Yum: Jalapeño Poppers

Now, if you recall, I haven’t really been a big jalapeño person. But Brandon’s sister makes the most delicious jalapeño poppers. This might just be the most requested dish I ask her to bring to family parties. And I’m sure his family would agree. And the Fourth of July (and a nine-mile run) sounds like a proper excuse to eat this delicious melted cream cheese and cheese mixture, with a spicy bite from the sausage and jalapeño pepper.

It’s supposedly super easy, but I never promised I was a good chef. Or even a moderately okay one. But I will take you on my journey of learning so let’s see how this goes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground pork sausage
  • 1 (8 ounces) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 pound large fresh jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Meanwhile, place the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Cook it until it’s brown, then drain the grease.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix the sausage, softened cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese.
  4. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each jalapeño half. Place them on a baking tray.
  5. Bake 20 minutes or so, until they are lightly browned on top. 

Some recipes added garlic powder or green onions to the mixture. Others wrap the entire jalapeño in bacon. I’m pretty sure this one is fairly foolproof no matter what spin you put on it. We opted to put ours in the smoker, and it came out delicious.

Now, I for one, cannot handle much heat either. The heat of jalapeño is not only in the seeds but the membrane as well. That is the part connected to the seeds and is where most of the capsaicin is. So, to make this work for me I make sure to really carve out the center. The flesh, or the actual green part, does contain capsaicin, but in lower amounts. And if you’re really not one for heat, others say to soak them in water 30 to 60 minutes before use.