Sausage Jalapeños

Sausage Jalapeños

Ingredients
8-12 large Jalapeños
1/2 pound ground Mild Italian Sausage
1 “tub” of plain Cream Cheese
Strawberry, Blackberry, Marionberry, or Raspberry Jelly (home made of course!)

Directions
Fry sausage in frying pan. Cut Jalapeños in half and gut them out. Discard seeds (or use in my stuffed tomato recipe.) Fill the Jalapeños with the cream cheese. Top with the cooked sausage. Cook in oven at 375 for about 8 minutes, until the sausage is crispy and the cream cheese starts to turn brown. Serve warm with the jelly on the side for dipping.

Variations include using a good Serrano Ham, or chopped Apple/Garlic Andouille sausage instead of the Italian Sausage

Habanero Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe

Habanero Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe

This is a good Vegetarian or Vegan recipe that even meat eaters will enjoy. Can be a main dish or used as a side.

2 medium sized tomatoes per person
1 habanero (or two jalapeños if you want it a little less warm)
“Wild” or Mixed rice. You want the kind that has several different types mixed together
Feta Cheese (try to get the kind with the least amount of salt for the most flavor, or use a Vegan Feta)

Start cooking rice per instructions, use the smallest amount possible as you will have leftovers. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut tops of tomatoes off and scoop the insides out. Be sure to get as much as possible as you want a bowl shape. When rice is done mix the tomatoes scoopings, feta cheese and the chopped habanero (or jalapeños,) together. Spoon into the hallowed out tomatoes. Put the tops back on, and put in oven for ten to twelve minutes. Enjoy with several glasses of water.

The left over rice can be served later with a grilled portabella mushroom, or a side of steamed vegetables.

Note that you can remove the jalapenos and habaneros totally, I’d suggest replacing them with Green Peppers or onions.

Carne Asada Recipe

Carne Asada Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of Steak or roast cut into thin strips, per a person served*
1/2 Cup of Tequila

Directions:
Pour Tequila over the steak strips, do not use too much as it needs to be lightly coated not drowning. Pre heat a frying pan on high. Splash a few drops of Tequila in the pan, it should be sizzling crisply. Carefully place the covered strips of steak in the frying pan, being care to not spill any of the tequila on the stove. It can easily start a fire! It is a good idea to have a lid or a cookie sheet nearby to snuff the fire out it.

Cook for about 4-5 minutes then flip to the other side. Repeat. The meat should look a little shiny or greasy when you pull it out.

Garnish with Guacamole, sour cream, Spanish Rice, Beans or use in Fajitas, Burritos, Tacos, chimichungas, or any Mexican inspired dish.

*London Broil is good for this and is fairly cheap. Also if you have an Asian or Mexican food store nearby they’ll have thin slices of beef already cut. The butcher can usually slice steaks and roast this thin.

Bacon Wraps Recipe

Bacon Wraps Recipe

This is a great appetizer, party snack, or hor d’oeuvres

Box of Toothpicks
1 Pound of Bacon, thick sliced is best
2 cans of Water Chestnuts
Thick Teriyaki Sauce*

Cut each piece of bacon in half. Wrap one piece around a water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place in bowl of teriyaki sauce, be sure to turn every once in a while so that it’s fully coated. Repeat until bacon and waterchestnuts are gone. Place on a cookie sheet covered with foil and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. The bacon should look cooked and be fairly stiff.

Serve as finger foods with teriyaki sauce as a side dip.

Alternatives:
Substitute flavored soy sauces or other thick sauces such as BBQ sauces. Asian inspired flavors work best.

Thinner cut bacon can be used, but can be overpowered by the sauce and the chestnuts. If you go this route, be sure to reduce the cooking time to ten minutes and don’t soak in the sauce.

*Or Teriyaki Glaze. Thinner teriyaki sauces can be used, but you’ll want to let them soak for a while longer.

Cheese Soup Recipes

Cheese Soup Recipes

No clue where I got the basic recipe from. The Internet surely, but it’s been heavily modified so would be hard to find.

“Basic” Cheese Soup

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup thinly diced celery
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup thinly diced carrots
1/2 cup thinly diced onion
2 tablespoons Parmesan Romano Cheese
5 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
6 Ounces Cheddar Cheese

Melt butter; saute vegetables until done but not browned. Blend in flour. Slowly add chicken or vegetable stock, bring to a boil; cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Blend in cheddar cheese, Parmesan-Romano cheese. Add Salt and Pepper to taste

Beer Cheddar variation
As above, add 1 bottle of beer (Dark Ales are best,) along with the cheese

Meat Variation
Add 1 cup chopped ham (Serrano or other salty thin sliced hams work best,) or 8-12 chopped pieces of Bacon, or 4 chopped Sausages, or one chopped Kielbasa

Extra Cheesy Variation
Add 1/2 Cup White Cheddar, 2 Ounces Blue Cheese, 6 ounces Pepper Jack

Mexican Variation
Add 4-6 chopped Jalapenos or Habaneros – Do NOT Saute and remove seeds to decrease the heat. You can bake them in the oven for 4-6 minutes at 400 to give them a crispy “fire roasted” texture/flavor.

Quick Variation
1 Can of Campbell’s Cheddar Soup prepared as on can
4 Ounces Grated Cheddar Cheese (a large handful)
2 Ounces Grated Jack or Mozzarella

Rick’s Variation
Add 1/2 Cup White Cheddar, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce, six cloves of crushed garlic, Tabasco or Dave’s Insanity Sauce to taste