Stuffed Peppers

Yum! Once again, a taste of spain wins here. Got the recipe from a book I actually first saw in Anthropologie. Go figure.

Time-wise, this one was a lot more work than last night's garlic shrimp. Although the actual time in the kitchen wasn't very intensive, between the rice, the pepper-baking, and the meat-simmering, there were a lot of long-cooking processes that couldn't happen simultaneously.

I added a little dollop of feta on top just as a tease (at room temp). would definitely do again.

Basic ingredients here:

onions

ground beef (lamb was suggested)

garlic

tomatoes

white wine

spanish rice

spices

olive oil

Baking

The only thing I really bake is ziti. I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen, and certainly some in front of the oven, but what I've learned fall into two basic concepts:

1. Get to know your oven. Not only does it make food taste good, but it's a finicky thing. When recipes say 350, that might be 325 or 400 on yours. There's no secret, you just have to try. And so I suggest starting out easy, with things like Mac and Cheese, baked ziti, potatoes, and other veggies.

2. Read the recipe. I usually don't spend a lot of time hovering over recipe books but when the oven is involved, I tend to stay close to the page. The difference of a few degrees may make or break your meal, so before the guests arrive make sure you've experimented.