Hazelnut Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

We ate a lot of tacky food in the 70′s, and stuffed bell peppers are in the Tacky Foods Hall of Fame. Ground beef, Velveeta cheese, Worchestershire sauce. We’re talking serious tackiness. But, hey!, what can you expect from people who wore leisure suits and platform shoes?

I decided to remake this classic from my early married life in the late 70′s. Healthier. And yummier. Cooked with love in every bite.

I cooked my weight in stuffed peppers as a newlywed, thinking my sweet groom loved them. He ate them, smiled and hugged me every single time I dished them up. Then one day my culinary prowess was ripped like a rug from under me.

“So what do you cook for Jim?” my mother-in-law questioned.
“I make stuffed bell peppers a lot,” I proudly proclaimed.
“And he eats them?” her stunned reply.
“Oh yes, every bite!” I came back.
“But Jim HATES bell peppers,” she said, stumping me completely.

Turns out, I am the luckiest woman on the planet. I am married to Jim Kelly, who is a person who commutes from celestial worlds each morning to make my life an earthly bliss. Not just because he wakes me every single morning of my life with silly songs he sings in my ears. And not just because I have never once done laundry in 34 years (as of last week!). Mostly because he eats every single bite of every single dish I have ever made, some of them nasty or weird beyond words. And yet he raves about every single bite. What would I have done for these 34 years without him? Jim loves me deeply, completely. He loves me more than food. Imagine!

I dedicate these delish-i-fied stuffed peppers to YOU, Jim, my eternal sweetheart. Here’s to our eternal honeymoon!

Jim Kelly - Greatest Husband on Earth

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