Jalapeno Poppers

The pepper plants this season are going crazy.  After roasting a boat load of Anaheim peppers this afternoon, I had some hot coals left on the weber grill, so I picked jalapeno peppers and, well, the rest is here....

There are a b-jillion recipes out there for poppers, but this is the one we like and it's super simple!  Not to mention yummy!

Take the jalapeno peppers, slice them in half, scrape out all the veins and seeds.

Next smear in some cream cheese -- I used the lower fat Neufchatel -- but really???

Now add a small cube of your favorite cheddar, or what ever hard cheese you like.

This little bundle is wrapped in a thin slice of bacon -- the thinner the better, so it cooks crispy.

I used a foil lined baking pan.

Onto the grill it goes!

The hot coals along with the aluminum foil liner will bake the poppers and the bacon will be crispy!

My bacon kinda slid off the gooey cheese, but what the heck?  Yummy yummy!

These were gone in no time!  Just a quick snack for the afternoon.

Enjoy Friends!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

The tomatoes are beginning to ripen!  I'm thinking Gazpacho.  But this Mexican Shrimp Cocktail has some of the same ingredients -- plus Shrimp.  This recipe is from "Mexican Mania, by Cathy Arkle"

Ingredients

• 1 pound shrimp
• 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ⅓ cup lime juice
• ½ small red onion, sliced
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• ½ jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, roasted, skinned and cut into julienne
• 1 tablespoon canned chipotle chile, drained and chopped
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• leaves from 6 cilantro sprigs, chopped
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into ½ inch cubes

Instructions

1. Bring about 5 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Submerge the shrimp in the boiling water for 30 seconds, quickly remove with a slotted spoon and let cool. Peel and devein the shrimp.
2. Toss the tomato chunks in coarse salt and drain in a colander for 30 minutes.
3. At least 1 hour before serving, toss together the shrimp and the rest of the ingredients except the avocado. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 6 hours until ready to serve.
4. Stir in the avocado and serve.

Breakfast Quesadillas

This morning hubby ask for "something Mexican" for breakfast.  Looking over the contents of the fridge, I noticed lots of possibilities.  However, having not used my quesadilla maker for a while, I thought this might be just the ticket!

I chopped up some onion, jalapeno, and some Jimmy Dean turkey sausage.  

Saute until the vegies are tender.

Get the rest of the ingredients ready.  The salsa, sour cream, and avacado will be garnish!

We like to use whole wheat tortillas!

Here's the quesadilla maker that was a gift from our daughter, Nickole!

Top a tortilla with some cojack cheese and the sausage mixture.

Place another tortilla on top and close the lid.

Meantime, break a couple of eggs into a non-stick skillet.

A bonus of living in a small town, we get farm fresh eggs from our 

next door neighbors for $1.50 a dozen!

The finished product, sprinkled with some cilantro.

Enjoy friends!!

Mushrooms with Cream Cheese Stuffing

Thank you, Pioneer Woman, for this super yummy recipe.  I had leftover cream cheese stuffing, so I used it on some jalapeno peppers.  It's all good.

Recipe from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman!  

You can view step by step photos and instructions on her blog,

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

(Note:  I substituted turkey sausage for the pork sausage)

Ingredients

 24 ounces, weight White Button Mushrooms

 1/3 pound Hot Pork Sausage

1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

 1/3 cup Dry White Wine

 8 ounce pkg. Cream Cheese

 1 whole Egg Yolk

 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

 Salt And Pepper, to taste

         

Preparation Instructions

Wipe off or wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts.

Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside.

Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool.

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat.

Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate.

Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir & cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.

Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot.

Homestyle Spanish Rice

I like to make this with brown rice.  Makes it healthier!  And we like lots of veggies in there as well.

Get the ingredients ready.  Celery, jalapeno, tomato, and onion.  Also salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro.  Garlic would be another option.

Dice all those vegies.  Try to make the dice about the same sizes so they cook more evenly.

Add a little oil to the sauce pan, put in the diced veggies and seasonings -- salt, pepper, cumin, and cilantro to taste.  Go easy, you can alway add more, but it's impossible to take out.  Stir until everything is mixed together.

The brown rice has been par boiled since it takes a lot longer to cook that regular white rice.  This is about one cup of rice.

Add the rice to the veggie mixture along with a splash of beef broth.  Stir it all together, put the lid on the saucepan and let it steam on medium heat until veggies are tender and rice is fully cooked.

Dish it up and enjoy.  We are having chicken enchiladas tonight with the homestyle spanish rice on the side.