Stuffed Pepper Pasta

This dish probably qualifies for what Rachael Ray would call a "stoup."  Too thick to me a soup and too thin to be a stew and too thin to be a pasta dish.  We had all of these lovely green peppers still in our garden ready to be used.  My husband asked for stuffed peppers.  I was dragging me feet to make them because the kids never really like them.  While shopping this week I saw orzo on sale and this recipe came to me.  And it worked!  Everyone ate it, even my super picky toddler!

Serves 4-6

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 or 3 Medium Green Bell Peppers, seeded and sliced into bite sized pieces
10oz Package of Mushrooms
1 Large Onion, diced
1lb Sweet Italian Sausage
14oz Can Diced Tomatoes
Half a Box of Orzo Pasta
Parmesan Cheese

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the peppers, mushrooms, onions and sausage to the pan.  Stir occasionally until sausage begins to brown.  Add the diced tomatoes, juices and all and stir.  Lower the heat to low and let simmer so all the flavors meld.

While simmering, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo until al dente.  Add some of the starchy cooking water to the sausage mixture, about 2 ladles.  Drain the orzo and add to the sausage mixture.  Combine and serve.  Top with some Parmesan cheese and enjoy!  Fork or spoon, your choice!

Honey Mustard Chicken with Sweet Potatoes & Bananas

I confess this was our break the fast Yom Kippur dinner.  The girls still had gymnastics so I needed a meal I could completely prep ahead of time and this was it.  And the only thing we had leftover was some challah!

Serves 5-6 People

For the Chicken:

2lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
2 Medium Yellow Onions, sliced into rings
A good handful of fresh basil
1/2 Cup Newman's Own Lite Honey Mustard Dressing

Place the chicken thighs and onions in a slow cooker.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with the basil and honey mustard.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.


For the Sweet Potatoes:

3 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Small Bananas, overripe is best
2 Tbsp Honey
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
Marshmallows

Begin by roasting the sweet potatoes, skin on.  Prick the potatoes a couple of times each before roasting.  I personally stick mine in the microwave on the baked potato setting and they come out perfect every time!

Once baked/roasted, let the potatoes cool for a couple of minutes.  While they are cooling, place the butter and bananas in a baking dish.  While potatoes are still hot but able to be handled, peel off the skin and place hot potatoes on top of butter to melt the butter.  Using a potato masher, mash the sweet potatoes and bananas.  Add the honey, nutmeg and brown sugar and mix.

Sprinkle some marshmallows over top the sweet potatoes.  I used large marshmallows, but small ones would work too.

At this point the sweet potatoes can be cooled and refrigerated for later or placed in a 400 degree oven and baked for 15-20 minutes until the marshmallows are roasted and delicious.


Note: The other items pictured are the challah (recipe under Rosh Hashana) and some steamed string beans with seasoned salt.