Stuffed Peppers
You guys are going to end up with all of my secret recipes at this rate! Lol This is one of those great recipes you can make and while it's cooking, have everything else cleaned up so you won't have to do it after you've stuffed yourselves! Lol
INGREDIENTS:
5 or 6 medium/large red or green
bell peppers. Red is preferred to green as they are sweeter, but naturally cost more. Farm stand here has them 2 for a buck, how can you beat it?
1 lb. ground beef
1 small to medium onion
1 14.5 oz. can of plain diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can plain (or flavored) tomato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked rice
salt and pepper
Start by cutting up the onion and browning it along with the ground beef. While the ground beef is cooking, start the rice: measure 2 cups of water into a saucepan and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or butter). When the water boils, add the one cup of uncooked rice, stir it, cover it, and when it begins to boil again, stir it one last time and reduce the heat to LOW. From here on...don't stir the rice again until it's done, or you'll screw it up.
After the ground beef is cooked, drain the excess liquid fat then return to the stove. Add salt and pepper to taste. At this point I add additional spices: 1/2 teaspoon of basil, a couple of pinches of thyme, and a pinch of rosemary. If you don't have the extra spices, plain with salt and pepper is just fine. After adding the spices, cook for 1 to 2 minutes more and turn off the heat until the rice is done.
Test the rice to see if it's done: lift the lid and if you still see water between the grains of rice, it's not done. If you see no water, insert a fork straight down and move that little bit of rice sideways a bit, allowing you to see the bottom of the pan. If you see any water, leave it alone, cover it again, and let it simmer for another 5 or 10 minutes. If you don't see water, then it's done. Turn off the heat, and stir it, fluffing it up.
Use a large pot (like one for cooking pasta) for mixing ingredients together. Add the ground beef, the can of tomato sauce, the can of diced tomatoes, and the rice. Mix thoroughly.
Wash the peppers, remove the cores, and place in a glass casserole
dish or any other baking
dish suitable. At this point I like to precook the peppers in the microwave for about 10 minutes, which reduces time in the oven, but it's not needed and is entirely up to you.
Using a spoon, divide the meat and rice mixture evenly between the peppers, keeping in mind that there will probably be some extra. Cover with aluminum foil and put it into a preheated oven and cook at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. After 60 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and cook uncovered for the remaining 30 minutes.
Stuffed Peppers 
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