Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

2 green or red bell peppers
salt
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium chopped onion
enough ground beef or steak chunks to fill peppers
1 cup cooked rice (optional)
pepper
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
dash of Tabasco sauce
2 slices of medium cheddar cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut top off peppers 1 inch from the stem end, and remove seeds. Add several generous pinches of salt to boiling water, then add peppers and boil, using a spoon to keep peppers completely submerged, until brilliant green (or red) and their flesh slightly softened (about 3 minutes). Drain, and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degress F. Heat 4 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes). Remove skillet from heat, add meat, rice, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well.

Drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp. oil inside peppers, arrange cut side up in a baking dish, then stuff peppers with filling. Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and 1/8 cup of water in a small bowl, the spoon over the filling. Lay a slice of cheddar cheese on top of each stuffed pepper. Add 1/4 cup of water to the bakind dish. Place in oven and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Lion House Cinnamon Rolls

This is a slight variation on a recipe I got from a friend a couple years ago.  I have no idea if this recipe it's actually the recipe they use at the Lion House restaurant in Salt Lake City.  Anyway about it, these cinnamon rolls have become one of my absolute favorites, to make and to eat.  There is something so much fun about making bread to me.  I love kneading dough and then having it come together at the perfect consistency.  And then rolling up that dough with butter, cinnamon,  and brown sugar... baking... and topping it all with cream cheese frosting.  I mean really, does life yet better than that?

I especially like this recipe because it takes less time than others I've tried and the taste is amazing.  I really enjoy making these for my husband to take to work.  I get rave reviews every time and I have a few for my family and can send the rest away where I won't consumer them.  The last batch I made egg-free and wasn't let down a bit.


Ingredients:
 
2 Tablespoons dry yeast
2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees F.)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup dry milk
2 ½ tsp salt
1 egg (or 1/4 cup mashed banana)
5 to 6 cups flour

Additional ingredients:
brown sugar
butter
cinnamon

Directions:
In the large bowl combine yeast and warm water. Let stand 5 minutes. Add sugar, butter, dry milk, salt, egg (or mashed banana) and 2 cups of the flour. Beat together until very smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, one at a time, and beat until smooth.

Add about one more cup of flour, ½ cup at a time until it is well mixed in. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until it is smooth and satiny.

Gather dough into a ball. Scrap bowl clean and grease. Return dough ball to bowl. Cover. Let rise in a warm place until about triple in bulk (approx 1-1 ½ hrs).


Dump dough ball onto a clean, floured counter and punch down. Take all the dough at once for very large rolls (or half at a time for medium sized rolls) and use rolling pin to shape dough into a long rectangle. Brush melted butter over the dough rectangle. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the buttered area.

Roll the rectangle from the top of the long edge to the bottom. Use floss, thread, or a serrated knife to cut individual cinnamon rolls from your dough roll. 

Place rolls on cookie sheet, let rise another 15 minutes,

and then bake at 400 degrees for 10-13 minutes.

Slather with cream cheese icing and enjoy!

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 package cream cheese (4oz), softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 cups powdered sugar - depending on how sweet you want it.  I usually use 1 1/2 cups to allow the cream cheese flavor to stand out.

Icing Directions:
Mix together icing ingredients until smooth and creamy. For best results, frost cinnamon rolls while warm.

Home Made Playdo

1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. alum

Blend together the following ingredients and slowly add to the flour mixture above.
1/2 cup warm water
1 package unsweetened Koolaid

Mix until the consistency of bread dough.

Lumpia

2 lbs ground pork
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 lemon (juice only)
2 carrots, grated
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
pinch of pepper
1 small onion
cabbage, diced finely
Lumpia wrappers (found in Asian stores)

Mix together pork, celery, lemon juice, carrots, eggs, and seasons. Cut wrapper in half, place small amount in each wrapper. Fold in edges and foll it. Fry in oil or deep fat fryer, about 5-10 minutes or until brown.

Dipping Sauce
1 can pineapple juice
2 TBS sugar
dash of pepper
2 TBS flour
2 TBS vinegar
ketchup (enough to make sauce red, I use 2-3 TBS)

Heat sauce and bring to boil Boil until thick.

Chicken Adobo

So, this recipe is from the Philippines. It's really vague, but Mom and Dad say it's really good. I'll let you know when I try it.

1-2 lbs chicken cut up
1 onion
dash of black pepper
1 cup soy sauce/vinegar/orange juice or lemon juice (or combination)

Fill a pot 1/3 of the way with water. Boil the chicken with onions, soy sauce, pepper until meat is tender and juicy.

Optional: Bake chicken at 350 degrees w/ orange juice.

Serve with rice

Chimichangas

6 large flour tortillas
3 cups Mexican Meat Mix (see recipe on blog)
Vegetable oil for frying
Shredded lettuce
1 can green chili salsa
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup guacamole
1/2 pint sour cream
6 ripe olives, for garnish

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Warm tortillas in oven about 5 min. Heat Mexican Meat Mix in a small sauce pan. Heat 1/2 inch deep oil to 400 degrees in large skillet. Spread about 1/2 cup Mex Meat Mix over the lower third of each tortilla. Fold the bottom edges of each tortilla up over filling. Fold both sides toward the center and roll into a cylinder. Secure rolled tortillas w/ a toothpick. Fry chimichangas at a time in hot oil about 2 minutes, until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot over a layer of shredded lettuce. Top with green chili salsa, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream. Garnish each with an olive. Makes 6 chimichanges.

Mexican Meat Mix

5 lbs beef roast
3 TBS shortening
3 onions, chopped
1 can chopped green chilies
2 cans green chili salsa
1/4 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic)
4 TBS flour
4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
Juices from beef roast

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place roast in large roasting pan on Dutch oven. Cover w/ a tight lid and roast about 12 hours until well done. On cook roasts with 1 cup water in pressure cooker 35 to 40 minutes. Drain meat, reserving juices. Cool meat. Shred meat and set aside. Melt shortening in large skillet. Add onion and green chilies. Saute 1 min. Add green chili salsa, garlic, flour, salt, and cumin. Cook 1 min, over medium-low heat. Stir in reserved juices and shredded meat. Cook 5 minutes until thick. Cool. Pout about 3 cups mix each into 1 quart freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at top. Seal and label containers. Freeze. Use within 6 months. Makes about 9 cups of Mexican Meat Mix