Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup

My family and I really enjoy eating a lot of peppers. The colours and flavours are exciting and something my little guy enjoys eating not only cooked but raw as well. I am always looking for different ways to prepare peppers and thought I would give a recipe I found on Pinterest a try.

The original recipe can be found at Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup.

I did not have to change this recipe in any way, other than using a gluten free chicken broth from a tetra pack over making my own homemade broth.

It was good and very filling, have lots of left overs. Everyone ate it and did not complain, they did offer suggestions though.

1. It cannot be called a soup, it is more like a casserole as there was very little broth left over after cooking.
2. Needed sour cream.
3. Less rice next time. I only used 3 cups and found it much.
4. Hot sauce makes everything yummy.
5. If you want it more like a soup add more liquid.

Will I make this again, for sure. It is a stick to the bones warm meal for a terribly cold night. The added bonus that I can freeze this for later use is fantastic and convenient for my busy family. The option of the crock pot or stove top also makes it easier to prepare.

To Pesto or Not to Pesto....

It is my hope to move my family from a lifestyle of processed, easy to obtain foods by just opening a jar or a box into a more healthy fresh make it yourself lifestyle, even if it takes a bit more time to prepare. With that, I grabbed more fresh fruits, vegetables and even herbs and spices.

On October 18, I tried to make a homemade pesto. I received a lovely bunch of cilantro and parsley, in my organic fruits and vegetable box. I took to Google to look for a recipe and came upon one that looked promising.

I found the following

Cilantro Parsley Pesto

Ingredients

2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs

2 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 large garlic clove, minced

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Pulse herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream. Pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.

I obtained this beauty from Martha Stewart's website. Figuring she knew what she was talking about since she makes her living this way.

I was wrong.

It was easy to prepare and did not take to long. But something was missing and a flavour over powered it. Could I pin point what was missing, no. Could I figure out what flavour was over powering, no.

My family ate it, with the exception of the 6 month old and the 3 year old who said it was gross after one tiny bite. When asked what the others thought of it, my husband and 15 year old both said it was missing something.

Will I make this recipe again? Who knows, but the only way it will be made again is with the addition of added elements that I will have to toy with until it is perfect.