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Hi there,

QVC resident foodie David Venable is celebrating “Stuff It! Month” on In the Kitchen with David (Sundays at noon and Wednesdays at 8pm ET) throughout January. His goal is to encourage you to try some inventive recipes and step up your game, one ingredient and one recipe at a time.

According to David, “Stuffed recipes provide a little surprise inside. I love the extra flavor, too.” Here are some of his quick tips for successful stuffing:

• Stuff meat, vegetables (including squash, zucchini, and peppers) and sweets, such as cupcakes. The possibilities are endless!

• Make a stuffing pocket in your meat by making a slit, but not cutting all the way through. Stuff and secure with a toothpick. Make sure meat is cooked to 165°F in the center.

• When you experiment with cupcakes, make one at a time until you reach perfection.

For David’s delicious recipes, stuffed and otherwise, visit his recipe page at QVC.com.

Stuffed recipes are nothing new (one of the top pinned recipes on Pinterest for 2013 was Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers. Here are two of my favorites.

I discovered this first recipe about 20 years ago, while on vacation in South Londonderry, Vermont. One October, when my son, Cameron, was about three years old, we drove from Pennsylvania to Vermont to see the fall foliage. Back in those days there was no internet or GPS, so I planned the entire route with road maps (remember those?). We stayed at the very charming Londonderry Inn. Unfortunately, we missed the colorful leaves by about a week—recent rains had stripped most of them from the trees.

As anyone with small children knows, they always seem to get sick on vacations and holidays, but this time it was my turn. I came down with a bad cold shortly after we arrived and spent an entire day in bed while my son and his mother took a ride on an historic steam locomotive.

But what I remember most about that trip was the excellent food at the Londonderry Inn. One of my favorite meals was Louisiana Oyster Steak (also called Carpetbag Steak). I liked this dish so much that I recreated it when we got home, without the benefit of a recipe. Now, of course, with the internet you can find just about any recipe, and there are some out there for this, but I’m going to share it here with you because it varies from those I’ve seen online.

Louisiana Oyster Steak (serves 2)

Ingredients

Two 8-oz filet mignons

3 tbsp butter, room temperature

1/8 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup fresh oysters (shucked) with their liquor*

Dash cayenne powder

Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Garlic powder

Olive oil

2 oz crumbled bleu cheese

Directions

1. Make a vertical incision in the side edge of each filet with a sharp knife and open up a pocket about three-quarters of the way into the meat and set aside.

1. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a sauté pan and add onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is tender. Add the oysters and their liquor, salt and pepper to taste, and the cayenne powder. Sauté for one minute. Remove from heat and drain.

1. Using a fork, open the pocket in the steaks and add the oysters. Secure pocket closed with a toothpick. Sprinkle filets with Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder, then drizzle with olive oil. Let them sit for a few minutes, then turn steaks over and repeat on the other side.

1. Blend the bleu cheese and remaining 1 tbsp butter in a small bowl until creamy and set aside.

1. Grill steaks over medium-high heat (I prefer to do this outdoors) to desired doneness. Equally divide the blue cheese mixture over the steaks and keep on grill another 30 seconds until butter melts.

1. Remove toothpick before serving.

*You can substitute one can of smoked oysters for the fresh oysters. Instead of sautéing them, just pour the onion/butter mixture over them and let cool before stuffing in the steak.

This next recipe is from a dinner function my friend Mary went to in the late 1960s in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. The menu, complete with recipes, was provided to each attendee. She shared this recipe with me a few years ago, and it has become a family favorite for parties.

Chicken Imperial (serves 12)

Ingredients

1/2 pint sour cream

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2 bags herbed stuffing mix

6 skinned, boned chicken breasts, cut in half

1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Mix first eight ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

1. Open stuffing mix and transfer to a zip-lock bag. Using a rolling pin, crush the mix into fine crumbs. Empty onto a plate.

1. Dip each piece of chicken into the liquid mixture, coating both sides, then into the stuffing crumbs on both sides. Roll up chicken and secure with a toothpick. Repeat for all pieces and place in a baking dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight (not necessary, but this allows the flavors to blend).

1. Before baking, remove from refrigerator for 30 minutes. Pour melted butter over chicken.

1. Bake uncovered in an oven preheated to 350°F for 1 hour.

Do you have a favorite stuffed recipe you’d like to share? Send it to QVCInsider@QVC.com and I’ll post it in a future blog.

Happy trails!

Troy

Editor, InsideQ magazine