Stuffed Bell Peppers:

I remember my mom making stuffed peppers when I was little, and I always loved them!

I have no clue what it is about them, they're just good!!

I know there's a million ways to make them, but this is the very traditional way.

Except cut in half, instead of left whole!

They do take a little bit of prep-work and time, but it's totally worth every minute!!!

I hope you give them a try and love them as much as we do!!!!!

6 medium-size bell peppers, any color

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 cup cooked rice

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

1 & 1/2 cups shredded cheese

Start by preparing the peppers:

Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut each pepper in half lengthwise.

Remove the stem and seeds.

Place in the boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes.

Drain on a kitchen towel; set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Add garlic, rice, 1 cup of tomato sauce, and 3/4 cup of cheese. Stir until well combined.

Place pepper halves, cut side up, in a greased baking dish.

Divide the meat mixture between all the peppers. Press down with the back of a spoon, so make sure the mixture is tight in the peppers.

Spread the remaining tomato sauce over each pepper.

Cover, and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.

Uncover, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until peppers are fork tender and cheese is melted.

Serve!!!

Italian Turkey Meatballs:

So, since I've gotten married, my cooking style has changed a little.

You know, families tend to have their style and preferences of food. 

I don't know really what my family's food style is, because we have so many people in our family, we have so many different preferences! What one person loves, three other people hate!!

Bradley and I have very similar food styles and preferences, and that has been awesome! 

I don't necessarily know what our style is called, but we'll call it "our" style for now! 

Just like with pretty much every area in life, we have taken pieces of our lives as individuals in separate families, and brought them together and now we're making our own "family style"!

And it's been awesome!!!

So, one thing we have tried that is different for both of us, is Turkey Burger. 

Bradley is not the biggest fan of beef because, especially in hamburger, it tends to be really greasy and that can be really gross sometimes!

I had tried turkey burger once or twice before, and really liked it.

Now, I pretty much love it!!!

It's completely interchangeable with ground beef. 

But, it's so much lighter than ground beef, and you don't have that greasy feel or taste. 

Also, I feel like you can flavor turkey burger a lot better too. 

Ground beef is already very strong, and it takes a lot of seasoning to really get a good flavor.

Turkey burger is pretty much flavorless to begin with, so it really actually screams for any kind of flavor you want to give it! It can be subtle, it can be bold, it can be spicy, it can be sweet! 

The choice is yours!!

These meatballs are pretty much a happy-medium and a blank canvas, just waiting to be "personalized"! 

They are really, really good. Super soft and light, very flavorful and hold together nicely. 

We loved them!

I tossed them in some marinara sauce, and baked them until they were heated through.

Very yummy!

I hope you give them a try!!!!

2 lbs. ground turkey

4 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon black pepper

dash of salt

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 cup quick oats

1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl, until thoroughly combined - 

your hands are probably going to be your best tools here!

Use a cookie baller/scoop to keep all the meatballs the same size.

Roll the balls in your hands, to make a nice round shape.

Place on a greased cookie sheet, 1/2 to 1 inch apart (you don't want them to touch).

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown in color, and no longer pink in the center.

(Note:

-My turkey was very lean, so there was no need to drain them after they were baked. But if there is any amount of grease in the bottom of your pan, you will  want to place the cooked meatballs on a layer of paper towels for a few minutes, before you use them.)

Use immediately, or place on a clean baking sheet, and freeze for 3-4 hours. 

Remove from the baking sheet to a ziplock bag and store in the freezer until ready to use!

In most recipes, you can use the meatballs frozen...no need to thaw before adding them to a sauce to bake or simmer, or throwing them in the crockpot!