I do know how to use the kitchen

You're just going to love this one. In the mood for some Italian/Mediterranean cooking one night. Went looking for a recipe for Stuffed bell peppers. As you may have guessed, I didn't find one to my liking. One started with the phrase "In the microwave". So being a bit of a cook I threw this together. I hope you like it.
 I used 3 bell peppers totaling 6 servings for this dish and did have some extra stuffing when all finished. Most measures are guestimates, as I don't really measure out, more on the waves of dash n pinch of... 

3 bell peppers, mix up the colors

7 oz Ricotta cheese

1/2 lb Italian sausage (I use ground sausage)

1 white onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 egg

1/2 cup orzo prepared (al dente) I always did want to use that word in a sentence

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

1 tsp basil (more or less to taste)

1/2 tsp thyme (more less to taste

1/2 tsp salt

1tbs oregano

black pepper to taste

2 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)

2 tbsp marinara sauce for color

stuffing:

In a skillet on med heat cook onion with garlic till onion is translucent add sausage stir occasionally till sausage is browned. Be preparing the orzo as the sausage browns. In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, spinach, basil, thyme, salt, oregano 1/2 of the mozzarella, orzo, black pepper. Add to this the onion, garlic and sausage, stir till well blended. I did add marinara sauce to the stuffing for color. 

remove stems cut peppers in half top to bottom, remove seeds and ribs. Set the pepper halves cut side up on a baking pan (cookie sheet) fill the peppers. Preheat oven to 325* bake peppers for 20 minutes covered. Add the rest of the mozzarella topping each pepper half. Cook an additional 10 mins. 

ps this has been a sort of experimental recipe, for "softer" peppers, cook a little longer, or increase the heat to 350*

Goes well with what is known in my family as a Cindy salad. Romaine lettuce, apple or pear slices, pecans or pine nuts. I did add  green olives and spinach,  dashed with Balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Now is your chance to try Merlot (no silent letters) wine.  I think this would have been the perfect time to use endive, instead of lettuce. Have seen endive in the produce but never thought to buy any. We'll save that for another post.

How a Pirate makes Potato Soup

Top Secret File

4 potatoes peeled and cubed to bite size

pinch of thyme

1 clove garlic

salt pepper to taste

1 onion chopped

1 handful chopped fresh spinach (optional)

2 chicken stock cubes

enough water to boil the potatoes

4tbs butter

guessing about 4oz heavy whipping cream

approx 2 tbs all purpose flour

peel and boil potatoes, while they are cooking add onion salt pepper thyme and chicken cubes. Boil till potatoes are soft. I also added chopped spinach

    While potatoes cook in a separate pan melt butter add whipping cream heat med to low stir till it thickens, pour into the potato water. 

Pour into a coffee cup and consume. can be topped with Cheddar cheese;  I did add McCormic Steak Mates Montreal Steak pepper (small palm bout the size of a quarter)

it even says so on the label

Looking through my cupboard (what some would call the cabinet) finding several cans of soup there. Mostly chicken noodle soup but this one was there too. I don't know why I was looking, wasn't really hungry and not for soup for that matter. So I pull this can out, looking on the label I see a recipe. Ingredients included of course the soup, duh... chicken breast, rice, vegetables and a bit of this that and the other spices. Pepper, onion salt, etc... 
     Well having most, but not all the ingredients, I try a little something. Having most most but not all the required ingredients I figure who the heck needs vegetables, the cheese we can skip and who needs onion salt when we have onions? So I start the dish about 9:30 pm, can't quite figure if this would be snupper, or dinack... late dinner to say the least. Turned out to be a tasty little something though. After I was done I thought I should have thrown the broccoli I have in the freezer in, just to get rid of it; if nothing else. Did add some American cheese on one helping (I had 3 bowls) recipe called for cheddar, but cheese is cheese.. right? oh I forgot, needed 3/4 cup of water too... should have subed some beer for that. But anyway... If the can says "cream of..." use it to cook; and usually there is some recipe on the can, sub, make do, or replace by taste you can always make something happen. My x wife would make a dish with cream of mushroom, mac n cheese minus the cheese sauce ( I thought a helping of elbow macaroni would have sufficed), but then I wasn't the one at the stove. It was late, I was hungry and the chicken needed cooked soon to not be wasted... worked for me, what do you thing?

The Secret

Some of you know I like to cook. I find it to be very relaxing. Well at least on my pot roast. Usually I get a sirloin, pork or beef ,  heat the oven to 335* not only will this prepare the oven, it makes for a warm kitchen. Even summer time it adds a mood. having peeled 3 potatoes, of course this can be more depending on the size of roast. I generally go with about 1.5 -2 lbs. My cooking utensils limit me a bit after I dropped and broke that one. 3-4 carrots, 1/2 or so of a medium onion, white, yellow, get what you like. A bit of salt, pepper, garlic, you know, spice it up a bit, different spices can work, I have tried crushed basil, you can do what you like. I also like to throw a handful of fresh green beans on the top. Put it in the oven.

So now I just sit and wait,  never really figured, as I use different size cuts, seems about 2 hrs in the oven and we're there.

  The real magic to the pot roast is you only dirty a few dishes in the prep and prepare....   Just me here, so it lasts into the week and only a brief clean up, its a snap.