Spice Up Your Life

Prior to entering college, I hated spicy foods. Now, while I won't chomp into a pepper for fun or pour hot sauce onto my food, I enjoy certain dishes with a little kick. I credit Chipotle Mexican Grill for my change of heart. The first few times I went there, I ordered steak in my tacos. It is delicious, however, for someone not used to eating spicy foods, it can really kick your tush. I would go through 4 glasses of water just to finish my meal. Slowly, I began to adjust to the amount of heat these tacos contained, and now I can eat them without any problem. Because of this, my appreciation for other spicy foods has increased. Though I have not yet taken to dumping hot sauce on all my food (Dad), I do like my food slightly spicier.

We made these stuffed jalapenos for my sister's bridal shower, after I had them at a work party and came home raving about them. You need to wear gloves and remove the seeds and ribbing, particularly if you don't want them to be crazy spicy. Consider this: the more effort you put into removing the insides of the pepper, the less heat they will contain. For a more mild pepper, scrape out as much of the inside as possible. If you prefer a little heat, try to remove only some of the seeds. If you're really brave, leave it all in there...though as I haven't tried this method, I cannot attest to the heat level. So beware. And if, like me, you aren't a huge fan of peppers to begin with, just try these. After the baking process and with all the creamy, sausagey (yes, I made that up) goodness they contain, you honestly won't taste the actual pepper. Try them! They are brilliant! And fairly easy once you get past the whole seed scraping part :)

Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos

Makes 12

1 pound ground pork sausage

1 package of cream cheese, 8 ounces, softened

1 cup shredded Parmesan

1 pound large fresh jalapenos

With gloves on, cut peppers lengthwise and remove as much of the insides as you want. Place cut side up on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 425.

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage. Drain and place in a bowl. Add the cream cheese and Parmesan and mix together. Place a tablespoon of filling in each pepper half. Return to baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly. 

See? Easy!

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com