Amanda Skiba: Add flavor to grilled stuffed peppers

Twice now, stuffed peppers have been on my weekly dinner menu. Both times, I have decided to make something different with the ground beef because I did not want to turn the oven on and heat up the house for an hour.

To solve this problem, I decided to try to make the peppers on the grill. So I prepared these babies by wrapping them in foil and cooked them indirectly on the grill.

It takes about the same time - 45 minutes - and you will want to use your grill thermometer (if you have one) and keep the temp around 400 degrees or so.

You can really get creative if you add some mesquite or hickory wood in a little foil bowl or in a little foil wrapping. It adds a whole other flavor to the mix.

You can use ground chicken, turkey or even pork.

In my family, the kids don't like the bell peppers, so I just serve them the meat with some ketchup like a giant meatball, and that goes over well with them.

Grilled roasted potatoes (cubed, drizzled with olive oil, and salt and pepper, and wrapped in foil) is a great side dish for this summertime comfort meal.

Stuffed Peppers

11⁄2 -2 pounds ground beef (or a mixture of beef and pork, or heck, even try turkey)

1⁄2 cup ketchup

1⁄2 cup Minute Rice

1 egg, scrambled

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

4 bell peppers (green are my favorite)

Topping:

1⁄2 ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1⁄2 teaspoon Sriracha (or any hot or chili sauce)

Mix the ground beef, ketchup, rice, egg and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl.

Wash the peppers and then cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the stems, seeds and veins.

Stuff the peppers evenly with the meat mixture.

In a separate bowl mix the ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce and chili sauce together. Pour the sauce over the top of the meat.

Wrap the peppers in foil and heat the grill to 350-400 degrees. Turn off one burner in the middle of your grill and place the peppers over that burner so that the flame is not directly under the peppers. Keep the grill temperature between 350 and 400 degrees and cook the peppers for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat registers 160 degrees.

• Amanda Skiba is passionate about cooking and posts her favorite recipes at www.stuffurface.wordpress.com.