Slow-Cooked Stuffed Peppers

This quick and easy meal slow cooker meal is healthy and delicious.  It's perfect for a cool fall day. 

Time-Saver Tip:  Buy frozen, chopped, green pepper and onion and keep in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 4 whole green peppers
• 15-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped onion & green pepper
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. Italian Bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Wash and core peppers, removing seeds.  
2. Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking oil spray, then arrange peppers on the bottom.
3. In a medium frying pan, brown ground turkey, chopped peppers and onions.  Add salt, pepper, 2 tbsp. tomato sauce, and  1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs.  Stir well, then add brown rice.
4. Spoon ground turkey/rice mixture into peppers.
5. Top each pepper with 1/2 tbsp. tomato sauce, then sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp. Italian Bread crumbs.
6. Pour the remaining tomato sauce into the bottom of the slow cooker around the peppers.
7. Cook on high for 4 hours.

Enjoy!

Mary's First University Concert

I just have to tell all of you about a fabulous concert my mom June, sister-in-law Mae, and I attended recently. My niece Mary (Mae and my brother David's daughter) is in the University of Kentucky's Symphony Orchestra in Lexington, Kentucky.

This was the first time I'd seen the Orchestra perform in person, although they'd already had one major performance this year. The UKSO had provided the music for the opening ceremony of the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games, but we hadn't been able to go. We enjoyed watching the show online (our television cable service didn't carry the right channels!), but it wasn't quite the same as actually being there.

This concert was such a treat! I was so impressed by the incredible quality of the entire performance. The music was top-notch and sounded so professional. Of course, knowing my niece is part of that group had nothing to do with how I felt about it. (Okay, so it probably has a LOT to do with it!) Seriously, I've been to professional orchestral concerts before, and this 100-member university orchestra could give them some serious competition. (And, yeah, I have to brag a little bit on them. This orchestra is the only university orchestra with a recording contract, as far I know. You can hear their amazing music by purchasing a CD here.) They really are as good as the professionals. And I was so proud of Mary! She plays the upright string bass--beautifully, in my honest opinion. It's one of several instruments she plays, but it is the one that is dearest to her heart and that earned her a prime spot in the orchestra.

Mr. Hamlisch played many of his well-known songs from movies and plays (anyone remember The Way We Were or The Entertainer? Those are two of my favorites from a long list of favorite Hamlisch songs), plus music from some of his own favorite composers. I think he tended to rush through much of it, and that made it a bit difficult to enjoy fully; however, he did put on a very enjoyable show.

But, other than seeing Mary play with the Orchestra, a major highlight of the evening was hearing J. Mark McVey sing. Honestly, the man will give you goosebumps! We were able to speak with him after the show, and he is such a nice man. Very kind, down-to-earth, and warm without a hint of annoying "star" personality. I can't forget how, as we were leaving, he said several times, "God bless you." And, what's also really cool is that he's from Huntington, West Virginia, which about fifteen miles from where I live. It's always nice to see a local person do well, isn't it? If you'd like to hear him sing, I strongly urge you to go to his website and watch the video. He does "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. Just be sure to have a tissue handy! His website is http://www.jmarkmcvey.com. We ended up purchasing his CD, If You Really Knew Me: The Music of Marvin Hamlisch. It's seriously amazing!

We weren't allowed to take photos during the concert, but I've included two from just before the show to at least give you an idea of the setting. The top one is of my mother June and Mae before the crowds came in, and the second photo is of the stage before the orchestra arrived. The third photo is Mary in her final high school concert (holding "Big Ugly", the star bass of the high school orchestra). Additionally, I added a photo of Mary with Marvin Hamlisch and one of Mom, J. Mark McVey, and Mary. 

If you'd like to read more about the University of Kentucky's Symphony Orchestra, check out their website, http://www.uky.edu/FineArts/Music/ensembles/orchestra/.

Thanks for stopping by!
Sherry

Slow-Cooked Italian Chicken

Now that the weather is getting cooler, it's time to dust off that crock pot and start making some comfort food!  I have a couple of slow cooker cookbooks I love, and this is one of them.  It's called Fix it and Forget It Lightly. 

