Poker's Jalapeno Poppers

So, we had our second throw down last night. Russ and Hil were up against Rick and Anne in battle meatloaf. Both were delicious and with the help of Russ's bro-in-law Tom, we deemed Rick and Anne to be the winners. Their meatloaf - their first ever attempt! - was moist, a little spicy, and very light texture wise. Along side some cheesy risotto and garlic mashed potatoes, the combo of the meat loaves made for a great meal.

Brian and I were in charge of apps and agreed early on to make jalapeno poppers. What should have been a simple recipe turned into a blog-worthy sit com... 

I got a call while I was out doing errands: don't ask any questions but please stop and get 8 more jalapenos. When I got home, assuming he just had extra filling left over, Brian proudly showed me a plate of poppers...then pointed out that he had halved them and dredged them in the egg and corn flake mixtures - but had forgotten to fill them with cheese. He was cleaning up and found the bowl of filling that he had made and set aside!  So, he made the 8 new ones as normal, and added cheese to the others then redredged them.

When we left the house, we had a beautiful plate full of 36 poppers ready to be baked, neatly and securely wrapped in plastic wrap. Brian put them on the back seat, I put my jacket over them, and he let Sambucca in the car on his side.

A little bit later, Brian glances back and says "Is Poker sitting ON the poppers?!" Sure enough, Sambucca was lounging on the back seat, squarely on the jacket-covered plate of appetizers. I got him to move over, and peeked under my jacket: what started as a six-inch high plate of goodies was now a flattened mess under plastic wrap. Thankfully, when we arrived at Russ and Hil's, Brian was able to reshape each of them from pancakes to jalapeno halves, and they baked up just fine!

I wish you better luck with your attempt!

Poker's Jalapeno Poppers
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 8-oz. package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 C mayonnaise
15 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise (seeded or not, to your liking*)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 T milk
1 1/2 C crushed corn flake cereal
1/4 C bacon bits

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together cheeses and mayo. Stuff pepper halves with the mixture.
3. Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl. Place crushed cereal and bacon bits in a separate small bowl.
4. Dip each jalapeno half in egg and milk mixture, then roll in corn flake mixture to coat.
5. Arrange in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven 30 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and lightly browned.

*We have tried removing all seeds and they were too mild. So yesterday, Brian left all the seeds in - and they were way too hot, even for us. Next time, we'll take half the seeds out and hopefully that will be perfect.

Ask yourself this...

...are you ready for a throw down?!?

At our annual Christmas celebration at The Fort, my friend Gwen and I realized we each have a bolognese recipe we love. Within  minutes, Brian had organized a throw down that Bobby Flay himself would have been proud of and last week we put our recipes to the test.

Gwen's recipe comes from Carmine's Family Style Cookbook, from the famous restaurant in New York. Mine is a compilation of recipes I've found online and on the Food Network.

I thought that Gwen's sauce was excellent, and our judges agreed....she won the first of what I hope are many friendly and delicious throw downs!! Next up, she and Jay will challenge Russ and Hil...can't wait to see what they come up with!

So, it's not a truly winning recipe, but it's pretty scrumptious. Here's my take on a (slightly less) traditional bolognese sauce!

Jen's Bolognese

1 T extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. pancetta, diced
1 large onion
2 large carrots
3 celery ribs
4 cloves garlic
8 oz. baby bella mushrooms
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried oregano
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 lb meatloaf mix (ground beef, veal, and pork)
2 T tomato paste
1 C red wine
2 (14 1/2 oz) can crushed tomatoes and their juice
1 (14 1/2 oz) can tomato sauce
1 C beef broth
2 t sugar
1/4 C heavy cream
2 T butter
3 T chopped parsley
1 lb pasta
1 C freshly grated Parmesan

1. In a food processor, puree vegetables in batches into a course paste.
2. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and fat is rendered, 4 - 5 minutes.
3. Add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bring the pan to a medium high heat and cook until the water evaporates and they become nice and brown, stirring frequently. This will take any where from 20 - 30 minutes or more, depending on how much water are in the vegetables.
5. Add the seasonings and stir for 30 seconds.
6. Add the tomato paste, stir and cook until brown, about 2 minutes.
7. Add the ground meat and brown; again this will take anywhere from 20 - 30 minutes.
8. Add the wine and cook, stirring to deglaze the pan and remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and until half the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
9. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the tomato sauce, beef broth, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce from sticking, until the sauce is thickened and flavorful, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
10. Add the cream, butter, and parsley; stir well. Simmer for two minutes. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
11. Toss cooked pasta with a few ladles full of sauce, ladle more on top, and serve with cheese.

Now, mark your calendar for January 4, 2012. We may have missed National Spaghetti Day 2010, but there's always next year. And, what better way to celebrate than with a big, steaming bowl of spaghetti bolognese?!

Mangia!