Gidget Roots - Journey Through Family Recipes - Episode 8 - Part 1: Jalapeno Business!

Hello readers and Gidget followers! I hope your February was full of love, laughter, warmth, and fun memories made! We are cruising right along on our fabulous cooking adventures and this post is a 2 for 1 special! Although it may seem to the contrary, not ALL our family recipes are Polish derivative.  Also, just like I jump around from time to time in my writings, I also tend to be drawn in different directions at the grocery store when shopping, from sales, shiny objects, but especially from fantastic looking produce. I had bought about 20 jalapenos because they looked amazing (and were on sale, my logic escaped me)! When I got home to unload my grocery haul, to my chagrin, I stood there holding a bowl full of these beautiful peppers when it dawned on me - my husband doesn't like jalapenos! What in the heck am I going to do with 20 jalapenos!? Lucky for me, I have my handy dandy #familycookbook and my aunt makes super delicious "Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos". (Thank God!)  I was also overjoyed to make these to take over to my aunts' home to have whilst making the pasty - I mean us girls gotta have snacks, am I right?  (See Gidget Roots Chapter 8 Part II to read about our Pasty adventure!)

Part 1 - Sausage-Stuffed Jalapenos

When my aunt would make her stuffed-jalapenos, I always thought of them as "poppers" but no - "poppers" seem to be wrapped in bacon or fried in some way. These "Sausage-Stuffed Jalapenos" are exactly what they are called - peppers STUFFED with savory sausage and cheeeeseee (and not cheddar)!

As I mentioned earlier, I found myself with about 20 gorgeous peppers and was afraid they might die in the bowels of our refrigerator before I had a chance to gobble them up. When I remembered this recipe, I became super excited, set a few aside for me to use in my meals throughout the week, but a lucky 11 became dinner and hor d'oeuvres for our get together the next day. 

The recipe in our cookbook called for 22 peppers; well that just seemed like a LOT for what I was looking for and only 11 of these beauts rose to make the cut, so I halved the recipe. Remember, these will be cut in HALF so there still were 22 stuffed pepper halves to consume!

First, I gathered everything I would need (misenplace people!) for the recipe so I wasn't scrambling with forgetting anything.  I measured out the sausage, cream cheese, and shredded Parmesan, and set the cheeses aside. 

Next, I cooked 1/2 lb (about 8.5 oz) mild Italian sausage in a medium heat until cooked through and drained, setting aside to cool slightly. Trust me, we can't have it melting the cheese right away, that's the oven's job! It wouldn't be fair!



Our next step is to find some yummy plump looking big astounding peppers! (Which I did already, pay attention!) I washed them thoroughly. Prepare to SLICE!

So this step was interesting for me because thank the kitchen gods and goddesses that I didn't have an issue with the capsaicin in these peppers.  I thought "Hey okay, cut peppers in half length-wise (aka hot-dog style) and de-seed", figured it was easy enough step. It wasn't until further down that I saw a giant four letter word in all CAPITAL LETTERS on the printed recipe, saying: "NOTE: When cutting and seeding hot peppers use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching  your face". Well, it was too late, I had already started surgery on the peppers and there was no turning back. At this point the peppers defense system juice was all over - I just had to make sure not to touch my face! (The lesson we learn here for the umpteenth time is READ THE WHOLE RECIPE!) 

                            

Luckily, I came out of surgery with flying colors, can't say the same for the peppers! They were green with envy! Okay sorry I digress... Once the peppers are looking B-E-A-UTIFUL, you want to lay them out in a ungreased baking pan (9x13 does the trick). The original recipe said to stuff then add to the baking pan, but this just seemed to work out better for me.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, parmesan; once combined fold in the cooled sausage and prepare to STUFF! 

Spoon about 1 Tbsp into each jalapeno half. Because these peppers were ginormous and I also struggle with measurements, I guestimated the amount of filling for each pepper halve, based on size and gut instinct. (What would my aunt do - ADD MORE GOODNESS!!) Once they are all stuffed full and happy with their delicious filling, it is time to BAKE!

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is slightly browned and bubbly. I think I checked on mine at 10 simply due to the fact the recipe was halved and I didn't know if that would have an effect on them. They needed the full 15 minutes of fun in the sun to get that bubbly deliciousness. 

Now you are done, serve hot or let cool and put in airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. As I mentioned earlier, these were my dinner on a Sunday night and a happy food appetizer for our Pasty making Monday!

The note in our family book says that the recipe started with my 2 x great-aunt, but has become one of my aunt's "thumbs-up" contribution to a new generation of recipe keepers. And that my dear readers is exactly why this #journeytomypast is such a wonderful experience. Not only am I learning about my roots, but also about family traditions, recipes handed down, some that have been altered slightly, but most important to me, the love and memories that go into each and every one of these dishes.  Each one holds a new morsel of information of my history, a great story of a loved one, and I know that sharing this journey with all of you is a whole new spin on a #familylegacy. 

Thank you for enjoying this fun part 1 - next on the list - PASTY!  Stay happy everyone!

_________________________________________________________________________________

ORIGINAL FAMILY RECIPE

SAUSAGE-STUFFED JALAPENOS

(Makes appx. 44 stuffed peppers)

You will need: 

1 - lb. bulk sausage

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1 cup (4 oz) shredded parmesan cheese

22 large jalapeno peppers, halved length-wise, take out the veins and seeds

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and Parmesan cheese; fold in the sausage. 

Spoon about 1 Tbsp into each jalapeno half. Place in two 9x13 inch ungreased baking pans. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is lightly browned and bubbly. Serve with ranch dressing if desired. 

NOTE: When cutting and seeding hot peppers use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching your face.