Chicken-Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

This week I made Chicken-Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers from the Tasteofhome Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2010 cookbook.

( recipe )

Thoughts and Variations
I used Cubanelle peppers and managed to get some that were decently big. I used mild salsa, because I don't do well with heat, but you could use whatever level of spiciness you want. I'm pretty sure my grocery store doesn't sell cooked shredded chicken, so I bought a pack of 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I sliced them thinly against the grain and cooked them in a pan with a little bit of oil over medium low heat. When they were cooked through, I cut the slices into strips and they looked about the same size as shredded chicken, and tasted okay too, so I think my modification worked well. I didn't have and couldn't find soft bread crumbs, so I just used the panko bread crumbs I had instead; they seemed to work fine. I used white long grain rice and bought garlic spaghetti sauce just for extra flavour.

At first I was really confused as to why I needed two pans, but it finally clicked that the six peppers wouldn't fit in just one dish, so that's why the recipe calls for two. get the filling together was pretty easy, even with having to cook the chicken breasts and slice them up like a did, although I had a little more than what would fit in the peppers. I baked them for 56 minutes and they seemed to come out just fine, and they tasted pretty good, though this dish doesn't necessarily hold up well as leftovers. I might make this again, but probably only if I was having company over, instead of just for myself. This also seems like a recipe that would be good with cheese, if that's something you like (I plan on putting cheese on mine tonight).

Weekly Update

This was a pretty good week for me. I got my second dose of the vaccine last Tuesday and felt shitty the next day, so I ended calling in for the rest of the week. My grandma's 75th birthday was on Friday and I was feeling well enough to go over for dinner. I got to see my grandma and grandpa, dad, sister, cousins and their kids so it was a great day! I also had a fun day Saturday with my sister and her friend; we went up to Elora Gorge and walked the trails then went tubing on the rapids. The rapids were small and infrequent and a lot of the river was quiet, so it wasn't quite as dangerous as it sounds. We all had on life jackets and a helmet too, so there was protection even if something went wrong. It was really pretty and lots of fun, so I'm really glad I went.

I had another therapy appointment on Monday and it went okay, but the things we talked about hit me harder than expected and through off my headspace in a way I hadn't anticipated. I spent a lot of the week feeling overwhelmed and like there was just too much to get done and that the list was never ending. I still have a lot to do, but most of the feeling has passed and I do have a little bit of outside help in getting motivated and getting things done. It's just really hard making and sticking to decisions sometimes, especially when I have other things I like doing better, and having to do it all the time can really suck.

I'm a little bit behind again on my temperature blanket; I have a few squares to crochet still, and more than a few to sew together. As soon as I get the fourth row finished (all the squares are done, I just have to put them together), I'm going to attempt to start sewing the rows together, so progress is being made!

I have another trip planned for this weekend, Ball's Falls this time, and it sounds like it's going to be a great time. I was a little leery about so many trips with my sister in the beginning, but they've been going really well and we've been getting along just fine. :)

I'm going to try to get some more stuff done this week, namely catching up on my blanket, weeding, and staying on top of my weekly stuff. I have a few extra things I want to get done, like folding laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and starting this month's book, but we'll see how far I get and what I can actually get done.

I hope everyone is doing well and extra love and support to those of you who I know are having a bit of a rough time right now. *hugs and best wishes to all*