Stuffed Jalapeno's

Everyone has one, and this is mine.   My fall back, go to, can't think of what else to make potluck dish.   

I actually had this recipe on my other blog, but I'm slowly (very slowly) turning that blog into my photo blog so I wanted to get this recipe over here and share it again.  Besides which my Jalapeno bush has a few jalapeno's on it and my mind keeps thinking of all the great eating ahead.  All I can say about that is, the pressure is on for my little plant.
Just don't tell it, OK?
 
Stuffed Jalapeno's are easy to prepare, pretty to look at, and yummy to eat. 

Here goes;

Start with some nice fresh jalapeno's, give them a bath. 
See the pretty red ones mixed in with the green ones.  









You then need to cut them in two, length wise and remove the seeds and membranes.  And please, please, please remember to use a glove.   I keep one on my left hand as I am right handed, and this means I can handle the jalapeno's without fear of getting jalapeno juice on my hand and from there to the eyes or other sensitive places.

Pile them up in a pan;

Now prepare the filling;

Cooked sausage and cream cheese

Smoosh them together, (check out the glove, more about it later),

Stuff the peppers, then add a slice of cheese on top,  and put them in the oven.

Pull them out after a half hour or so and enjoy;

Here's the full recipe:

Stuffed Jalapeno's

1-2 8 oz. Cream Cheese

1 to 1.5 lb. Sausage, fried ( I use a good flavoured sausage, you can amp it up by using a hot sausage if you like)

Jalapeno's (15 - 20 or ...)  And if I can find some that are red along with the green, I get them.  Makes for a pretty presentation. 

Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese  for topping.  Use whatever kind you like, or do as I do and use Colby Jack cheese.  But only for those people who have trouble deciding which one they want.  

1 pair disposable gloves.

Start by putting on a pair of disposable gloves, or at least one glove, the one you will be handling the jalapeno's with. I usually just glove my left hand because I'm right handed. Trust me on this, you won't be sorry. Jalapeno's can be downright spiteful and nasty if you happen to rub a sensitive part of yourself if you haven't protected your hand from the jalapeno juice.  I know I just repeated myself, but it bears repeating, repeatedly.  Did that make sense? 

Cut Jalapeno's in half and remove seeds and the membrane inside. Set aside.

Fry the sausage up, breaking it up a little, drain and set aside to cool.

Dump the cream cheese into a bowl and then put the cooled sausage on top and smoosh it all together. (I've found that if I use the other glove for this, it makes for a quicker cleanup. And no messy fingers. )

Fill the jalapeno's with about a tablespoon or so of the cream cheese/sausage mixture and place in a baking pan. When they are all filled, add a piece of cheese on top and put it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at about 325 deg. Take them out of the oven, put on a serving dish and put them on the table. I would advise standing back at this point, as they tend to disappear.   You can also par cook the jalapeno's for a couple of minutes in the microwave, just means you don't need to put them in the oven for as long.  And in the summer, that's a good thing.

Best part of this, if you end up with more filling than jalapeno's (it has been known to happen), just stick it in the freezer and use up the next time. Same goes with jalapeno's, you can stick them in the freezer after prep and use them up later on. Or just throw the leftover jalapeno's into some other dish you need some heat in.

There are no exact measurements, roughly one pound sausage to 2 packages cream cheese to about 15 or 20 jalapeno's, I think. I usually figure on about 2-3 per person, but that can vary as well.

Most important of all, enjoy.