Ranchero Beef & Rice Skillet

I finally saw the movie Julie & Julia and have to say that I loved it! Loved everything about it. I have read that some people felt they would have rather seen more Julia and less Julie but I don't feel that way at all. I enjoyed both stories very much. I think Meryl Streep will be up for an oscar for her performance. She was wonderful (as usual). Needless to say, now I want to try some of Julia's recipes. I looked through some of the book at Borders this weekend and it does look challenging. Although I do remember reading that if you follow her recipes exactly as written, you won't have a problem. We'll see. I haven't bought her book yet (it's $40 - hello???), but I'm sure it will be in my cookbook collection in the near future. I mean, how long can I put this off! I am going to try one of her recipes next week and we'll see how it goes.

The above picture is not one of Julia's recipes (are you surprised?)! This comes from the cookbook America's Favorite Beef Recipes from Time Life Books. I was going to post this later in the week or next week but my son enjoyed this so much this evening for dinner that I am posting it now hoping that if someone is at a loss as to what to cook for some picky eaters, this just might fit the bill. Please note that I did NOT use 1 tablespoon of chili powder as the recipe suggests. My son doesn't care for spicy food so I just sprinkled on some chili powder and added oregano and some onion powder for extra flavor. I also cooked this the day before and served it the next day. I believe that it gave the flavors a chance to blend into each other. I have to say I enjoyed it. My husband liked it and my son devoured two plates of it. So we will put this under "kid friendly." Enjoy! (This one is also an easy clean up....).

1 pound 80% ground beef
1 medium red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon chili powder (I only sprinkled some on the meat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups cooked rice, cooled
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted (I think corn would be good, too)
3/4 cup prepared salsa (I used a little over 1 cup of mild salsa)

In large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef, bell pepper and garlic over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking beef up into 3/4 inch crumbles. Pour off drippings. Season with chili powder and salt.

Add rice to skillet; mix well. Continue cooking 2 minutes or until rice is hot; stir occasionally. Stir in peas and salsa; heat through.