Child Abuse Food

Food I am aware of today is the food that I would never would have eaten yesterday. I never had brussel sprouts, okra, sweet potatoes, asparagus, or artichokes when I was growing up. I thought peas were gross...and I still do. I never liked crust on my bread nor did I like wheat. I never liked sauerkraut with those wienies, I made some the other day and I ate the whole thing.
I did not like the steaks that mom made. I do not remember if I ever liked meat loaf, I know how to make it and love it. I always liked spinach. My friend Sara adds mayonnaise to hers; she said that Italians do that. It is awesome, I make spinach like that. I love Flinstone dip! I remember loving those stuffed mushrooms at Grandma Berglund's house during the holiday season.
When I dated Andrew, his mother made all kinds of food. I never had sweet potatoes or acorn squash until I lived with him. I can't remember when I started eating brussel sprouts. I tried okra, it tastes good but it looks really gross. When I worked at Pizza Pipeline, I was introduced to artichoke hearts.
There is one dish that my mom always made that Justin hated. It is Texas Hash. I was bored one day and I looked it up. Mom said that Justin had taken the recipe and possibly threw it away. Here is the recipe, I am making it right now.

Ingredients
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 onions chopped
1 celery chopped
15 ounces canned tomatoes diced
1/2 green peppers chopped
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons parsley

Directions:
Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with a cooking spray (Pam, or similar); set aside. Preheat oven to 375º. Saute the beef, onion and celery in a large skillet over medium heat until no pink remains in the beef and the onions are clear. Place the meat mixture in a colander to let the excess grease drain. Return the meat mixture to the skillet. Add the tomatoes, green pepper, rice, garlic and all remaining ingredients (spices/herbs) to the skillet. Stir well. Pour the meat/rice mixture into the prepared 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover the baking dish, and bake in a 375º oven for 30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and soft.