Stuff It!

Stuffed Peppers.

Most of us were brought up to think that meat and vegetables were cooked separately… side by side so to speak… but if you grew up in our house being that we were from Armenian descent, veggies stuffed with meat or dolmas as we called them were part of the norm. We stuffed grape leaves, cabbage, eggplant, tomatoes and even peppers.

Stuffing peppers is actually pretty common in a lot of cultures. Hungarians, Greeks, Italians and Armenians all have some sort of variation for this recipe.

The one I’m going to share with you today is an Armenian recipe. You can actually use this recipe to stuff just about any vegetable that you like! It's warm, tasty, savory and delicious!

Red, Green, Yellow… the color of the pepper doesn’t matter! This is one of those no fail type of recipes… go ahead and try… you can’t ruin it!

This one is for you Lelo… thanks for writing to me for the recipe! I know grandma would be proud of you!

Stuffed Peppers

8 Bell Peppers

1 pound ground beef/turkey/chicken

½ cup long grain rice

½ onion finely chopped

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 can peeled, petite dice tomatoes

Juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon dried mint crushed

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 small garlic clove minced

salt & pepper to taste

· Wash the peppers and cut off the tops & remove seeds. Set aside

· Mix the meat, rice, onion, parsley, garlic, cayenne, salt & pepper and half of the can of tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Combine thoroughly.

· Stuff the cored peppers with meat- do not stuff all the way to the very top. Leave about ¼ of an inch from the top as the rice will expand while cooking and it will overflow.

· Arrange the stuffed peppers in a large pot. Pour the remaining tomatoes over the top. Add the lemon juice, mint and a little water so thereis approx 2-3 inches of liquid in the bottom of the pan.

· Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer, covered, for about 45 min, or until the peppers are tender.

OPTIONAL: You may serve with a dollop of yogurt or Lebni (Armenian style yogurt- it has a thicker consistency than plain yogurt) on the side

Soup that warms your soul...

I'm so excited for Thanksgiving this week! I can't wait to eat all of the delicious recipes and to be able to sit down with all of my family and just be together!

The thought of it just warms my soul... ok, that was sooo cheesy! But I am going somewhere with all of this warmth, I promise!

Soup. Soup is warm. Soup warms your soul... and one of my favorite soups has to be Butternut Squash & Leek Soup.

(see, i told you i was going somewhere with that!)

This recipe is truly easy and only has 3 steps to it. It's a great way to start your Thanksgiving meal and a real palate opener for all the rest of the foods that are about to come! It's also a fantastic fast recipe for a cold night during the winter!

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I'm giving thanks to all of you who follow my blog and try out these recipes! Happy Thanksgiving friends. May this soup warm your soul! (I couldn't resist one last bit of cheesyness!)

Butternut Squash & Leek Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

1 leek stalk, chopped

2 stalk celery, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 large butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed (also can buy pre-packaged frozen or fresh squash from the supermarket)

1 container chicken stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the leek, celery, carrot, potatoes,and squash 5 minutes, or until the celery & leek are translucent. Pour in enough of the chicken stock just to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock if it's a little too thick. Season with salt and pepper.

**sidenote**

For a smokier flavor, you can put the cubed pieces of squash into the oven, drizzle with olive oil and roast them for 15 to 20 minutes.

For a creamier soup, can add up to 1/2 cup heavy cream into blender.

Fresh Herbs, i.e. Cilantro, Thyme, Chives or Finely Chopped Dill would be a delicious addition to sprinkle on top of each bowl.

Slice 1/4 inch thick slices of french bread, drizzle with olive oil and toast in the oven- use them to dip into the soup or even lay a slice on top.

If you wanna go the extra mile, it would be extra festive if you could find some pumpkin or squash looking bowls to serve this in.

Please feel free to email me any stories, memories or recipes that you would like to recreate at michelle@foodfromthehearttv.com!

Manga Manga Artichoke Bruschetta!!!!

Red ripe tomatoes, tangy artichokes, fresh creamy mozzarella, big bright green flavorful bunches of basil, deep dark tangy balsamic, rich robust nutty olive oil.... ummm YES! YES! YES!!!! These delectable words that I write are all describing none other than one of my favorites... Bruschetta!

