My Herb Garden & Greek Inspired Chicken Kabobs & Potatoes

After getting married in the summer of 2000, Nuno and I  moved into our first apartment in the big city - Toronto. We lived above a nail salon, on a busy main street.  It was a large, 2 bedroom apartment, not modern, but somehow, at the time, it was just perfect.  I remember falling in love with the large living room with the red brick fireplace.  That was the beginning of our married life.  One year later, we had a little girl, that little girl quickly grew up, and when she was 5, we had another little girl.  I recall my eldest, Anita, always asking for grass. Outside our apartment, there wasn't any grass, nowhere for the girls to play, only concrete and lots and lots of cars.  So 7 years later, we took the leap and bought our first home in the City of Barrie.  One of our main concerns was finding a place with plenty of grass for the girls to play.  And so we found our cozy little home, with lots and lots of grass, and soil for planting.  It's hard to believe we've only been here 4 years.  It seems like a lifetime ago since we lived in Toronto.  Last year, Nuno dug up a garden for us to plant our herbs in. One of my favorite things to do, is go out to the side of our house and pick fresh herbs to cook with.  In the fall, when things start dying off, I have to go to the grocery store to buy my herbs.  So I don't take for granted, this little herb garden, and all it provides during the summer months.

We have parsley, cilantro, chives, thyme, oregano, dill, lavender, rosemary, basil and mint.

And of course, a little gnome!

Look at the beautiful oregano!  It smells delicious!

On Thursday afternoon,  I went to the herb garden, saw all the oregano and decided to make a Greek inspired meal - grilled chicken kabobs and delicious baked potato wedges! 

I cut up vidalia onion, and green & red bell peppers.  I didn't have any mushrooms on hand, but they would be great too! I also cut up some boneless, skinless, chicken breast into chunks and wrapped them in bacon slices. 

I basted the kabobs with an olive oil marinade ( lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, finely chopped oregano) and set aside while I prepared the potatoes.

I used red baking potatoes.  Wash them and cut into wedges.  Next, add salt, pepper, olive oil, a little water, lemon juice, and freshly chopped oregano.  Thoroughly combine. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven.  Half way through cooking, remove pan from the oven and stir potatoes.  Add some more liquid, if it is drying out. Return to the oven until you reach desired crispiness. 

Grilled to perfection, on the BBQ, by Nuno, my grill king. ;)

Here are the potatoes, just out of the oven!  They smell absolutely delicious!  I can pretty much guarantee there will be NO leftovers, they're just too good!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the food on a plate.  I was in such a rush to eat the food, I totally forgot the picture.  But you get the idea! 

It is a rainy Saturday here in Barrie.  It has been raining for several days now.  I'm getting a bit tired of it now, but it IS good for the garden!  I hop you all have a wonderful, happy weekend, no matter what the weather! xoxo

Friday Night Stuffed Bell Peppers

Usually, I decide what we will be having for dinner early in the morning.  This way, if anything needs to be defrosted, there will be more than enough time for it.  This past Friday, I looked in the freezer and saw some lean ground beef and thought, "What could I make with this tonight?".  The idea of stuffed peppers came to mind.  I immediately took out the ground beef to defrost.  I went to the grocery store and picked up some fresh green and red bell peppers.  I just love the bright color and taste of these!

I bought 3 red and 3 green bell peppers.  I cut the tops off and reserved them.  Next, I removed the seeds and washed the peppers under water.  Make sure when you buy bell peppers for stuffing, that they sit flat on the bottom, so they do not topple over when you fill them! 

Put your bell peppers and reserved tops in a large pot of boiling, salted water.  I added 3 at a time, in 2 batches.  Boil them for approximately 4 minutes.  This significantly reduces the time they have to cook in the oven.  Remove from the water and set them aside to cool. 

If you don't have a food processor, I really recommend buying one.  It is such a handy appliance.  You can use it to chop and crush veggies, make sauces, even make pie crust!  It really is an essential in my kitchen.  Here, as you can see, I chopped up one whole onion and 4 garlic cloves. 

Saute onion and garlic in 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.

Add 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef. Stir and crush beef with wooden spoon until fully cooked.  Add salt, pepper, and seasoning.  

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Add 1 cup of cooked long-grain rice.  I used basmati rice.

Next, I added 1 1/2 cups of my homemade tomato sauce and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  Stir until sauce is heated through and cheese has melted.

Now, take your cooled peppers and fill them to the top with the delicious ground beef and rice mixture.

Place the bell peppers flat in a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Fill the bottom of the dish with 1 cup of hot water.  Bake uncovered, in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle tops with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.  Return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until cheese is fully melted.  You won't believe how gorgeous your house will smell at this point!

Remove from the oven and place bell peppers on a serving dish.  You can serve with tops on or off!

Isn't it wonderful how you can turn a simple vegetable into an edible treasure chest?  Each one hiding it's own little treasure inside!

I really hope you enjoyed this post.  The next time you have some ground beef lying around, and you're not sure what to do with it, maybe you can make some yummy stuffed peppers.  Thank you for stopping by my kitchen and I hope to see you again real soon!  I would love to hear your comments!  Happy Tuesday!