Confession Of A Pepper Holic! It's The Little Things!!

Yes, I know I posted stuffed peppers a few weeks ago, not only that, I have several other ones through the years!! Yes, I love stuffed red peppers or any color for that matter. No, not really, I don't like green, but most do. But today my post is not about color as much as about the simple veggie, cheese and bacon simple filling I came up with, and how my mind truly works most days!! Leftover stuffing? tip below!

First, I have a confession to make. When I spotted this gorgeous pepper at my corner market in the month of January, I was so happy. It was perfect shaped, a tick under 6 inches tall and stood out from the rest. My initial thought was pepper strips dipped in a nice ranch dressing alongside of my deviled eggs for an appetizer or snack. I got it out and after looking at it for several minutes I thought this is just too nice to whack up, it would make a pretty stuffed pepper and so I opened my fridge and whipped up my delicious filling. Ok, it's winter and so it's the little things here in Vermont!

Because I most always have, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, a multitude of cheese and bacon on hand I went with that. I diced the mushrooms, pepper top I lopped off, zucchini and sauteed them for a few minutes adding turmeric and Herbes de Provence to soften a bit. Next, I added in goat cheese and precooked bacon lardons I had on hand. No rice, quinoa or starch was needed with the amounts of veggies I used. Stuffed my pepper and baked at 375 for 25 minutes, then topped with a taco shredded cheese and put back in oven until the cheese was melted. I just did the one pepper because that was what I had, and it was a meal in itself. I never really measure amounts for my filling, although I have tried for recipes I post. My theory is, leftover stuffing of this type can be saved and used in many other recipes so is never wasted. Tip: It's even good in scrambled eggs or egg whites.

My theory about cooking through the years has always been the same. If you make it fun, it is not a chore, is great therapy and helps keep the family healthy and happy! You don't have to be a world-renowned chef; you just have to be willing to try!!

Be Safe and Happy Cooking!