Smoked Jalepeno Poppers

Hubsters and I recently tried Smoked Jalapeno Poppers at our local farmers market, 3 of the little suckers for five bucks! Expensive, but soo smoky and delightful, worth every penny!

We were smoking a Prime Rib this weekend and I wanted to give these a whirl, they are very easy and the taste is amazing, truly. If you don't have a smoker you can get directions for doing it on your charcoal grill here.

12 Jalapenos seeded and de-stemmed
1/4 lb Mexican Chorizo Sausage, casings removed
1 package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cook the chorizo until done, remove from the pan and drain. Mix all the remaining ingredients together and pipe into your prepared Jalapenos. Follow the directions above for your charcoal grill and if you have a smoker, smoke em!

Chicken Enchiladas Verde

I wanted a comforting plate of Enchiladas, but I also wanted to do something different. I decided to make them with a green or verde sauce, and use Monterey Jack cheese. I have to say these edged out my regular ones for me just a bit, I liked the "something different" aspect.

As I have mentioned before, I am a fan of flavoring the chicken itself, so I poached it in water with half a lemon, salt and pepper, let cool, then added a bit of red sauce, lime, cayenne, cumin, chili powder and shredded it all together with my fingers. YUM

Here is what ya need!

12 corn tortillas
2 chicken breasts
2 small cans of salsa verde (I use the Herdez brand)
24 sticks of Monterey Jack cheese (I buy a large brick then cut into 1/2 inch wide sticks
1 white onion diced
1 small can of sliced olives
non stick cooking spray
Additional shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 lime, juice it
1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp chili powder
4-5 tsp red chili sauce (kind of optional)

Poach your chicken in water with salt, pepper, juice of half a lemon, and the lemon itself, remove when the chicken is done and set aside to cool

Get your cheeses ready by shredding about 2 cups of Monterey Jack Cheese and making about 24 sticks of cheese approx 1/2 inch wide

Shred your chicken, and add the spices mentioned above, the juice of 1/2 to 1 lime, use your taste for judgement, the red chili sauce and mix well

Spray your casserole with a non stick spray, and pour a bit of the green sauce in the bottom of the casserole and spread around, this makes two 9X9 casseroles worth

Microwave your corn tortillas in a damp paper towel 6 at a time for about 20-35 seconds to soften

Place your tortilla down, add a tablespoon or so of chicken, two cheese sticks, olives and onion, roll up and place seam side down into your casserole

Repeat until you run out of chicken and cheese

Pour green sauce on the enchiladas, making sure to cover the corn tortillas completely so they won't dry out

Sprinkle on the shredded cheese and top with any remaining onion or olive

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or so until bubbly