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.

Fat Tuesday

When I realized that yesterday was Fat Tuesday, my first thought was to suggest The Big Mamou for dinner. As much as I love their food, though, I don't love waiting in line for a table or - worse yet - trying to leisurely enjoy my meal while others are waiting for my table. And, I knew it would be crazy busy. 

The next best thing - maybe the best thing - was to cook at home. I owed Brian a meal, since I lost our pool "tournament" on Sunday, so decided to make jambalaya and corn bread to satisfy my New Orleans craving and payment on my bet. I made this batch pretty spicy, but it would be easy enough to alter the seasoning to your taste.

This is adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe. Whenever I watch her show, I wonder if she's on speed; then I make one of her recipes, I know she must be.  There's no way any normal cook can do this in 30 minutes, but it was on the table in less than an hour, with time to simmer away for a bit. 

It turned out even better than the jambalaya at The Big Mamou (sorry Chef Wayne)!

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 T butter

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken - cubed

1 lb. spicy sausage - casing removed and diced / crumbled

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 T hot sauce (I used Cholula) 

1 heaping tsp cayenne pepper

2 to 3 T all-purpose flour

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice

1 3/4 C chicken stock

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp Worcestershire

1 pound medium shrimp, raw, deveined and peeled

In a large, deep skillet over medium high heat, heat oil and butter. Brown chicken 5 minutes, add sausage and cook 3 - 5 minutes more. Add onion, celery, pepper, bay, and cayenne.

Saute vegetables 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the pan and cook a few minutes more, cooking out raw flour taste and letting flavor develop but stirring to keep from sticking to bottom of pan. Stir in tomatoes, broth, spices, and Worcestershire. Bring liquids to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. (I let it go about 20 minutes.)

Add shrimp and simmer 5 minutes until pink and firm, then serve with rice.

This recipe made a huge pot of stew, and it was almost better the next day.  That's good, considering we'll be eating it all week!

For the corn bread, I made a pouch mix according to package directions and added a can of diced green chilies and about a 1/2 C of shredded cheese. The thing that put it over the top was baking it in a cast iron skillet. (If you don't have a cast iron skillet, get one now. I got a 10" skillet at Rocky's Hardware for $17 - and it is awesome.)  For more spice, I will saute some fresh diced jalapenos next time, rather than using the can.

Enjoy!

And the Oscar goes to... (really!)

Sorry for the "premature publication" on my Oscar picks earlier in the week...

For the first time in many years, I've seen all of the movies up for best picture at tonight's Oscars. Not a small feat, since there are 10 of them this year! Given how expensive movies are now, I feel sort of vested in the awards, as I've done my fair share of supporting those involved.

We're sitting here watching the "Live From the Red Carpet" coverage on E and I figure I better get this posted before the awards begin.  Here are my picks...

**Updated Apr. 3 - we tied on 5, neither of us picked the winner in 5 catagories, I picked 3 winners, and Brian picked 5...another bet lost!

Best Picture - The King's Speech (tied)
Best Actor - Colin Firth in The King's Speech (tied)
Best Actress - Natalie Portman in Black Swan (I made this pick before I saw Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole - it's the only pick I'm not 100% sure of.) (tied - thank God I didn't change my vote!)
Best Supporting Actor - Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech (Brian)
Best Supporting Actress - Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit (Brian)
Animated Feature Film - Toy Story 3 (tied)
Costume Design - Alice in Wonderland (Jen)
Directing - Black Swan (Brian)
Foreign Language Film - Biutiful (neither)
Music (Original Score) - 127 Hours (neither)
Music (Original Song) - We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 (Jen)
Visual Effects - Alice in Wonderland (Brian)
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Winter's Bone (neither)
Writing (Original Screenplay) - The King's Speech (tied)

I don't really know what these categories mean or how they are judged, but I made some picks anyway...

Cinematography - Inception (Jen)
Film Editing - Black Swan (neither)
Sound Editing - True Grit (Brian)
Sound Mixing - The King's Speech (neither)

I'd love to say I'll be up to see the awards as they are presented live, but after a fun-filled weekend on the Plum, I'm just hoping to stay awake 'til 8 p.m. tonight! Can't wait to read all about the winners in the morning. Hope it works out in my favor...dinner's riding on it.

Coming of Age

I am fortunate for many things in my life, not the least of which is a job I genuinely enjoy and which allows me to live a life I have become sort of passively comfortable with.

Every once in a while, though, that job smacks me in the face and reminds me of the good "we" are doing beyond our hallowed, 160-year-old, New England conservative walls...

One of those times is now.

I had the honor this week of viewing a sneak peek of a production that my company co-sponsored with public television. And I'm here to tell you: You must see it.

Tonight at 9 p.m., our local PBS station - WBGY in Springfield - will be airing a documentary entitled "Autism: Coming of Age." You'll learn about three men who, solely by virtue of their chronolgoical age, are aging out of the system America has put in place to help them.

We hear a lot about Gen X- and Y-ers and Baby Boomers and the impact they have on society, the marketplace, the workforce, etc.  But, did you know that in 10 to 15 years, 800,000 disabled children will "age out of" the system?  That means that they and their families will be ineligable for the supports and services that have allowed them to function in typical school and residential settings.

I remember being so confused when I was 18, heading out into the "real world." I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to be when I "grew up," but I knew I wanted to have an independent life of mine own, doing things I enjoyed, with people I connected with. And I know my mother wanted the same thing for me.

I can't help but imagine how Dan and Dougie and Tomas and their families must feel.

Please take an hour to watch - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Happy Heart Day!

We were out with my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces a few weeks ago for dinner, and somehow the topic of Valentine's Day came up. I didn't catch the start of the conversation but my ears perked up when I heard Kelly deem it a "stupid" holiday. 

My not-so-feminist self was beyond pleased that my teenaged nieces haven't fallen for the commercially-driven hearts and cupids thing that is a big part of Valentine's Day. Or, worse still, the notion that Valentine's Day is a holiday created solely for women to demand things from the men they love and then be completely b*tchy if the gift isn't big, bright, sparkly, chocolately, or decadent enough...which seems to be the case surprisingly often if the women's magazines and TV ads are to be believed.

Not that all of that annoys me too much... ;-)

On the other hand, I have a confession to make: I love Valentine's Day! I can't wait to send cute cards and sweet treats to people I love - family, friends, kids, grownups, and yes, even my guy. I do it because it makes me feel good and because it's a great excuse to remind people that I care about them.

Here's to being caught up in all that is good about Valentine's Day!

How fortunate I am to have a long list of people to wish a Happy Valentine's Day...xo!