For a few months now I've been wanting to go through old recipes at my parents.  My Mom has wonderful handwritten recipes that I remember from my Grandma June and then some from her aunts and grandma as well.  The other week I started going through her many cooking binders and stumbled upon my Grandma's Stuffed Pepper recipe.  I remember Grandma June making these and sitting on the back porch in the summer time eating them up.



While I was making them at my parents my Mom reminded me that Grandma canned her own tomatoes from the garden and used peppers during the summer when they were in season.  Thanks, Mom.  She also told me that Grandma cooked things pretty bland, in true Midwest form, so I should season things more if I thought they needed it.



Grandma June used ground beef but we used the venison we had which is cut with some beef fat so that it's not too lean.  Because it is so lean I added a bit more oil to the pan while I was browning it.

During the process of shopping for these I learned about chili sauce.  Do you use it?  I had never heard of it but sure enough found it near the ketchup.  It added some sweetness and tang to the overall red sauce I think.  Overall these were a hit and dare I say casserole-like in that you have your rice, meat, and veg all in one pot.  You can serve this up with a side salad and bread if you'd like but then again, that's not necessary.

Here's the recipe ... and here's to keeping family recipes alive.

{Ingredients You'll Need}

• 6 green peppers
• 1.5 lbs ground venison (or beef)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon salt to season
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup chili sauce
• 1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice