I made dinner

During a lot of my pregnancy and well into my baby's life, I was lackadaisical about cooking dinner for the hubs and I.  But, I am trying to get back into the routine.  Cooking is something that I have always enjoyed.  And it is SO much healthier and saves TONS of money over going out to eat all the time.  Usually on  Sundays I plan out our meals for the week.  This drives my shopping list for the week.  I go through the cabinets and the freezer to see what we are short on.  Then I grab my reusable sacks and head to Krogers (my store of choice). 
So, since I will be going back to work in a few weeks, we are trying to get back to some routine.  I waited for the babe to wake up from his nap and off we went. 
Tonight's dinner was Stuffed Peppers, one of my all time favs!  Here's the breakdown:

4 large green peppers (I got these from the farmer's market in town yesterday)

~1 pound ground turkey or beef (I used turkey - don't worry, it was salmonella free)
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, diced
1 can Rotel
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup rice

Cut the tops off of the peppers and gut them.  Set these aside.

Start the rice according to the directions on the package.
(I didn't include a picture because no one cares what that looks like.)

Brown the turkey in a large skillet.  Add the garlic, cumin and pepper while turkey is browning.

Add the onions when turkey is close to done (about 5 minutes or so).  Cook until onions are translucent (about 2-3 minutes).  Stir this so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. 

It was roughly here in my cooking that I heard giggling from the other room.  So I stuck my head out to see this adorableness going on while I was literally slaving over the stove!  I love my guys!

Add Rotel to this mix.  (If you are not familiar with Rotel, get your head out of your toosh!  :)  This stuff rocks.  I have mentioned it many times before in several other recipes.  This is because it is amazing.  Any time I make anything Mexican-related, this puppy is added.  My family has been using it for as long as I can remember.  It's good.  And at less than $1 per can, it is a cheap addition to most meals.

Once the rice is finished cooking, add it to the meat mixture.  Stir thoroughly.

Arrange the peppers in a glass dish so that they are all standing up. Add the meat and rice mixture to the peppers. 

Now for the crrraaazy part!  Squeeze ketchup on top of the peppers.  Insane.  I know. 

I highly suggest using Heinz.  It is the best tasting.  And it's made right in the good old U S of A.  (They make it in Canada too, but it tastes a lot different, and it is generally not sold in the states). 

And finally, put them in the oven for about 30 minutes. 
My husband loved them.  Here is his dish about 5 minutes after being served. 

On a side note, if you are a vegetarian, you can easily make adapt this dish.  Instead of the turkey or beef, you can substitute black beans.  The black beans could even be added to this along with corn, jalapenos, or green chilies.  I think this is one of those recipes you can tailor however you see fit. 

Happy end of the weekend!