Stuffed green peppers with ground beef, brown rice, spinach, and cream cheese

I grew up eating stuffed peppers with the classic ground beef and white rice combo. While that is certainly always a winner, I like to add my own twist to that classic recipe. This version keeps the basic ground beef and rice, but builds upon that combo.

What you'll need:

• Green peppers
• Ground beef
• Can of diced tomatoes or chopped fresh tomatoes
• Bacon
• Cooked brown rice
• Bag of frozen spinach
• Block of cream cheese
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Chopped onions and garlic
• Fresh or dried herbs like Italian parsley, oregano, thyme
• Freshly ground pepper and kosher or sea salt

In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, brown the ground beef along with the onions. I had a bag of seasoning mix in the freezer that has onion, celery, and peppers, so I used some of that. Season with salt and pepper. After the beef and veggies are browned, add the garlic and cook another minute.

If you are using dried herbs, add them now. Next, add the frozen spinach to the pan. I used a bag of frozen baby spinach leaves. Mix that all up and cook until the spinach is heated through.

Add a block of cream cheese to the pan and mix until the cream cheese has melted. Then throw in a handful of your favorite shredded cheese. I used a sharp cheddar.

If you are using fresh herbs, add them now. I used some fresh parsley and oregano. The last thing to add to this creamy mixture is the rice. I use the 10-minute-in-the-microwave brown rice, but use whatever rice you like.

Taste the beef and rice mixture, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. At this point, the stuffing is done. You can make this mixture ahead of time, or make a double batch and freeze the extra stuffing. This would be great with mushrooms, artichokes, diced eggplant, whatever additional veggies you'd like to pack in there.

Now you're ready to stuff the peppers. Try to get peppers that are similar in size, so they finish cooking at the same time. Cut the tops off and take out the seeds and ribs. If they are unstable in your pan, slice a little off the bottom to even them out, but try not to make any holes. Season the peppers with salt and pepper, then fill them with the stuffing.

Scatter the diced tomatoes all around the peppers at the bottom of your dish. Place a slice of bacon on top of each pepper. If you don't want to add bacon, you can sprinkle with bread crumbs or put the tops of the peppers back on.

Put a lid on the baking dish or cover with foil. Bake at 375 for at least an hour or until the peppers are soft and the bacon is crisp.

Serve this with some fresh, sliced bread and butter, and you've got a hearty, warming plate of comfort food. 

A Cajun-inspired shrimp, andouille sausage, and rice dish from the pantry

Or as I like to call it: a hunting and gathering meal. I didn't have anything planned for dinner last night, so I hunted and gathered in my house to find ingredients to put a dish together. This is what I came up with.

From my freezer, I gathered a diced onion and pepper seasoning blend, raw shrimp, and 2 links of Kowalonek's andouille sausage. From the pantry, Cajun seasoning, boil-in-a-bag brown rice, garlic, and a tomato, and some fresh parsley and oregano from my window. As always, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to season. I also wrangled some butter, olive oil, and flour.

The rice takes 10 minutes in the microwave, so that gets going first. Meanwhile, I pulled the shells off the shrimp and sprinkled them with the Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. I had some dried cilantro on hand, so I added a few shakes of that, too. If you want more heat, add some cayenne. Then the garlic, tomato, herbs, and sausage get chopped and sliced. It's important to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking.

Put a frying pan on medium heat with a tablespoon of butter and an equal splash of olive oil. The oil prevents the butter from burning. When it's hot, throw in the sausage to brown on each side.

Remove the sausage from the pan and put on a plate with a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Next, add the shrimp to the same pan and cook on both sides until pink. Just don't overcook the shrimp. It takes only a minute on each side.

Remove the shrimp from the pan and throw in the frozen veggies. Season with salt and pepper. When they are soft, add the garlic. Let the garlic cook for a minute, and then add the tomato. Season the tomato with salt and pepper. Allow to cook for another minute.

At this point, you may need to add additional olive oil if there's not enough fat in the pan. Sprinkle the veggies with a couple tablespoons of flour and stir to coat. Allow the mixture to cook for at least 2 minutes, stirring constantly. If I had the time, I would make a proper Cajun roux - thick and chocolate brown. But I didn't plan ahead, so my apologies to the state of Louisiana for making a roux that is as pale as my winter legs.

Now that the flour and veggies are cooked together, you need to add liquid to make a sauce. If you've got chicken stock, throw it in. If you've got bouillon cubes, add water and throw one in. I added only water and then seasoned with salt and pepper. Allow it to come up to a boil, so the sauce thickens. I like a thick sauce, so this is what mine looks like:

Once you've got the sauce seasoned to your liking, everyone gets in the pool.

The andouille gives it a kick, the sauce is creamy, and the shrimp have a nice snap to them. You can use kielbasi if you don't like the heat of andouille. This would be great with chicken, too. Throw in whatever veggies you can find: okra, peas, black beans. It's a wonderfully warming dish for a cold winter's day. Make a big batch and put it in the crock pot for a crowd.

You should always make what you like, and like what you make!