Growing up, I thought we were the only family who ate dishes like tuna casserole and stuffed peppers. And gush, too- goulash to everyone outside of our family. But I have come to find many of the dishes that we ate, most everyone else, particularly those who lived in the Midwest, ate them, too.

I made my mom’s stuffed bell peppers yesterday. I looked online and there are many other recipes just the same but I’m sharing it anyway (with a few modications). I have plans to change up the recipe; I’ve seen a variety of ways to update it like using quinoa instead of rice. However, yesterday I thought it would be best if I simply cooked it mostly as Mom did with one exception: I used the crock pot.

Try it, add some salsa or green chile if it’s too bland (my mom loved onions and spices, my dad was the bland one). But what I realized is that it’s an easy, filling meal you can make any time.

I also diced up six potatoes and dumped them into a bowl, mixing in several tablespoons of oil and added salt/pepper before baking them for about an hour at 425 degrees, turning out crispy baked potato bites.

Mom’s Stuff Peppers (with a few modications from me)

1 ½ pounds ground beef, the lower the fat content, the better

3 gloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cup cooked rice

salt and pepper

1 can condensed tomato soup

4 – 6 bell peppers with the tops cup off and the seeds removed

Saute the onion and garlic until it’s somewhat “glassy.” Mix the rice, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and uncooked meat. Fill the peppers and stand them on end in the crock pot (mine fit five). Dilute the soup with ½ can of water, then pour the mixture over the peppers. Simmer for at least six hours over medium heat. Spoon and drizzle the liquid over the peppers occasionally as they cook. Dish is ready when the peppers are tender.

Over twenty years ago when I moved to New Mexico, I had no idea how the food would influence my life. I had grown up on fairly bland food because my father liked it that way. My mom was constantly sneaking onions into things and, later, adding red pepper on top of everything, especially pizza. But moving to Albuquerque introduced to me to a whole new type of cuisine: New Mexican food.

The food here is very unique, a blend of Mexican and Native American influences, addicting everyone to red and green chile. It took me some time to figure out recipes that are my own but I would be remiss if I didn't say that they are influenced by both the food I've had here and my own cooking experiences.

I've been making my own red chile, recently using the dried pods. It's easy today to get the dried pods or the frozen puree no matter where you live. And it's not a lot of work to make the sauce (just remember to keep the blender lid on tight– I once ended up turning my white kitchen red) and it's cheaper to buy the pods. Bueno Foods is just one of several web sites where you can buy chile. The recipe I use to make my sauce is also from Bueno.

Here is the recipe to make what you see in the photo. Trust me, it's even better than it looks.

Serves 2

4 potatoes diced, skin on

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

salt and pepper

2 eggs whisked slightly

colby longhorn or other cheese that melts well

red chile sauce (see linked recipe for amount– what you see there gives you leftovers put on other dishes)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover cookie sheet or other shallow pan with non-stick cooking spray. Mix potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper and then spread of cookie sheet. Bake for approximately an hour (depending on your oven and how crispy you like the potatoes– I tend to like mine more crispy).

When the potatoes are finished, cover a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and heat on medium. Drop the eggs into the frying pan and when they have bubbles on top (like a pancake would), flip the egg pancake with a spatula.

In the meantime, cover a plate with the potatoes and add the egg pancake when it's ready. Then top with the red chile sauce and cheese. Heat in the microwave until the cheese is melted (should be less than a minute).

If you can't get red or green chile, use salsa instead.