Cooking with KP: February 2026

Pepper Jack Rice Bake

I saw someone cook this on a Facebook Reel. Then I found the recipe online at Plain Chicken. It is a wonderful side for a Mexican dinner or simply with some baked chicken or pork chops. It is great for those times when you need to bring a covered dish. This recipe called for already cooked rice, so make sure to cook your rice first. You will need 6 cups of cooked rice. 1 cup dry rice makes roughly 3 cups cooked, so 2 cups dry rice makes about 6 cups cooked.

2 Tbsp oil

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

6 cups cooked rice

1 (8-oz) container sour cream

1 (10.5-oz) can cream of celery soup

2 (4.5-oz) cans chopped green chiles

1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen

2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese, divided

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13x2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes.

Combine cooked rice, sour cream, soup, green chiles, corn and cooked pepper and onion, and half of Pepper Jack cheese.

Spread rice mixture into prepared pan.

Cover dish with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining cup of Pepper Jack cheese.

Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes

Italian Sausage and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I discovered this recipe watching social media reels. It is delightfully filling and wonderfully flavored. Great for family dinner or to bring over to a someone as a meal train dinner. Wonderful as a meal with a side salad and bread.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

16 ounces Italian sausage

14 ounces jumbo shells

15 ounces whole milk Ricotta

1 large egg

2/3 cup Parmesan, finely shredded

1/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt and black pepper

24 ounces marinara

12 ounces Mozzarella, shredded

fresh parsley, finely chopped (garnish)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 chopped yellow onion and 16 ounces of ground Italian sausage into a large skillet and place it over medium heat
Break up the sausage into very small pieces as it cooks
Once the sausage is cooked through and the onions have softened, transfer them into a large bowl and set aside for now
Bring a large pot of water up to a rolling boil
Once the water is boiling, add a large pinch of salt and 14 ounces of jumbo shells and cook according to the instructions on the box
Drain the shells and set them aside
Add 15 ounces of whole milk ricotta, 1 large egg, 2/3 cup of finely shredded parmesan, 1/3 cup of finely chopped basil and 2 cloves of finely minced garlic to the Italian sausage and onions and mix until everything is fully incorporated
Transfer the filling into a pastry bag or gallon zip lock bag (optional)
Add a layer of marinara into the base of a 9"x13" baking dish
Fill the shells about halfway with the Italian sausage and ricotta filling and arrange them in the baking dish in a single layer
Once the dish is filled, spoon additional marinara over the shells
Cover the entire dish with shredded mozzarella
Cover the baking dish with foil and place it in a 350 degree oven
Bake for 35 minutes covered, remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned to your liking
Garnish with finely chopped parsley (optional)

Cheaper Cuts of Beef Don't Have To Be Tough

Most people avoid the cheaper cuts of beef because they tend to be tough. With 8 children and three adults in our home, my mother had to find ways to tenderize the cheaper cuts of beef. One way to cook "down", as my mother used to say, a tough cut of beef steak is to season both sides of the steak with garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Lightly brown the steak in a large skillet and on top add a diced green bell pepper, medium onion, a bay leaf, parsley flakes, a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cover with lid. Let the steak simmer for 30-50 minutes. Remove lid and thicken juices by cooking 5-10 more minutes. You can also do the same with a cheap beef roast in a crock pot. Add all the ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The flavor is simple, amazing and great with mashed potatoes.

Fall Vegetables for a Healthy You

As the fall approaches, we will all start to stay indoors more hours. This will lessen our vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, and K, which are enhanced by sunlight. Below are a few vegetables you might want to increase in your diet as the fall and later winter days approach. Besides, they are very tasty. In fact, in the next few weeks, I will be posting recipes that incorporate many of these delicious veggies.

Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries.

Bell peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K. These sweet peppers are flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. You can choose from a rainbow of colors, including: green peppers,yellow peppers, orange peppers,and red peppers.

Summer and winter squash are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and fiber and can be served alone or added to many dishes.

Just a few tips for you...

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!

Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love them.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugarcone to prevent ice cream drips!

Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!

If your celery begins to wilt in the fridge, fill a large cup half full of water and place celery in the cup. Put back in the fridge for two hours--it will be crisp. (Learned this from my mother).

Cooking Myth Busted

A Potato Can Save a Salty Soup or Stew. True or False? False. "This is an attractive idea, but it doesn't work because potatoes are not particularly absorbent," says Wolke, who conducted his own soup-and-potato experiment for his Cooking Myth Busters book. "There is no reason they would attract salt." If you remove the raw potato from the soup, the potato will taste salty, but so would a sponge — it has simply soaked up some of the salty liquid. Still, there is hope for salty stews: Adding a bit of vinegar or sugar can "cancel out" the saltiness by giving your taste buds competing flavors.

Super Moist Turkey

If you are looking for a way to get a moist turkey, you might try one of these family hints:

1--bake the turkey upside down--breast down for the first half of the cooking time. It will help the darker meat cook more thoroughly and the fatty juices of the darker meat will drip down to the breast and add moistness. Use a deep roasting pan for this.

2--bake the turkey with the breast up, but rub it with butter, garlic powder and pepper only. Do not salt the skin. Instead, mix salt in a cup of warm water and pour that cup of salted warm-not hot-water inside the cavity of the turkey. The salt water will steam up into the turkey, making it very moist.

3. bake the turkey with the breast up and slice two lemons and one orange in halves. Place the halves inside the seasoned turkey and the juices will steam into the meat, adding moisture and flavor.

Hint of the Week

Here is something I learned from my wonderful Mother, the greatest cook I have ever known. When you have just a small serving of cooked vegetables leftover from dinner, don't throw them away. Keep a large plastic container in the freezer and put the vegetables in the container. Mix them--carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, etc. When the container is full make a pot of soup or stew. Also, if a recipe calls for 1/2 a chopped onion, chop the whole onion and add the half to the freezer container. My mother made the best vegetable soups from this idea.

Hint for the Week

With Fourth of July quickly approaching, you might be thinking of making Deviled Eggs. If you want perfectly boiled eggs, place eggs in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Do not layer eggs on top of one another. Bring water to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and let eggs simmer 8 minutes, return to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and empty hot water and fill pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. To peel easily, slightly crush shell in your fist and roll on counter with a firm grip. Of course, you don't want to push through the egg, but by making the shell crack in many small pieces, it is easier to peel. My father saw this on a cooking show years ago and taught me this. It truly works.