Summer is here, and I am in fear!

I'm running out of dinner ideas!!! I feel like we have the same 5-10 dinners, and it's time to try something new. I like recipes with fewer ingredients. Anything crock pot recipe is great.. because Jed doesn't get home from work until 10pm-12am depending on where he is working that day. Oh.. and I'm looking for some new ideas with beef (we eat chicken allll the time, and he's getting tired of it), but we're usually too poor for anything but ground beef. Does anyone have anything they'd like to share?

One of our favorite beef meals is pretty easy, and scruptiously delicious! --Stuffed Bell Peppers!
This recipes is for 2 peppers. You can adjust as needed.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium green bell peppers
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided
• 1/4 cup uncooked instant rice
• 3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Cut tops off peppers and discard; remove seeds. Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside. In a bowl, combine beef, 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, rice, 2 tablespoons of cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and egg; mix well. Stuff the peppers; place in an ungreased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-60 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and peppers are tender. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

This recipe is very easy to modify. I've used all colors of peppers. I always use soy sauce instead of Worch. And sometimes I like to use half ground beef/half ground sausage so it has some zing to it!

Spring Time Pasta

Spring is here and it makes me want to stuff my face with vegetables! Asparagus is one of my favorites and it makes this pasta delicious and healthy. Try it with wheat pasta too! It is super easy and really quick! Enjoy!Asparagus Pasta
16oz pkg penne pasta
1 lb bunch asparagus
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 c low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
¾ c shredded parmesan cheese (divided)
2 Tbsp butter
1 c pecan halves, toasted and divided
parmesan cheese and pepper for garnish

Prepare pasta according to package, rinse, and drain. Snap off tough ends of asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces. Sauté asparagus in hot oil in a large skillet over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 2 minutes or until asparagus is crisp/tender. Season with salt and pepper. Toss together pasta, asparagus mixture, basil, ½ c cheese, butter, and ½ c pecans. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese and pecans.

P.S. We're coming to Utah for the summer if anyone wants to play!

Emily