Instant Stuffed Peppers – Easy Caregiver Special

I have all but quit fancy cooking, since I have squeezed my life into a style that saps the energy from my body rendering it a liability that the spirit must coax into operation each day.  Inwardly, I am refreshed. Outwardly, I am perishing along with my precious husband. (High drama here. Continue on, please.) (If you want to speed up the aging process, deprive yourself of sleep on a regular basis.) I trust that Jesus will make this body of mine last until my journey ends. This is the way I want it. I like my job. And, yes, I hope my body will snap back for me, as I enter the next season of my life, and my sleeping patterns become normal again.

Mini Meal for Johannes and Me

Here is my INSTANT version of stuffed peppers! In other times, I used fresh onions and garlic, and often fresh herbs. And, I made a sauce of my own rather than using canned juice. Now, I use dried herbs and dried onions, which saves time and limits work. Shaking little containers of spices and herbs into the meat is easy and turns out a delicious meal. If you don’t care for spices or can’t use them, your instant stuffed peppers will take even less time. God made peppers and ground beef full of flavor of their own. No help needed.

Green Peppers:
1.  Remove stems from peppers. (I used one pepper. Ha!) Cut peppers in half and clean out seeds.
2.  Boil a pan of water large enough to cover the peppers. Do not overfill the water with peppers.
3.  Plunge the peppers into the boiling water, in batches, if necessary, for 3 or 4 minutes each.
4.  Pour V-8 or tomato juice in the bottom of baking dish large enough to hold peppers. Reserve some juice for a finishing touch.
5.  Place parboiled peppers into baking dish.

Watching Netflix on computer while working. 🙂

Hamburger Mixture:
1.  Place in a bowl as much hamburger as you wish. (I used about 2/3 of a pound, very small amount.)
2.  Shake in thyme, sage, oregano, basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper, to taste. (I used only a few shakes.)
(Herbs and spices are optional. Substitute any that you like or use none.)
3.  Add dried minced onion. (I used about a tablespoon for my mini meal.)
4.  Add a squirt of ketchup or Worcestershire sauce, to taste, more or less, as preferred. (I used ketchup.)
5.  Add one egg (or two, or three, according to amount of hamburger). (I used one egg.)
6.  Add a small amount of oats, or bread crumbs, or rice, or crushed crackers, or whatever. (I used about a tablespoon of rolled oats.)
7.  Mix well.

Finishing:
Fill peppers with hamburger mixture. Pour a small stream of V-8 or tomato juice over top of stuffed peppers. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 55 – 60 minutes, or until meat is brown and juice is bubbling.

Enjoy.