Taco Belles

Last night I was looking for an appetizer to take to a friend's house, so I was rummaging through the fridge. I found a bag of baby sweet peppers, and I thought they'd taste good stuffed.  What doesn't taste good stuffed?  I combined my love of stuffed things with my love of Mexican flavors, and these little beauties were born.

Here's what you'll need:
1 16-oz bag baby sweet peppers
1 8-oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz ground beef, browned, drained and crumbled
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c shredded Mexican blend cheese
2-3 TBSP panko or bread crumbs

Combine the softened cream cheese with the meat, spices and cheese in a small bowl.  Stir until well blended.

Remove the tops of the peppers; remove the seeds.  Leave the smaller peppers whole; cut the longer ones in half long-wise.

Use a spoon to fill the cavities in the peppers with the meat and cheese mixture.

Place the peppers in a greased casserole dish.  You want it just large enough to hold the peppers, so the whole ones are supported by the larger ones.  Sprinkle with the panko.  This will give it a little bit of crunch after they are baked.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese melts and the peppers begin to soften.

Enjoy!