Tim and I invited over a couple from church for dinner at the beginning of October. I had so much fun planning and deciding on what to cook for them. Who would have thought before I got married that I would enjoy this so much!? As a wedding gift my bridesmaids gave me a basket with six bottles of wine or champagne. Each bottle represented an occasion in our marriage. The bottle in the above picture was to be used for our first dinner party! It was my favorite white wine, Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling. I ended up choosing to cook stuffed peppers. It was a great choice because it can be vegetarian or you can add meat depending on your guests! I found two recipes on pinterest and combined them for this yummy dish!
Stuffed Peppers
6 Large sweet peppers
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 small tomatoes, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1/3 cup canned red beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1 can (4-1/4) chopped ripe olives
4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced (I used the ones right out of my herb garden!)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 lb lean turkey meat, cooked (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the peppers horizontally and remove seeds. Place the pepper halves in a rectangular cooking dish. In a large bowl combine, rice, tomatoes, corn, onion, beans, Monterey Jack cheese, olives, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper. If turkey is desired mix cooked turkey into bowl. Spoon mixture into peppers, packing tight. Combine spaghetti sauce and water. Poor sauce over peppers in dish. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cook for 45-60 minutes uncovered. For a softer pepper cover with aluminum foil. Yields 12 servings.