Hello My Friends,

If like me, you are trying to eat healthier, you couldn’t do better than this easy stuffed pepper recipe. It’s meatless, has lots of fiber to satisfy your appetite, and contains healthy ingredients that are inexpensive too. Whether you serve it as a meal in itself or a side, this dish is a real winner!

Meat-Free Stuffed Bell Peppers for Slow Cooker

Ingredients:

• One 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• One 10 oz. package frozen corn
• One 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup salsa
• ¼ cup onion, chopped
• 1 ½ cups cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 5 green bell peppers, tops removed and seeded

Steps:

1. Combine all ingredients except for ¼ cup of the cheese and the peppers.
2. Stuff peppers with mixture.
3. Arrange peppers in bottom of slow cooker.
4. Cover and cook 6 to 8 hours on Low setting or 3 to 4 hours on High setting.
5. During last half-hour of cooking, sprinkle with remaining cheese and re-cover.

Have A Lovely Evening,

Phil

Hello Friends,

Well there's just a few days left until St Paddy's Day, so let's start making some Irish Stew and Potato Bread to Celebrate. Here's an easy stew that you can prep and let simmer for a few hours. Easy to prep the night before and toss in the slow cooker when you get home, for a good down-home meal. Serve with hot boiled potatoes. I have also cut potatoes into cubes and put them right in the slow cooker to save time and dishes. Works great

Beer-Baked Irish Beef

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon, diced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 4 large onions, cut into eighths
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Irish stout beer

Directions

1. Place the bacon in a large nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat until crisp and brown. Remove the bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the drippings in the skillet.
2. Place the flour, salt, black pepper, and allspice in a large plastic zipper bag, and shake a few times to combine. Place the beef stew meat into the bag, and shake to coat the meat with flour mixture. Place the meat pieces in the skillet with the bacon drippings, and cook the meat until brown on all sides.
3. Remove the browned meat to a slow cooker, and add the carrots, onions, garlic, parsley, rosemary, marjoram, and bay leaf to the cooker.
4. Pour the beer into the skillet, and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, scraping all the browned bits of flavor from the bottom of the skillet. Pour the beer into the slow cooker, over the meat and vegetables. Cover, and cook on Medium setting until the meat is very tender, 4 to 5 hours.
5. Before serving, remove the bay leaf, and sprinkle the stew with the reserved bacon pieces.

What's a Good Irish Stew, without a loaf of Soda Bread to sop up the juices? Here's a very easy, great tasting bread. It's best if made the day before, or at the very least, several hours before serving.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend egg and buttermilk together, and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Wrap in foil for several hours, or overnight, for best flavor.

Have A Very Happy St Paddy's Day My Friends,

Phil

Hi LaNell,

Thanks for stopping by and Thanks for the St. Patrick's Day Wishes as well as the Birthday Wishes. Here's one of my all-time favorite recipes for the Crockpot. Lots of flavorful stuff in this easy recipe, like the sweet dried cherries, the tart apples and the savory onions.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Apple-Cherry Stuffing

Ingredients

1	package (6 ounces) herb stuffing mix
2	medium celery stalks, chopped (1 cup)
1	medium tart cooking apple, peeled and chopped (1 cup)
1	medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1	cup dried cherries
1/4	cup butter or margarine, melted
1	cup low-sodium chicken broth (from 32-ounce carton)
6	pork boneless loin chops, about 1/2 inch thick

Spray inside of 4- to 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.

Mix all ingredients except the pork. Place half of the stuffing mixture in slow cooker; top with pork. Spoon remaining stuffing mixture over pork

Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until pork is tender.

Hello My Friends,

Every since I first purchased a Crock Pot several years ago ago, I’ve been using it more and more. Some days it really helps to have most dinner preparation done earlier in the day. This recipe is pretty easy. The time consuming part is chopping vegetables, but that can be done whenever it fits into your schedule, such as the night before.

Chicken breasts have always been one of my favorite things to put in the slow cooker. Since I have a large crock I usually cook plenty of it. The leftovers are used for lunches or turned into chicken salad. Feel free to cut this recipe in half, but only if you have a 4 quart cooker.

Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken & Vegetables

1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms (use your favorite kind)
1/3 c. chopped red bell pepper
1 c. sliced carrots
3/4 c. chopped onion
1 c. chicken broth
4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~ 6 large)
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
salt & pepper to taste

Place the vegetables and chicken broth in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the chicken breasts on top. Add the garlic, spreading it over the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the thyme, basil, salt and pepper over everything. Cover and cook on low about 4 hours or until the chicken is done. Serve with rice, pasta, potatoes, or quinoa.