LOUSIANA SHRIMP STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

LOUSIANA SHRIMP STUFFED BELL PEPPERS 3/4 stick butter 1 cup plain breadcrumbs 3/4 loaf of standard size French bread 2 cups water 1-1/2 pounds large shrimp - you don’t need extra large or jumbo, just large enough to cut them in half for this recipe 1/2 stick butter 1 one pound container Louisiana Choice Creole Seasoning Mix, or your favorite brand 1/2 cup Crisco cooking oil 1 egg, slightly beaten Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste 6 large green bell peppers, try to get peppers that will stand upright easily Melt the 3/4 stick of butter in a small bowl and then add the breadcrumbs, combine with a fork until well blended and all the butter is absorbed, set aside In a large bowl tear up the French bread into one inch or smaller cubes, pour the 2 cups of water over the bread and squeeze out the excess: you want to wind up with 2 cups of the not soaking, but moistened bread cubes, set aside Peel the shrimp and cut them in half, rinse well, drain Sauté the shrimp in the 1/2 stick of butter until they are all just pink, don’t overcook, set aside Sauté the Creole seasoning mix in the 1/2 cup Crisco cooking oil until well softened Set a Dutch oven filled with water to boil Wash and cut the tops off the bell peppers, pull out the insides and seeds Put the bell peppers into the BOILING water for about 2 minutes, remove and rinse in cold water, drain (By doing this, you can eat not just the stuffing, but the pepper as well.) Preheat oven to 300° Combine the shrimp, sautéed vegetables, and beaten egg Combine the shrimp mixture with the moistened bread, mix well Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste, mix well Line a baking pan with tin foil for easier cleanup Fill each bell pepper, top generously with the buttered breadcrumbs and place on the baking sheet Bake for 1 hour Remove and let set for about five to ten minutes before serving