Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

This is a great option to make if you don't want to spend the time stuffing peppers but still want that stuffed-pepper flavour.  It's easy and pretty quick, and makes a big casserole -- plenty for dinner four four with leftovers.   Ingredients: 1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey 2-3 green peppers, chopped coarsely 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 750 ml can of  tomato sauce 1 cup cooked rice 1 cup cooked barley (you could use all rice, but we used the 1/2 and 1/2) 1 cup shredded cheese (we used a combo of mozzarella and parmesan) salt and pepper to taste  Preheat oven to 350F Meanwhile, Saute beef with the chopped peppers and garlic until meat is cooked through.   Add tomato sauce, cooked rice and barley, and 3/4 cup of cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to combine. Spoon into 2-litre casserole dish; top with remaining cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. We served it with nothing more than some bread. It was delic...

I spent some time selecting recipes that I felt would be simple enough for a cooking lesson for the grandsons.  They wanted to cook dinner.  Now, like usual with kids, things didn't always go as planned but here goes . . .  Baked Chicken Superb 1/2 cup instant potato flakes 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup melter butter 1 frying chicken (3-1/2 lb), cut up On a piece of waxed paper, combine potato flakes and grated cheese.  Melt butter in large shallow baking pan.  Roll each piece of chicken in butter and then in potato flake-cheese mixture.  Place chicken pieces in pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in 350F oven for about 1 hour.  Serves 4 So I didn't want to buy instant potato flakes, mostly because I don't like them; we used breadcrumbs.  And chickens were expensive, but chicken thighs were on sale at a good price.  Needless to say we bought the chicken thighs.  I skinned the chicken thighs when we got hom...

Made these for supper tonight.  Super easy and super delicious!  Next time we make them we are going to customize them with different filling items.  Suggestions were red peppers, pepperoni, meatballs...... Ingredients Tomato Sauce: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary leaves 2 ounces diced pancetta 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pizza Pot Pies: 3 cups Tomato Sauce 2 cups diced roasted chicken 2 cups broccoli cut into small, bite-sized pieces 1 1/2 cups diced mozzarella cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 pounds pizza dough  ** Homemade or store-bought, whichever you prefer/have time for/can muster the energy for 1/3 cup olive oil 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan **Note that the recipe calls for six 10-ounce ramekins.  We didn't have those, so we used small French onion soup bowls. They worked perfectly!...

1-1/3 cup chickpeas or Garbanzo beans (dried), soaked in water overnight, then drained 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped 2-1/2 slices bacon, chopped 1 potato, peeled, whole 3 cups Swiss Chard or spinach, cut into 2-3 pieces 4 tsp olive oil 2-1/2 cups water to cook chickpeas 1 cup chicken broth salt and pepper to taste 2 cups water to cook the pasta 1/2 cup mezzi tubetti (pasta for soups) 6 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated Prepare the vegetables : coarsely chop the onion; peel the potatoes, leaving them whole; cut the Swiss chard into 2 or 3 pieces (if using spinach, leave them whole). Set aside. Heat the oil in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the onion and bacon, then sauté 3-4 min, with occasional stirring. Add the chickpeas and potatoes, then cook 1-2 min with stirring. Pour in the water, broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, about 45 min, until the chickpeas are softened, but  al dente  (if ov...

Strawberry Ice Cream 1-2/3 cups strawberries 1/2 cup strawberry jam 1 cup whipping cream 35% Prepare the mold (I used a loaf pan) by lining it with aluminum foil. Let some foil protrude over the edge to help unmold the ice cream «block» when ready. Hull the strawberries, halve them lengthwise, then put them in a blender.  Add the strawberry jam and mix at maximum speed until a smooth consistency is obtained. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.   In another bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Add the whipped cream to the large bowl and fold it into the strawberry mixture using a spatula.   Pour the cream-strawberry mixture into the prepared mould. Wrap it with aluminum foil and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight. About 20-30 min before you are ready to serve, unmold the whole ice cream onto a plate and let it sit for a while at room temperature to allow the ice cre...