Stuffed Bell Peppers, Abel style

Green peppers grow very well in our climate. These were utilized by my family for this favorite dish. We always served them with mashed potatoes to utilized the resulting gravy to its fullest potential. 

 5 - 6 medium bell peppers (any color will do but we always used green) 

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground meat 

1 1/2 cups rice after cooked (day-old is best) 

1 small onion diced 

1 tsp garlic powder 

2 eggs 

1-2 tbs milk 

1 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp pepper 

3 Tbs ketchup with more to top the peppers 

Cut the bell peppers at the top and removes seeds and core. It will be like a little bowl. You may have to trim the bottom is the bell pepper won't sit up straight. Place in a baking dish. In a bowl, mix the ground meat, rice, chopped onion, garlic powder, eggs, salt, pepper, and 3 tbs ketchup. Mix well. If the mixture seems dry, add 1 - 2 tbs. milk (or water). Fill the bell peppers with the meat mixture. Place back in baking dish. Top the bell peppers with ketchup (a somewhat thick coating). Then, sprinkle 1/2 tsp. of granulated sugar on top. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 - 40 minutes until done.

Doris' Southern Biscuits

This is nothing fancy -- my mom made biscuits every week when we were growing up. The ingredients were simple. No Bisquick-- but she did take the help of self-rising flour. We would eat these with tomato gravy, molasses and sour cream, or homemade strawberry jam. When they were day-old, she would split them in half, butter them well, and bake them until crisp under the broiler in the oven. They were even better like that.   The "biscuit bowl" is important to the southern kitchen.  Use a tupperware with a lid and store your leftover flour for the next batch.  It is a perpetual bowl that you don't wash.

A bowl with at least 4 cups self-rising flour 

1/2 cup shortening 

2 tbs. sugar 

3/4 cup milk (whole or buttermilk is best) 

Combine the sugar and milk.  Put flour in big bowl.  Create a well in the center of the four. Put shortening in the well.  Pour in milk  in the well. Start by pulling flour from the sides into the well with your index finger as you mix with your had. You will only used about 2 1/2 cups of the flour -- the other will stay dry on the side  Don't overwork the flour. You do not want to activate the gluten as it will make the biscuits tough. The dough will be somewhat sticky but you can pull flour from the sides as you form the biscuits. Just pat them into the size you like. Put them on a baking sheet and punch a fork into them twice to make vent holes. Bake at 400 degree until light and golden.

Shrimp Mirliton

This is a special request by Michael Wyatt. It is an Abel family favorite. My mom used to grow mirliton's in our backyard. When they were ripe, we would harvest them and have this awesome dish. Another name for mirliton is chayote squash. It is available in many markets. It is also a traditional Christmas dish in Louisiana. 

6-8 mirlitons depending on size 

6 tbsp butter 

1 medium onion diced 

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 

1 lb of shrimp, peeled and de-veined 

1 can chicken stock 

4 eggs 

1 -1/2 cups Italian breadcrumbs 

 Boil mirlitons with skin on until tender (a knife should be able to be inserted easily). Cool mirlitons. Peel and seed -- cut in half and remove seed and stem. Dice and put aside. Next, saute onion and garlic in all the butter. When translucent, add shrimp. Cook until pink. Add chicken stock and diced mirliton. Beat eggs and temper them with liquid from the stock. Add tempered egg mixture. Add breadcrumbs until somewhat thick, like a loose dressing. Place mirliton dressing in a casserole dish. Top with more breadcrumbs or parmesan cheese. Bake until set, about 30 minutes on 375 degrees. We love to serve this with prime rib or grilled steak. Note: Be sure to boil the mirliton before you peel them. Mirliton are very acidic before boiled and will literally cause your skin to peel if you work with them in their raw state.

Simple Mini Tart Pastry

I made these for my neice Lauren's wedding shower this evening. They are really easy and very versatile. Bake them before filling and fill with your favorite pie filling. Or fill them with your favorite savory quiche recipe. I also fill them with crawfish etoufee to make mini crawfish pies. 

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 

3 oz. cream cheese at room temperature 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

 If using a mixer, cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add the flour and mix on low speed until a smooth dough forms. You can also do the same thing by hand. Roll dough into half-inch balls and place in mini-muffin pan. Using your fingers, shape the balls to evenly cover the indentation in the tart pan. Another easier alternative is to use a tart plunger, available at most cooking stores. Just dust the wooden plunger with flour and press the dough ball into the tart pan. If you plan to fill them after baking, bake until golden brown at 375 degrees for about 8 - 10 minutes. Cool on rack. If you are baking with a filling (quiche, pecan pie, etc), bake until filling is set at 375 degrees.

Oreo Cookie Truffles

Becca found this recipe somewhere and decided to give it try. They are really easy and quite tasty. Serve as treats, for a party, etc. You might get hooked. 

1 package OREO Cookies 

1 package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 

8 oz of chocolate almond bark or other chocolate for melting

Crumble eight of the cookies finely and save for later. ( You can use the food processor or you can crush them in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining cookies to fine crumbs. Add cream cheese to crumbs in food processor and mix until well blended. Roll cookie/cream cheese mixture into balls. Dip balls in chocolate and place on aluminum foil or wax paper. Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs before they harden/

Pizza on the Grill

We finally got our grill out of storage (because we finally have a beautiful new wooden deck to keep it on). So, I have been grilling quite a bit lately. My family was in the mood for homemade pizza -- which we like a lot. But, it has been so hot and electricity so high, I didn't want to fire the oven up to the 450 degrees needed. I remembered watching someone on Food Network grilling pizza on the outside barbecue. It intrigued me. So I tried it. 

The result was excellent. Here is how I did it. I made a pizza dough using my go-to dough at my link on this blog: http://recipesfromronnie.blogspot.com/2008/07/crispy-bread-dough-for-rosemary-bread.html 

 I separated the dough into five equal pieces. Using two baking sheets, which I coated liberally with olive oil, I stretched the dough to the desired size -- I made oblong pizzas to fit my grill better. I then coated the top of the pizza dough rounds with olive oil. I fired up the grill to the high setting. When the grill was nice and hot (and brushed clean), I put three of the pizza dough rounds on the grill. They instantly began to bubble. I cooked them (with the lid down) until done on the bottom side (about 3-4 minutes). I then flipped them and dressed the browned side with my pizza toppings (this had to be done fast -- I turned the grill down to low while I did this). I then cooked them on low for about 3 - 4 more minutes until the cheese was bubbly. Because my grill is not huge, I had to do the last two pizza rounds separately. The result was excellent. Far closer to a brick oven than a conventional oven because you are cooking over actual fire.

Pita (or Tortilla) Crust Pizza

This is the easiest, quickest meal that everyone loves, pizza made on a piece of pita bread or flour tortilla. We do this on any night we are too exhausted to do anything in the kitchen. It is always a hit and takes no time. 

 Pita Bread Rounds or Tortillas for as many pizza's as you are making (white or wheat) 

Mozzarella cheese, grated (quantity to your taste) 

Some type of pizza sauce (marinara, white sauce, garlic infused olive oil, or pesto) 

Toppings (your favorites of any kind) 

 Place Pita rounds on a baking tray. Spread your sauce on. Cover with desired amount of mozzarella. Top with your favorite toppings. Bake at 400 degrees until crispy. My favorite combos are: Pesto, cheese, pepperoni Olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, and cheese only. Red sauce, cheese, ham, and mushroom These also make great appetizers. Cut into small pieces and serve!