Oops!

• Just because a recipe calls for it doesn't mean you have to use it (I hate cilantro but love parsley)
• Do not ever believe the number of servings because it makes a big difference on who you are feeding
• Good cooking does not have to be or should it be difficult
• Not everything has to be made from scratch
• Great ideas come from food magazines but be daring and change them up
• Cooking for family and friends is good for the soul

 

  

 

It's going to happen.  The recipe you have been making successfully for ten years is going to turn on you.  And you know when it's going to happen---when you've invited guests to whom you've been raving about the same turncoat recipe.  Or, as in my case, it will happen just after you have posted the recipe to your blog.

I took out the cabbage, the potatoes, the carrots and the corned beef and plated it all up.  The vegetables were quite flavorful and cooked perfectly.  The corned beef, not so much.  It was tough!  My husband waited for me to say something.  He wasn't going to fire the first shot that could land him with frozen dinners for the next month.  "This corned beef seems tough," I say.  He breathes a sigh of relief and agrees.  I am quite confused as I have made this same exact recipe in the same exact way for at least ten years.  So, of course, my first thought---it was a bad corned beef.  I don't even know if that's possible.  Some are fattier than others but bad?  No, I had either over or under cooked it.  If it was over cooked, I couldn't fix that.  Undercooked could be dealt with.  

Having absolutely nothing left to lose, I threw  it back in the pot and cooked it for another 2 1/2 hours.  Viola!  I had my corned beef cooked to perfection and could happily construct my reuben sandwiches the next day.  Some times you can fix a recipe gone bad.  

But what caused this fiasco?  In retrospect I realized that this particular cut was thicker and more compact that any I had made before.  I should have adjusted the cooking time for this cut.  Now, I know.

Now, what you should know is this---don't ever tell your guests you're having them over for some wonderful dinner you have been making for years.  Instead, tell them to come over for a new recipe that you want to try out.  This way if your recipe goes rogue on you, your guests won't think you haven't any taste buds and you can say "well I guess this one isn't a keeper."  And if it turns out perfectly, like it always has before, your friends will think you have a great sense for recipes.  It's a win, win.

Now this recipe has worked before but I'm not telling anyone.

Stuffed Peppers

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice

1 cup water

6 red, orange, yellow or green peppers

1 8 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

salt and pepper to taste 

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put a pot of water on to boil.  Cut peppers in 1/2 and scoop out membranes and seeds.  After water comes to a boil put the peppers in for 4-5 minutes and then plunge into a cold bath.  This step reduces the cooking time and keeps the beef mixture from drying out.  Place the rice and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and cook 20 minutes.  In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef until browned.  

In a bowl mix the browned beef, the cooked rice, one can diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Arrange peppers in a shallow baking dish and divide the mixture among the peppers.  Mix the tomato sauce and Italian seasoning in a bowl and pour over the stuffed peppers.

Bake twenty minutes in the preheated oven, basting with sauce after ten minutes.

These freeze well.  Or if you want to make less, reduce the number of peppers and freeze the leftover rice and beef mixture for easy prep the next time.  And remember, its your recipe, if you feel like it you can throw some shredded cheese on top of the peppers before you pour on the tomato sauce.  Or you can try making it with ground lamb or a mix of ground pork and ground beef.  You can throw some chopped green onions in the beef rice mixture.  Make it yours.