Thursday, January 17, 2013

Snow Day!

Y'all --- It's SNOWING!

I woke up earllllly this morning to find out training was CANCELLED due to bad weather and saw a thin white layer of snow on my porch. I was giddy when I saw the flurries -- but a mere three hours later there were CHUNKS of snow falling from the sky!!!! "Giddy" turned into "ecstatic" and I turned into a little kid again and ran out in my PJs with a hat and gloves!

It's been SO LONG since I've seen a snow like this! Mississippi doesn't get a "good" snow very often -- growing up in the very south part of the state, we usually only saw flurries every now and then. But even when the flurries come it's cause for excitement and celebration!

Since moving to the central part of the state I've had yet to experience a real snow -- UNTIL NOW!!! I've felt like a little kid all morning...scurrying around my apartment complex taking pictures and building snowmen!

I'll be back later with a "real" post -- but I'll leave you with these pictures! Hope wherever you are today, whatever you're doing, wherever you go...you have a happy day filled with wonder and joy! :)
















And my favorite...

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Bell Peppers with a British Accent

TWO THOUSAND THIRTEEEEENNN!!!!

WOW what a year already! Fifteen days in and January has been currr-azy! Grand for sure, but crazy.

I've missed blogging. I really have! So if I'm a little excited about this post, forgive me, 'kay?

I'm glad we're friends :)

New Year's Eve was fabulous :) Hot chocolate, fireworks and a bonfire, just like we planned. Love :)

New Year's Day consisted of the long haul back to the big city. Two days later our work team was on the Coast for an event we were hosting...which may or may not have included the premiere of a certain British TV show dealing with a certain Dowager Countess....



 Kicking off the British theme, the night started out with "High Tea" -- our caterer was FANTASTIC. Y'all -- look at this GORGEOUS spread...scones, cookies, pastries, tea sandwiches...delicious.





A jolly good show!!! Jolly good show indeed :) I had GREAT fun talking in my fake British accent all night and wearing my ADORABLE little fascinator!!! I'm hoping to snag some photos from Bosslady and post them later.

Since then, work has been crazy busy. Add to that the fact that, for some reason, I've joined a 12-week 5 a.m. "boot camp" type program and it makes for some VERY long days! No regrets here though...just a day in the life! :)

I will tell you this, though...Once April gets here I will at last sleep like a little baby :) Aaaahhh....

Because of the craziness that is my schedule these days, I'm SO THANKFUL for meals like this that don't take a lot of time and/or effort, thus allowing me to crawl in bed by 9:30 :)

Instead of ground beef and white rice, I made these stuffed bell peppers using turkey meat and brown rice to give them a healthier kick, and I honestly could not taste the difference. I made this last week for supper and ate the leftovers for lunch, and they were just as delish the second time around -- YES!

First, brown your meat with some chopped onion - I don't use a lot of onion but you
can use as much as you like!


While this is going, you'll want to cut your bell peppers in half, clean them, and cook them. Cook them until they are just firm enough to pierce with a fork.


Add some tomatoes in their juice...

And your brown rice! I cooked mine ahead of time so there would be no crunchy. I also added a bit of shredded cheese at this point, just for giggles :)
 Then season as you wish :) I used salt, pepper,
Tony's and a dash of oregano.

Divide the mixure betwixt the peppers, I usually have a good bit left over.
Then top it with cheese like so... :)


Bake your peppers at 350 until the cheese is nice and melted and gooey :P
And then eat away -- ohhhh it's so delicous :)
Meanwhile I'm about to be an old lady and go to bed at 9pm...and with this rainy weather happening, sleep couldn't sound better :)


Stuffed Bell Peppers with Turkey and Brown Rice


Bell peppers - the number is up to you, I cut one in half and have two servings out of it
Lean ground turkey meat - I usually buy the smallest pack of meat, then only use half of that for this recipe.
Onion
Canned tomatoes
Brown rice
Shredded cheese
Various seasonings (I used salt, pepper, Tony's, and a dash of oregano)

Wash your peppers thoroughly and cut them in half, cleaning the seeds and spines from the middle.

Put them in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the peppers are just firm enough to pierce with a fork.

Meanwhile, brown your meat with chopped onion - as much or as little as you like! Go ahead and cook your rice as well.

After the meat is done, add the canned tomatoes and their juice and some seasonings.

Add the rice to the mixture and a little of the cheese - just enough to make it creamy and all delicious-like! Add more seasoning if you so desire.

Once the peppers are done, allow them time to cool before adding the mixture. Don't be afraid to pile it on here!

Top with shredded cheese and bake for about 10 minutes (or until the cheese is nice and melted).

Voila! Your peppers are stuffed! And delicious...enjoy! :)


P.S. You'll most likely have some of the meat mixture left over. Do not panic! It tastes delicious on its own and makes for a great side dish the next day :)