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Share a Spoon
GROUND BEEF
This week's theme takes me back to my child hood. We ate so many meals growing up that included ground beef. My mom didn't use ground turkey or sausage for anything I can remember. It was always ground beef. She put it in spaghetti, casseroles, soups, burgers, etc.
One of my favorite things she made growing up was something she called Spanish Rice. Really it's more like Stuffed Peppers without actually stuffing the peppers. It's a simple dish with big flavor and takes me right back to childhood. It's comfort food for me, if you will.
Stuffed Pepper Casserole
1 large sweet onion3 green bell peppers1 clove grated garlic or 1 tsp. ground garlic powder1 lb. ground beef1 28oz can Tomato Puree or Crushed tomatoes2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheeserice
In a small sauce pan bring two cups of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 cup of long grain rice. Cover and reduce to low for 20 minutes.
In a large oven proof heavy bottom pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Saute chopped onion with salt and pepper.
Add garlic and chopped green peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook the ground beef over medium heat until well browned. Roughly 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the cooked rice.
Add the tomato puree.
Stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Allow the cheese to melt.
Top with the other cup of cheese.
Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.
That's it. We were really excited about having this dish this week. All those peppers came out of my garden this week. They were amazing! I have bell peppers coming out of the garden every other day or so. This was a great recipe to use them in!
Alright Smackers, it's your turn to share your favorite ground beef recipes!
Share a Spoon
CASSEROLES
compliments of @VectoringMomma
If you aren't Twittling your Twat, or Tweeting your Twit, or Twatting your Twittle you are missing out. Toni joins me most Thursday mornings for #beanchat which is hosted by Gevalia Coffee. Just a bunch of ladies and gents having morning coffee talk. It's a jolly good time. Yes, I'm feeling a little British tonight. Gimme a break. It's late. You bloody well know you love it anyway.
So...anytwit, Toni aka @VectoringMomma was faithfully tweeting with me last Thursday when I hosted #beanchat. We discussed Share a Spoon and she said she would love to see recipes for casseroles. Voila! A theme was born. See Smackers? It's just that easy to get recipes for your repertoire.
Casseroles for my family are one way to hide those veggies that the picky eaters try to say they don't like. I have a couple that will look at vegetables and say "I don't like that", just because it's green. I don't accept that answer, but, when I hide them, there isn't a fight to get them to eat them.
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| Images via Google. |
I was short on time and feeling a little icky this evening so you'll forgive me for not taking photos. Right??
Cauliflower Chicken Casserole
1 Rotisserie Chicken shredded (you can roast your own if you like)1 head cauliflower cut into flowerets (use frozen if you want)1 large onion diced3 stalks (ribs) celery diced2 medium carrots diced2 cloves garlic grated4 Tablespoons butter2 Tablespoons olive oil1/4 cup all purpose flour2 cups milk1 cup grated Parmesan1 Tablespoon brown mustard1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg6-7 slices of bacon cooked and chopped1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
In a 375 degree oven bake bacon slices until almost crispy. Remove and chop.
Steam cauliflower in the microwave or on the stove top until almost tender. Leave a little bite, there will be carry over cooking in the oven.
In a large skillet melt butter and olive oil. Saute onions, celery and carrots with a little salt and pepper until just tender. Grate in garlic and stir well.
Add the flour to the veggie mixture. Stir well until all butter and olive oil is incorporated into the flour.
Slowly stir in milk a little at a time until the sauce thickens. Add mustard, nutmeg and Parmesan.
Drain cauliflower. Stir into creamy veggies. Add shredded chicken.
Pour mixture into a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Top with Gruyere and chopped bacon. Cook in 375 degree oven until bubbly. Takes 15-20 minutes.
My pickiest eater who absolutely hates veggies, LOVED this. He actually ate seconds. That never happens. The cauliflower gives this casserole some texture and you won't miss having rice or noodles or some other starch. It really works. If you wanted to make this a more carb-friendly version, omit the flour, substitute heavy cream for the milk. Cook the heavy cream over low heat until it thickens. It takes roughly 20 minutes or so but it will thicken. Then add the mustard, parmesan and nutmeg.
Now, it's your turn. Break out your favorite hot dish, casserole or whatever you call it. Type it up and get yourself all linked up with us today!
