green pepper

Ground turkey, green peppers, onions and spices, swimming in a flavorful, tomato broth. Top it with rice or pasta, and a heaping spoonful of fresh parmesan cheese and dig into a little bowl of happiness. Perfectly rich, wonderfully healthy, and completely comforting, this Turkey Stuffed Pepper Soup is a great way to welcome the fall weather.

Happy Sunday! I hope you had a great weekend. Life sure has been busy around here lately! It seems like the last two weeks have almost been a blur. Andrew has been traveling a bit more, (which makes for some longer days for this momma), but the boys and I have been enjoying our library mornings and many other activities. The highlight of our weekend was heading to the fall festival at our city park. Pony rides, hunting for candy in the hay, apples, donuts, and some good old-fashioned family time! Here are some of our favorite pictures from the event.

Speaking of fun events, guess what? Last summer, I had the opportunity to play the role of Ashley in the movie, She Lights Up Well, that was being filmed in our area. What an amazing experience! It was sure a treat to get all dolled up, and for one day, step out of my roll as Mommy, and step into the spotlight. I loved working with the cast and crew of the movie, they were all fantastic!

I am so impressed with Joyce Wu, the writer, director, and star of the movie. She is wonderful, and has worked so hard to achieve her dream with this movie. A little over one year later, I am so excited to say that the movie is complete and ready to be seen! Andrew and I watched it the other night and were definitely impressed! It’s such a sweet story, and a great movie. You should definitely check it out!

Here is the official trailer:
http://youtu.be/sKCo7u4tEQQ

You can watch the whole movie here:
http://www.seedandspark.com/cinema/she-lights-well

And here’s my scene in the movie:

I even have my own IMDb credit 🙂

If you’re looking for a superstar meal to add to your fall collection, here it is! I spent a long time researching and brainstormingideas for this recipe before even setting foot in the kitchen. Two of my favorite inspirations came from Gina’s Stuffed Pepper Soup at Skinny Taste, and Stuffed Pepper Soup, by Rachel Ray. I liked different parts of each of these recipes, but also had plenty of my own ideas, as well. For the all-around, best stuffed pepper soup, you won’t be disappointed when you serve up a heaping bowl of this Turkey Stuffed Pepper Soup. Easy, healthy and delicious, what’s not to love?! Oh, and it also freezes well, too!

This is such a great soup for the fall and winter. It’s rich, comforting, filling, and good for you! I love how versatile it is, and how much you can customize each bowl. Serve it with rice, or short pasta, and shredded parmesan cheese. You can also add a side salad, and crispy bread and butter if you want, or keep it simple, and it can be a meal on its own. However you serve it, one thing is for sure, this Turkey Stuffed Pepper Soup will soon be a hit!

Turkey Stuffed Pepper Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
2 large onions (5 small), diced
3 large green peppers, seeded and diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (and juices)
1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (7 tablespoons) tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoons marjoram
1 bay leaf

To Double:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds ground turkey
4 large onions (10 small), diced
6 large green peppers, seeded and diced
12 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes (and juices)
3 quarts (12 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (14 tablespoons) tomato paste
4 teaspoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons dried basil
2 teaspoons marjoram
2 bay leaves

Instructions

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium-high heat, add ground turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Once turkey is cooked, add onions, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir together, then cover and cook until veggies are tender, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then add the tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, oregano, basil, marjoram, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Serve soup in bowls and stir in a scoop of rice (or short pasta) to each bowl, and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese.

http://elizabethshome.com/turkey-stuffed-pepper-soup/

Juicy bites of steak, sautéed with tender green peppers and onions, smothered in provolone cheese, and served on a fresh roll. Impressive enough for company, or quick enough to make on a weeknight, these Easy Philly Cheese Steaks are sure to knock your socks off!

To be honest, I had never tried a Philly cheese steak before a few months ago. Andrew mentioned them a while back, and I thought I would make them as a nice surprise for a special dinner. Who knew Philly cheese steaks would become one of my new favorites? But then again, what’s not to love about steak, onions, and green peppers covered in melted cheese, and nestled in a soft, white, little roll? Well, I guess nothing.

It has been quite an eventful week around here. While Andrew has been hard at work, the boys and I have been busy building huge lego towers, attending library activities, going on lunch dates, and running errands. James even learned to count to ten and say his own name this week, (“Jame”). We’ve also had a number of cooking lessons that have been more than successful. We’ve really been on a role lately! It’s so nice to have such great little helpers.

However, the BIG event that topped off our week, happened Friday night while I was feeding the boys an early dinner. I turned my back for a split second, and I heard James calmly say “Momma, pea!”. I quickly went to look up his nose, and sure enough, there was a huge, bright-green pea lodged firmly in his left nostril. (He has tried to put a pea in his nose before, but thankfully it wasn’t far, and I was able to just pop it out. I thought we were way past the “putting things in our nose phase”, but clearly I was wrong.) This time, however, the pea was really stuck. I could see it, but it wouldn’t budge. The strangest thing was that James didn’t even seem to mind! He just calmly finished eating his dinner, minus the peas that I immediately took away, and then even asked for seconds. William and I were much more concerned, though. Thankfully, I called the nurse and she told me that we could try a few different tactics to remove the pea on our own. When Andrew got home, we tried everything we could to pop it out, but it didn’t move. So, James and I grabbed our coats, and headed for a little Friday evening trip to Urgent Care.

I am still amazed at the fact that James remained completely unbothered by the giant pea that was stuck in his nose. All the way there, he kept saying “doctor”, and we had a long talk about how we do not put things up our nose. When we finally saw the doctor, he examined James and then told me that he could try to remove the pea using a bulb syringe to shoot air up his other nostril. He called for another set of hands to help hold poor James, and literally within about 5 seconds, the pea came shooting out of his nose! It was honestly kind of funny! James was totally fine, except he seemed a bit annoyed that he had to be held down. Thankfully, two hours and $25 later, James and I were able to return home, minus one green pea.

So, here it is. If you need the perfect meal to round out a crazy day, you’re in luck! An amazingly delicious (and pea-less) recipe. These Easy Philly Cheese Steaks are truly out of this world.

Easy Philly Cheese Steaks

Yield: Serves 4

Easy Philly Cheese Steaks

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 green pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
4 hoagie rolls
7 slices provolone cheese (about 7 ounces)

Instructions

Slice meat into 1/8" thick slices. Then run knife through sliced meat again, to dice.
In a medium bowl, add steak and toss with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large cast iron, or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and green pepper. Stirring often, cook for about 8 minutes until veggies are softened but still tender. Stir in garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Remove veggies from pan and place in a clean bowl and set aside.
Return pan to medium-high heat and add another teaspoon oil. Once hot, add meat and cook until browned and not pink, stirring often. (Pour off excess liquid.)
Turn heat to low, add veggies back to the pan with the meat, and stir. Lay sliced cheese over meat and veggie mixture and allow to melt. Stir to combine melted cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately on rolls.

http://elizabethshome.com/easy-philly-cheese-steaks/