Texas Rice

Arrange the oven shelf to the bottom third of the oven. Preheat oven to 400ºF (204ºC). Generously butter, grease with bacon fat, or spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

Place the rice in a sieve set over the kitchen sink. Rinse, stirring and turning the rice in the sieve. Repeat 2 more times.

In a medium sauce pan with a tight fitting lid, bring water to a rolling boil. Add rice and bring back to a rolling boil. Stir the rice. Reduce heat to low, as soon as it boils, and cover with a lid.

In a high sided 12-inch skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings in the skillet. When bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble; set aside.

Add the ground beef, green pepper, and onion to the skillet and cook over medium heat. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Cook until the beef no longer has any pink, and is cooked through.

Add cooked beef mixture and cooked rice into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Add the tomatoes, bacon and reserved drippings, mixing until everything is well blended. (You can also mix everthing in a large mixing bowl. (Frankly it's easier to mix in a bowl. I mix in the casserole dish because I hate doing dishes and this way, I avoid washing the bowl!!) Spread the shredded cheese over the top.

Spread a sheet of foil, long enough to cover the bakingdish and wrap over the edges. Spray one side with nonstick cooking spray.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly, and the center is heated through.