Brown ground beef in a skillet on medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with your spatula as it cooks. Season generously with salt and add pepper to taste.

When the meat is no longer pink drain the pan then add the onions, garlic and diced peppers and cook another 3-4 minutes.

Transfer everything to the crock pot, then add all the remaining ingredients into the crock pot, too.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours. Feel free to add more seasoning at the end, according to your tastes.

Remove the bay leaf and serve over rice in equal amounts (1/2 cup picadillo to 1/2 cup rice)