Sisters on the Fly Stuffed Bell Peppers

     Sisters on the Fly is an organization of women who love to fish, travel and gather in their vintage trailer caravans.  Formed in 1999 their membership has grown to 1,400 adventurous women.  They have published a great book portraying life in the sisterhood with tips on camping, cooking and life in the great outdoors.  This recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers from Sisters on the Fly; Caravans, Campfires, and Tales from the Road was one of the first recipes I tried in my dutch oven.  This is an easy recipe in that it does not require any pre-cooking of the beef, just stuff the peppers and wait for your dutch oven to steam them to perfection. I have made it several times both in my 10 and 12 inch ovens, my only suggestion would be to make sure your oven is deep enough or your peppers low enough to allow enough room between the stuffing and the lid.  I would recommend using your deep oven if you have one.  The sweet peppers are fork tender, the stuffing light and juicy.  These are incredibly good and hard to believe, they are almost better the next day.  If you are a lover of stuffed peppers this classic recipe is about as good as it gets and thank you sister Edith Berry for sharing it with us!

Sisters on the Fly Stuffed Bell Peppers
14 soda crackers (Saltines), crushed into fine pieces
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 large red, green, orange, or yellow bell peppers
2 cups water
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated ( I use shredded Mozzarella)

     Edith Berry (Sister #614) is acknowledged as one of the best cooks in the Sisterhood. She has collected hundreds of campfire recipes. This old fashioned favorite can be put together in advance and stored in a cooler until suppertime. Serves 6.

     Lightly oil or spray a 14 inch dutch oven.
     In a large bowl, mix together the soda crackers, ground beef, onion, celery, and half the tomato sauce.  Add the eggs and garlic and mix well. 
     Cut off the top of the peppers and clean out the insides.  Stuff the peppers with the meat mixture and place them in your dutch oven.  Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the oven and steam the peppers for an hour using approximately 12 charcoal briquettes on the bottom and 15-20 on the lid.
     When the peppers are tender and cooked, pour the remaining tomato sauce over the peppers and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Cook for a few more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Steam stuffed peppers in two cups of water

After 50 minutes to an hour, peppers tender and stuffing cooked through

Cover with tomato sauce and sprinkle with cheese

A definite blue ribbon recipe