I like to try out different recipes in the book.  Last night, I tried out the recipe on P.17 called Jane's Slow-Cooked Italian Chicken (I kid you not).  It was delicious!  Here's the recipe, which I modified a bit:

Ingredients: 

• 3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces
• 1 pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
• 103/4 oz. fat-free cream of mushroom soup
• 1 pkg. sliced mushrooms
• 8 oz. nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:  

1. Spray slow cooker with canola oil cooking spray, then place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Mix together the other ingredients in a separate bowl and pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

For a side dish, I cooked up some brown rice.  When making it, I added 1/4 cup diced onions and green peppers, and about 2 tbsp. diced, roasted red peppers.  I also replaced 1/2 the water with some of the sauce from the crock pot.  My family loved this meal, so I'll definitely make it again.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Frugally Fine Mom-Cave

 

This blog post is my entry in the Mom-Cave Contest over at Censational Girl and Between Naps on the Porch.  This is my mom-cave, where I work, blog, create, get inspired and relax.  It's a small room, probably about 10' x 10', and believe me, every inch is maximized for good function. 

 

This is my favorite corner of the room.  It's where I sit when Sherry and I have our weekly chats.  I also love to curl up in front of the fireplace and watch decorating shows.   The French table and lamp were HomeGoods finds from a few years ago. I bought them with a gift certificate given to me by my husband.  

  

The television was a Christmas gift from my husband.  He mounted it on the wall above the fireplace to save space.  

 

Using this area rug I found on eBay as inspiration for the color palette in the room, the walls were painted a relaxing spa blue.  My son painted them when he was home for the holidays last year.

  

I bought a few yards of Waverly's Shawl Paddock fabric in spa and made a Roman shade for the window and two throw pillows.  I love the paisley pattern, which coordinates well with the colors in the rug. 

The loveseat was recycled from the den.  It was green, which didn't exactly go with the room, so I covered it with a chocolate brown, stretch pique slipcover.  I love these slipcovers because, unlike other types, they stay in place.  The cozy fleece throw I bought at HomeGoods for only $9.99.

The desk and chair were recycled from my daughter's old room.  They were white, but my son helped me give them a couple of coats of dark brown paint, which gave them a new look.  The desk doubles as table for craft and sewing projects. 

A mom-cave would not be complete without a coffeemaker and a mini fridge to hold snacks and drinks.  Both were gifts from my husband last Christmas. 

The wall organizer is actually a recycled top from an old deck box.  My husband helped me with the the project and installed it in the room.   He also installed a wall shelf, which holds a few baskets from CTS; they offer plenty of storage for craft and office supplies.  A sofa table, recycled from the living room, holds computer peripherals. The vinyl wall decal was only $11.99 and was easy to install.

Family photos that line the mantel remind me of my many blessings.  

The photo frame, a gift from my closest friend, Betsy, says it all.  Those blessings are exactly why this room is so special to me.  You see, my mom-cave was actually a Christmas gift from my husband and children.  Many of the items, as well as the labor that went into the room, were gifts of love from them. As the scripture verse plaque in the photo indicates, in James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above."

I'd love some additional artwork and a few more throw pillows, such as the ones pictured above, from HomeGoods, to complete the room. 

I also think the drum shade on this lamp from HomeGoods would look great on the chandelier in my mom-cave.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Harvest Dining

Instead of using a tablecloth or placemats for today's tablescape, I folded coordinating pieces of fabric and placed them in a cross pattern on the table.

I like to gather items from outdoors to use in my tablescapes.  For a centerpiece, I filled a thrift store pitcher with colorful autumn branches from our yard.  I also scattered some pinecones, acorns and individual leaves around the table to add color and texture. 

Harvest stoneware plates and bowls, my favorite drinking glasses, all from CTS, Grandma's harvest gold napkins, resin leaf napkin rings, and Gibson's Royal Plaza flatware complete each place setting. 


What's for dinner?  I'll let you guess what we're eating with spoons. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

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