitting on the counter and snapped some pictures.  They don't really do the game justice...he looks pretty funny when he tenses up his little body and shakes all over.  Sorry...I didn't get any self pictures of "Mama's turn!!"

"Aiden's turn!"

"Sister's turn!!"

"Aiden's turn!!"

"Sister's turn!!"

So, as an homage to my beloved cookbook and all things 1950's I present to you my dinner for Friday night...the classic stuffed green pepper.  I did kind of use the recipe straight from Betty, but put my own spin on it using ground turkey and brown rice.  My husband and kids won't eat the pepper part (well actually Aiden will eat some of my pepper, but I'm afraid his little tummy couldn't handle a whole green pepper...actually a green pepper is probably almost as big as his little tummy...especially the monster peppers I make!!  So I have to make a pan of Invisible Stuffed Peppers for everyone else.  I use ground beef for this since my husband prefers beef over turkey...and since this is a true 1950's meal I wouldn't be a proper housewife without pleasing my hard working husband!  So I threw on my yellow apron, tied my hair back into a stylish updo, straightened up the home and had the kids all cleaned and tidy by the time my husband came home from his hard day at work.  Then I gave him a quick peck on the cheek, put on his slippers for him, fixed him a pipe and handed him a nice brandy so he could relax as I placed the hot meal on the table.  Actually, I was wearing a shirt stained with spit up, had my hair in a messed ponytail, kicked the toys aside and managed to keep the baby from crying while breaking up a fight between my 2 and 4 year old AND helping my 10 year old with homework as my husband walked through the door.  I then gave him a half hello and handed the baby to him so I could take the stuffed peppers and invisible peppers out of the oven.  Typical Friday night in 2011....we can still pretend though right!!

Stuffed Green Peppers

2 LARGE green peppers
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 small onion, diced (probably 1/4 - 1/3 c)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 c cooked brown rice
1/3 large can tomato sauce (the other 2/3 gets put in the invisible peppers)
Salt, black pepper and extra garlic powder to taste (the tomato sauce is salty enough for my liking so I just add pepper and more garlic powder.  I'm Italian...I love garlic!
A whole lot of shredded mozzarella!!!

In a large saucepan, over medium-high heat brown the turkey with the onion, garlic and spices.  If you use lean turkey you shouldn't have to drain the meat.

While turkey is browning, prepare the green peppers by slicing off the top part of the pepper and cleaning out the seeds and white insides.  Make sure you buy peppers with a relatively flat bottom so they stand up well on their own.  You might look silly in the supermarket testing out the "standability" of your peppers, but trust me it will be worth the strange stares.  A lop sided pepper is NO laughing matter!!

Once turkey is browned, add the cooked rice.  Taste and add additional spices if necessary.  Remember that rice is pretty bland and needs a lot of help!!

Add in the 1/3 can of tomato sauce.  I make mine REALLY saucy so I can omit the step of putting extra sauce on top.  Set aside.

Place prepared peppers in a pan with enough boiling water to cover them and continue to cook for 5 minutes. 

I couldn't find my Assistant Chef.  She was on the couch watching Food Network.  The Barefoot Contessa...good choice Brenna!

Place cooked peppers in a foil lined square baking dish.  Fill the peppers with the turkey/rice mixture.

I wasn't kidding when I called them STUFFED peppers!!

My monster peppers....grrrrrrr!  Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 mins.

Remove foil cover and sprinkle with a GENEROUS amount of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Return to oven and cook uncovered another 10 mins. until cheese is melted.

Stuffed Invisible Peppers

1 lb ground beef

Salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste (my husband also hates onions so since I'm not eating it I will omit fresh onions and use onion powder instead)

2 c cooked brown rice

2/3 large can tomato sauce

A whole lot of shredded mozzarella!!!

In a large saucepan brown the meat.  Drain the grease and season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Ethan supervising!

Brenna trying to "help" her brother look at the camera.

Maybe he thought his fist was a pepper...or the meat was starting to burn??

Mix the seasoned beef with the rice and tomato sauce.

Pour the beef/rice mixture into a square invisible pepper (aka greased, square glass baking dish).

.

Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 mins.

Remove foil and sprinkle on shredded mozzarella cheese.

Return to oven and cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

My dinner-1950's style!

Holy Pepper Batman!!  I wish I had one of those Corelle plates with the mustard yellow or avocado green flower trim to serve it on.  That would really be retro!!