Appetizer - Sausage Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers

The response to me starting The Frugal Poet was overwhelming. My sincere thanks to everyone for your kind words, for the poems and recipes you've sent. I will start a guest poet section soon, a place for you to share your frugal tips, tasty goodies and poems.

With one holiday behind us and another on the horizon there will be ample opportunity to attend pot lucks and parties. I pride myself on finding finger foods that folks enjoy. There's no greater feeling in the kitchen than preparing food that's been deemed a hit, something that's requested time and again. Sausage Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers is one such appealing food and does not have to be overpowering in the heat department if prepared properly.

Figuring in the frugal factor here, I'm fortunate to have a neighbor and a couple of coworkers who grow peppers in their gardens and generously share for free. I've also grown peppers, but now that I've moved to a new location, container gardening will likely be the means by which I grow my veggies in the spring.  

Okay, grab some latex gloves to protect your hands from the oils of the pepper. Chemical burns from a pepper are no fun, especially if you inadvertently touch your eyes.

Sausage Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers
   
INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground pork sausage
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese   (the real stuff, not the stuff you sprinkle on pizza)
1 pound large fresh jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded (20 peppers will make 40!)

One quick tip: Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and the inner fleshy membrane of the pepper. The more of the inner membrane you remove, the less heat. I tend to leave a fair amount of the insides (just removing the seeds). I like them hot!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Place sausage in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.

3. In a bowl, mix the sausage, cream cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Spoon sausage mixture into each jalapeño half. Arrange stuffed halves in baking dishes.

4. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

I'll close with a tanka I penned recently.

fresh compost
for the pepper plant
i call “peppy”
nourishment for a life
that nourishes me

Peace and prosperity to you all,

Curtis