THE BEST STUFFED PEPPERS ON THE PLANET

My profession is that of a Personal Cook to a well-to-do family. Myself and the 'Lady' of the house work together to come up with just the right menus for each and every occasion. This being the end of my season with them, we wanted to serve something different than we had placed on the table so far. I suggested stuffed peppers and she seconded the motion and came up with this wonderful recipe from our 'Bible' of cookbooks (we both own a copy)~"Cooking With Class", published by 'The Parents' Council Charlotte Latin Schools, Inc.; Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a Cadillac cookbook and in our eyes even outshines 'The Joy of Cooking'. There...I said it, and it didn't hurt at all. The First Printing was in November of 1982. Her copy is falling apart and mine is running a close second.

The lady's name that submitted the recipe is Gensie. My boss lady always told me that if her name accompanied the dish that it was guaranteed to be wonderful. Gensie's addition of 1 cup of a dry white wine lends a depth of character to the finished product. Be sure and try this recipe. It is a real 'keeper'.

2 lbs. ground chuck
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix (I used Zesty)
1 cup raw rice
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 cup dry white dinner wine
6 large green peppers (I used 5 and they filled up our largest baking pan)
1/4 cup water
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute ground chuck in olive oil until well browned but not dry. Sprinkle with salt during browning.
*At this point I drained the grease off, yet I made sure that I cooked the beef only until the pink was gone from the meat.*
Stir in the onions and rice. Cook until onions are just limp. Blend in dry salad dressing mix. Add tomato sauce and wine. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes, remove from heat.
Cut peppers into halves, scoop out seeds and large membranes. Place peppers cut side up in a large baking dish or pan. Spoon filling into peppers, heaping up well. Pour water into bottom of pan. Cover and bake 55 to 60 minutes. Remove cover; sprinkle with grated cheese and return to oven 5 to 10 minutes longer until cheese is melted.
Can be prepared the night before and refrigerated until ready to bake.
Serves 6.
Gensie
"A recipe is only a reflection of the person preparing it."~Adele Forbes

ADA ALICE'S SEVEN-LAYER SALAD

I've often been known to say that I think I have one of the best jobs ever. I cook for a wonderful family during the summer months in a local area resort and in all I work about 4 months out of the year. Then my time over the next 8 months is my own to do with as I please. If you love to cook you may want to consider this type of career for yourself. When I work, I work really hard, but all in all it has its rewards. Amongst these rewards are all of the wonderful people I have come in contact with over the last 30 years. I not only feed them, I share recipes and stories with them and they in turn share with me.
This particular recipe was shared by a lovely lady who is a regular guest at the home that I work at and it is our 'go to' salad for large parties. Everyone raves about it. Try it for yourself, you will be sure to fall in love with it!  

Dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup bottled salad dressing (I use a white French type dressing-doesn't matter which one), 1 teaspoon each of dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper to taste.

1 head each of iceberg and romaine lettuces
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (I grate my own for this salad)
1 package small frozen peas
1 medium red onion-chopped
6 hard-boiled eggs-chopped
1 lb. bacon-cooked and crumbled
3 small cans sliced black olives-drained
3 small jars diced pimiento-drained

Make dressing, set aside.
Layer all salad ingredients in the order listed then top with dressing. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss to serve.

"It's never been an issue for me - I don't want to go on a diet, I don't want to eat a Caesar salad with no dressing, why would I do that? I ain't got time for this, just be happy and don't be stupid. If I've got a boyfriend and he loves my body then I'm not worried."~Adele-the singer