Recipe: Stuffed Peppers

I must have jinxed us because right after I wrote about it feeling like spring in the middle of January, a cold snap arrived and it was a lovely 21 degrees today with a wind chill of 8. Brrrrrrrr. I don't know about you, but you'd think I could handle this weather after spending five years of my life in snowy, cold Syracuse, New York. However, I've acclimated to balmier temperatures of the south (ok, more like mid-Atlantic) here in Baltimore and I, quite frankly, don't have time to mess around with weather like this!

Last night, we wanted a meal that would warm us up and stick to our ribs. Being in full swing of Valentine season and the shop being busier than ever, I also needed something that I could throw together quickly for dinner. Having bought a ton of green peppers at the grocery store the other day, we decided to go with stuffed peppers. They definitely hit the spot!

Ingredients

• 4 large green bell peppers, cored and hallowed out
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
• one small onion, diced
• one clove of garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• a few dashes of cayenne
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Hallow out green peppers and set aside. Prepare your rice (about 3/4 cup dry rice will make 1 1/2 cups cooked). While rice is cooking, brown the ground beef along with the onion and garlic. Add spices to ground beef mixture. When rice is cooked, stir rice into ground beef mixture. Using a large spoon, fill green peppers with filling. Top off green peppers with cheddar cheese and place peppers upright in a baking dish. Bake for 25-35 minutes at 350. Peppers should be soft and tender and cheese should just be browning when the are finished. Serve with a dollop of sour cream (and a decent glass of red wine if you're like me!).

What recipes have you been enjoying lately?