Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients
3 or 4 whole green (or red) peppers
1 cup instant rice ) not cooked
1 pound ground beef, turkey, or veal
1 medium onion, chopped
1 15 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 cup salsa (you can use diced canned tomatoes if you don't like salsa)
diced tops of the bell peppers...should be a little less than a cup.
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 cup button mushrooms chopped
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
Cheese of choice.
You may also add water to the mix if it seems too dry. You will need the extra moisture for the rice.

Instructions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
2. "Core" the peppers (take the stems and seeds out) and scald them in boiling water for about 5 minutes, or until tender. **optional
3. On high to medium high heat, cook the meat in an ungreased, non-stick or well-seasoned skillet (the fat will keep the food from sticking).
4. When the meat is almost done, add the chopped onion, and continue cooking until the meat is done and the onion pieces are translucent (add olive oil if necessary). Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Lower to medium heat and stir in the diced bell pepper tops, garlic, and mushrooms cooking just long enough for the veggies to start to soften. add tomato sauce and salsa. Stir until completely combined and simmering.
6. Add the uncooked rice. Stir.
7. Fill the bell peppers with the meat sauce. You will have extra sauce, leave it in the pan to surround the stuffed peppers.

8. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the rice is fully cooked.
9. Turn off oven, uncover peppers. Add your favorite cheese to the top and put back into the hot oven to melt cheese. I used pepper jack cheese.

Rutabaga Yeast Bread

Just about everyone has had Potato Yeast Bread at least once...maybe even Sweet Potato Yeast Bread... well here is Rutabaga Yeast Bread.. It turned out sweeter than the average bread..In this batch I omitted the eggs, dough works well with or without.  Info about the Rutabaga .  I have also cubed and fried with potatoes and cabbage...The added flavor turned out amazing.

Yields: 2 loaves
Cook time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sweet butter
1 cup warm mashed Rutabaga
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoon dry yeast
1/2 cup warm fresh apple sauce (unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon honey or granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
2 teaspoon salt
6 to 7 cups unbleached white flour (may use more)
1 egg (for glaze)
Preparation:
In a large saucepan, bring the milk just to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the butter, mashed rutabaga, and honey; stirring vigorously with a wire whisk to blend. Let sit until it has cooled to lukewarm.
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm applesauce with the honey or sugar. Let it sit until frothing. Add the lukewarm rutabaga mixture to the yeast, along with the nutmeg, eggs, and salt; beat well.

Add 2 1/2 cups flour and beat 2 minutes with an electric mixer or at least 200 strokes by hand. Stir in the wheat germ, if using. Gradually add more flour, as much as it take to make dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. Sprinkle on a little more flour if it remains insistently sticky, but expect some stickiness because of the potatoes. When it has become elastic, especially if blisters appear on the surface, you can stop kneading.

Put the dough in a buttered bowl, turn it over or brush the top with melted butter, cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until it has doubled in size.
Punch the dough down, turn it out onto the board, knead a few times to press out air bubbles, and cut in half. Cover with the towel and let rest about 10 minutes.
Grease two medium to large loaf pans. Shape the dough into loaves, put in pans, and brush the tops with melted butter. Cover and let rise again until about doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes. About 5 minutes before you expect them to be done, take the loaves out of the oven and brush with a egg beaten with 2 tablespoons milk or cream; return to the oven. They are done when the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to cool on a wire rack. Makes 2 loaves.

I decided to make a pan of rolls with half of the dough and then make two small loaves of regular bread..(fits in my toaster)

Smoked sausage, fried potatoes, fried rutabaga and cabbage.