The first time I had these wonderful stuffed jalapeños was years ago on a beach trip. My dear friend Martha whipped up a batch of them and I’ve been hooked ever since! They are so easy to make and seriously addictive. I plan on taking these to a Super Bowl party this weekend and can’t wait to watch them disappear!

Ingredients

• 15-20 medium/large jalapeño peppers
• 1 pound hot pork sausage (use mild sausage if you want to tone them down a bit)
• 8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• ¾ cup Parmesan/Romano cheese (I used 4C for this batch)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, crumbling it with a spoon as it cooks. Drain as much as the grease as you can (I use a colander and paper towels.)

Slice the jalapeños lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. You should wear latex gloves for this step so you don’t get any of the oils from the jalapeños on your skin or, worse yet, in your eyes. Trust me on this one – getting jalapeño oil in your eyes hurts like hell.

Mix the cooked, drained sausage, softened cream cheese and the Parmesan/Romano cheese in a large bowl.

Fill each jalapeño half with the sausage mixture, and place on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. Let the peppers cool down for a few minutes before serving.

If you are serving these at a party, you may want to double this recipe – these wonderful stuffed peppers won’t stay around long!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!