Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

It's no secret that I like jalapenos... so when I heard about a Jalapeno Popper sandwich while watching Diners', Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network I was IN!  I didn't see the whole episode but kept thinking of how I would go about making one of these are my house.

It's rich, but so yummy.  

I made one for my teenage son the other day, and he loved it.  He loved it so much that when I got home one day, I came back to the remnants of his own foray into sandwich making all over the kitchen. 
What a mess...
But, later on, he told me his version of the sandwhich included dipping it in beaten egg, and then in panko breadcrumbs and then fried.  Fantastic sounding, but it does explain the big, fat mess he left... for... me.  Oh well, raising good cooks takes some effort, just like everything else worthwhile in life.

Makes about 4 sandwiches
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2-3 jalapenos, seeds removed, minced
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Sprinkle of chili powder
8 slices Sourdough Bread
3-4 Tbsp butter, softened

Parmesan Cheese, finely grated (optional)


Mince the jalapeno, and slice the green onions.  Mix the grated cheddar, cream cheese, jalapenos and green onions together.

It should be kind of thick...

Spread a bit (or a bunch) on 2 slices of bread. I like sourdough best of all.

Okay, I need to share ONE MORE trick... this is a great way to make it seems even more like a Jalapeno Popper, but it's not quite as pretty looking.

If you butter the outside of your sandwich and then press it into grated Parmesan and then fry it, low and slow, you will get a nice, crispy, crunchy outside crust to your sandwich... which is very much like a real jalapeno popper that you buy with the crunchy outside.  You do have to watch the heat, because the cheese has a tendency to burn more quickly than just butter would.

Whole Wheat Noodles with Bleu Cheese, Walnuts & Kale

This salad has some intense flavors; blue cheese, toasted walnuts and kale.  I made my recipe with whole wheat spaghetti noodles, but any pasta shape should work. It's hard to say that this will appeal to everyone because I have noticed you either love, or hate, blue cheese and not everyone loves walnuts and kale either...  

Then there are the noodle haters... my husband said "it was too noodley...".  
Oh well, you know, you can't please all the people all the time!

My kids and I all liked this salad, it was very satisfying and had all the intense flavors that we love, plus, it could be a vegetarian main dish all on it's own, as it is quite filling. But, I have been thinking about it, and I do agree that you could double the amount of kale in this recipe, and maybe it wouldn't be so noodley...

One more thing, this salad is best made and served in the same day.  The kale is nice and bright green on the first day, but I've got to admit it gets to be a disagreeable color on Day Two.

Serves about 8-12
Ingredients:
1 lb. whole wheat noodles
4-6 oz crumbled blue cheese
1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts
1 large kale, stems removed and chopped small
1/2 red onion, diced

Dressing:red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Boil the noodles until almost cooked with about 1 minute to go, add the chopped kale to briefly cook.

Mix all the ingredients together for the dressing in a blender, adding 1/4 cup toasted walnuts and 2 Tbsp blue cheese to the dressing, and blend until smooth.  Add dressing to noodles and toss to coat.  Add the rest of the blue cheese, red onions and toasted walnuts.  Add salt and pepper as needed.



Here's a couple other kale recipes that you might like:

Kale, Cherry & Almond Salad
Sausage, Mushroom and Kale Lasagna
Pork Tenderloin with Cheese Polenta & Sauteed Kale
Portuguese Linguica Sausage, Bean and Kale Stew