I was with my husband Juan Carlos what seems like years and years ago on our honeymoon and we asked our taxi driver to take us to one of his favorite places in the city to eat... so he drove and talked and talked and used those fabulous animated gestures that naturally only an italian taxi driver trying to "a-speak-a-de-english-a" could only do... at one point removing both hands from the steering wheel and flailing them in the air to accurately describe what was to be one of the best lunches I've ever had!

We got there and from the outside there were men sitting on crates in front of this little door that had an opening that was so narrow I'm sure now in my post baby days I would surely have to turn sideways to fit in... followed by a teeny tiny set of stairs that led to what looked like a basement! I remember looking back at Juan thinking... we can't possibly eat here, this looks... well... how do I say... not like a restaurant... but Juan reassured me and reminded me that our animated taxi driver said "you will a-like-a dis and to manga manga!!!"

So we sat down and barely understanding an

ything that the big mama who was taking our order said to us (which I'm sure went both ways) she only said.... "I take care-a you!"

And boy, did she!

It was one of the most delicious meals to date that I've ever had and I don't know that even if I tried I'd ever be able to find it again! One of the first things we started with was an artichoke bruschetta... I'm not sure if it was the tomatoes, artichokes, the balsamic vinegar or the crispy bread that absorbed all of the juices and managed to still stay crunchy.... or maybe it was just Italy! But... ever since then I've been in search of artichoke bruschetta and have been unable to find it... Here's my recipe for it! It's a basic staple Italian Appetizer and sure to please your friends and family when you're entertaining... or just a nice snack to have on your own. You can also get so creative and add grilled butterfli

ed shrimp, goat cheese, pine nuts and well just about anything! It's fresh, it's crispy, tangy and I just love it! I hope you will too!

This is one of my favorites... it really is different and delicious!

ARTICHOKE BRUSCHETTA

Ingredients:

· 1 French Baguette or Italian Loaf of Bread

· 1 cup drained, canned artichoke hearts, chopped

· 1 cup chopped, seeded, fresh tomato

· ½ cup diced roasted red peppers

· 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

· 5-6 big leaves of basil chiffonnade

· 3 cloves garlic minced

· 3 tablespoons olive oil

· 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

· 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

· Fresh mozzarella small diced

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. With a serrated knife , cut off ends from bread and reserve for another use. Slice remaining bread crosswi

se into twenty-four 1/2-inch thick pieces. Place bread slices on ungreased baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted.

2.In medium bowl,combine artichoke hearts, tomato, red peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, basil, vinegar, cheese and pepper.

3. Divide artichoke/tomato mixture among toasted bread and spread to cover surface. Drizzle any liquid remaining in bowl over bruschetta. Arrange bruschetta on platter and serve.

Real Men Don't Eat Quiche

Real men don't eat quiche you ask??? Well just don't say that to my friend Peter who shared with me a story about his Aunt Jenny and "the best spinach quiche in the world!" He would religiously go to visit her every summer in North Carolina. So he sent me an email telling me all about her and his memories ever summer there and wanted to see if I could help him re-create it!

So my mission was kinda tough... I don't really know what Aunt Jenny's recipe was as she passed on a few years back and Peter hasn't had it since... and there's probably about a million and one different quiche recipes out there, but I did a ton of trial and error, I might add and I think Peter was pretty thrilled with the end result and said it was pretty darn close!

This recipe for Spinach Quiche is actually pretty simple and is super delicious! You can substitute the Spinach for just about any other vegetable that you might really like also.. for example, string beans, asparagus, artichokes, or even mushrooms.... ham, bacon or panchetta that's been fried is great inside of it too!

It's perfect to make for a fantastic light lunch or even for dinner along side a soup and small salad.

I hope you try it... and Peter, I hope I made Aunt Jenny proud! I can see why he remembered all those summers at her house... I guess that old adage wasn't so true after all!

Spinach Quiche

• 1 package unbaked pie crust shell
• 1 3-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup half and half (or milk)
• 3 eggs
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar (gruyere works well, too)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 4 to 6 green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup finely diced red or white onion or shallots work as well)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 425°. Bake Pie Crust according to the package.

Beat cream cheese in medium bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in half and half and eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is set, about 25 minutes. If the edges of the pie begin to brown, remove from the oven and cover just the edges with some aluminum foil and continue baking. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Keep sending me your stories and memories!