baked jalapeño poppers

So I'm a little early to the party, but I have Superbowl food!!! This is real progress. Typically, it's not until the day of a holiday or event that it occurs to me I should have made something in advance to share on the blog. And posting it after the fact? Forget about it. Who wants a Christmas recipe in January? Answer: no one.

But not this time folks. Oh no, this time I'm ahead of the game (literally).

Okaaaay. Not exactly ahead of the game. More like far enough behind last year's game that I seem relevant again. Yes, that's right, this recipe and these images have been sitting in a blog post draft since last Superbowl. But better late than never? (sigh)

I would be remiss if I didn't offer you this recipe with a warning. I've mentioned these baked jalapeño poppers before here. In fact, this very recipe was the reason behind Katy's horrific jalapeño burn incident of 2011. I won't share all the details of that harrowing affair, but I will pass along a few valuable lessons learned during that experience. Let me share:

Lesson #1: Do NOT use your bare hands to de-seed jalapeños. Use a spoon. Use gloves. Use anything except your bare hands. This is especially true when making multiple batches of jalapeño poppers. Just don't.

Lesson #2: The so-called home remedies for pepper burns do NOT work. Sure, you can try slathering your hands in yogurt and wrapping them in plastic wrap. You can also try lotion, Vaseline, or even Preparation H. Aside from ice packs and time, I've yet to find a true remedy for pepper burns. If you know of one, please share. I'm sure I haven't seen my last pepper burn. See Lesson #3.

Lesson #3: There is no amount of pepper burn pain that will keep me from making baked jalapeño poppers. Sad but true. They're just that good.

Rest assured, no pepper burns were obtained in the making of this particular batch of jalapeño poppers. I've learned my lesson…at least until I forget again.

baked jalapeño poppers

ingredients:
9 jalapeños
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups grated pepper jack cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp chili powder

directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice each of the jalapeños in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Remove all the seeds if you want these to be less spicy; keep a few if you like some heat. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese, shredded cheese, garlic and chili powder. Divide the mixture among the jalapeño halves, spooning it in and pressing it down to fill the jalapeño. Arrange on a baking sheet.

Bake the poppers for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

Yield: 18 poppers

Source: very slightly adapted from A Cozy Kitchen