This is dedicated to the one I love...

In line with my January theme on keeping warm....please allow me to comment briefly on my best and most favorite source of warmth...Mr Simon Cook- my "Man".

Let's face it...is there another more perfect way to keep warm (especially in January) than to have another person to snuggle up to? I think not.

I am afflicted with a very cold and slow metabolism (although-fortunately- my heart is quite warm). I am especially afflicted at night and on more than one occaision I have caused Simon to curse under his breath when I have slid under the covers and tried to get warm. Apparently, it is as much a human tendancy to seek a source of warmth when you are cold, as it is to be immediately involuntarily repelled when you are warm and toasty and someone as cold as death curls up to you.

Nevertheless, Simon has never turned me away. Often he will sacrifices his own warmth and comfort to ensure that I am comfortable and warm. To me, this is a clear affirmation that he loves me.

In appreciation of my warm and wonderful Man, I am enclosing one of Simon's wintertime comfort foods...

Stuffed Peppers (for two)

4 Green peppers, cut off tops and clean out seeds

1 lb ground beef

1 cup of rice

2 cups of water

An assortment of chopped onions, chopped green pepper tops, chopped black olives, and chopped mushrooms

Shreaded Parmasean cheese

1 jar spaghetti sauce ( I really like Rising Moon sauces - I think it is about 2 cups of sauce per jar)

Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

Ketchup (optional, but recommended)

Sour Cream (optional, but recommended)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Bring water to boil and cook the rice per cooking instructions - cool slightly

Steam the Green peppers until tender ( a fork easily removed)

Mix ground beef with chopped vegetables (are olives vegetables? hmmm...) add the rice, a sprinklin' of cheese and a few splashes of the spaghetti sauce and seasonings.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and and place the four steamed peppers into the dish. Stuff each of the peppers with an equally divided portion of the ground beef mixture. Pour remaining jar of spaghetti sauce over the top of the peppers and sprinkle some more parmasean cheese on top.

Cover and bake for 45minutes to 1 hour- until the hamburger is cooked.

To serve (This is how Simon does it):

Place two stuffed peppers on a plate and split them open to spread burgery contents. Apply a generous dollup of sour cream and make a happy face on top with your ketchup. Add another sprinkling of parmasean if you desire.

I know the ketchup and sour cream addition sounds a bit odd, but it really does taste good- just try it!