Toffee Bars
2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 cups (4 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 (4-oz.) bars of milk or dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Blend flour and salt together then stir into butter mixture.
Spread the dough in a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Bake until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. The texture will be soft.
Remove from oven and immediately place the chocolate pieces on the hot cookie base. Let stand until chocolate softens, then gently spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle with nuts. While still warm, cut into 2 x 1 1/2 inch bars.
Stuffed Peppers
3 large peppers cut in half from top to bottom, remove seeds and ribs
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbps. olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. salt or to taste
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup cooked rice
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar Jack cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place peppers in baking dish and drizzle 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over the peppers. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt. Cover with foil and roast 20 minutes to soften. Remove from oven when done and lower temp to 375 degrees.
Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. and sauté onion until soft and translucent about 3-4 minutes. Add ground beef, salt, Italian Seasoning and garlic.
Increase heat to medium high and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon until meat has browned and almost cooked through.
Add sauce and bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered 5 minutes. Add cooked rice and 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Remove skillet from heat and fill peppers with beef mixture.
Bake in oven 20 minutes then top with remaining cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted.
Serves 4-6.
