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Appetizers Recipes

Recipe for How to make the Best Jalapeno Poppers

When our neighbor brought over a large basket of home grown jalapenos, we knew we had to start using them soon. According to Healthline Jalapeno’s are packed with nutrients and have many health benefits. It would be a shame to let them go to waste. The best way to use up a lot of jalapenos quickly is to make some jalapeno poppers. You may be thinking that jalapeno popper would be way to spicy, but jalapeno peppers are only mild to moderate on the Scoville scale.1 The addition of cream cheese to the jalapeno pepper also helps to neutralize some of the heat.2 Here’s a recipe for how to make the best jalapeno poppers.

Best Jalapeno Popper Recipe

Ingredients:


11 Jalapenos
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
6 slices of bacon
1/2 onion minced
6 cloves of garlic minced
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/4 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees F. Half and remove seeds 8 of the jalapenos, then dice the other 3. In a frying pan, and fry the bacon until crispy. Set aside the bacon to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Sauté the onion, garlic and 3 diced jalapenos until tender. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add the cheeses. Crumble the bacon and add it to the mixture. Mix well. Stuff the 16 Jalapeno halves with the mixture. Place the Jalapeno halves, stuffed side up on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 min. or until lightly browned. Enjoy!

If you like jalapenos, then you should try my guacamole recipe.

If you need another appetizer, then you should check out my Easy Bean dip recipe.

Are Jalapeno poppers healthy?

They do have some very healthy ingredients. Jalapenos, onions, and garlic are all very healthy. However, it would be difficult to call any recipe with bacon healthy. Overall, Jalapeno poppers are not healthy and should only be enjoyed occasionally. They are great party food, but not great for every day consumption.

Are Jalapeno Poppers Gluten Free?

Yes! All of the ingredients are gluten free. However, you should shred your own cheese from a block, or make sure your pre-shredded cheese is gluten free. To make Mexican blend: shred half cheddar and half Monterey Jack.

Are Jalapeno Poppers Keto Friendly?

Absolutely! All of the ingredients are keto friendly. Enjoy!

Can you prepare Jalapeno Poppers Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can prepare your Jalapeno peppers the night before your party, just wait until your party time to bake them. Put them in the refrigerator overnight, and pull them out when you are ready to bake them.

Other Great Appetizers:

Plated Jalapeno Poppers
Delicious Jalapeno Poppers

References:

  1. https://www.pepperscale.com/jalapeno-peppers/
  2. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/spicy-foods/mouth-on-fire-myths–what-really-cools-your-palate-

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Categories
Desserts Recipes Traeger Recipes

Peach Blueberry Pie on the Traeger

This pie is a family favorite. It is requested in place of birthday cake for two of my family members. It can also be baked in an oven, but peach season is in August, obviously a terrible time to heat up the house. I prefer to bake Peach Blueberry Pie on my Traeger Silverton 620 pellet grill.

How do you bake on a pellet grill?

Baking on a pellet grill is basically the same a baking in an oven, as long as your pellet grill has a bake feature and is able to maintain a consistent temperature. Just preheat the grill to the same temperature the recipe calls for in the oven. This peach blueberry pie is baked at 400 degrees, which is a little higher than most baked recipes. Pyrex is rated to 425 degrees, but I never go higher than 400 degrees when I use a Pyrex pie dish on my Traeger Silverton 620 because the temperature does fluctuate + or – 10 degrees.

Pellet Grill Cooking Methods Infographic.  How to bake, smoke, grill, roast and braise on a pellet grill.

Peach Blueberry Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

Best Pie Crust

5 Cups of peeled and thinly sliced peaches

2 Cups of fresh blueberries

1 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

1/4 cup tapioca

1/8 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of butter

Directions:

Prepare a pie crust. Find my Best Pie Crust recipe here.

Preheat the Traeger to 400 degrees F.

Peel and thinly slice peaches. Add peaches, blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, tapioca, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well.

Peach Blueberry Pie filling
Peach Blueberry pie filling in bottom crust

Pour into a prepared Pyrex pie dish. Top with slices of butter. Cover with top crust. Pinch the edges together. I use the handle of a butter knife to make a decorative edge, and the blade to make a few slits.

Peach Blueberry Pie ready to bake
Peach Blueberry Pie ready to bake

Cover the pie edges with foil so the crust doesn’t brown too quickly, and place in the center of the grill.

Peach Blueberry pie with foil covering edges
Peach blueberry pie with foil covering edges on the Traeger grill

Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil.

Peach Blueberry Pie on the Traeger.

Continue to bake for another 20 minutes or until the crust is slightly browned.

Best Pie Crust
Peach Blueberry pie with Best Pie Crust

Alternate baking directions for the oven.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the edges of the crust with foil, so the crust doesn’t brown too quickly, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.

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Categories
Desserts Recipes

Best Pie Crust

I have been using this recipe for over 30 years. I have not tasted another crust I like better. It can be used for both sweet and savory pies. I love it so much that I have never even tried making a different one. It’s so easy, just 3 main ingredients and a dash of salt. I always get compliments on my crust, that’s how I know it is the best pie crust. Now I can just share this post when others ask me for my recipe.

Recipe

Ingredients:

2 Cups and 2 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour

1/3 Cup Milk

2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions:

Mix all 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl until a dough ball forms. Divide the pie dough in half. Alternatively, you can make one dough ball slightly larger for the bottom crust.

Pie crust dough ready to be rolled out

How to roll it out

For the bottom crust, roll half of the dough out between 2 pieces of parchment paper or wax paper. This step is very important. You must roll this crust out between two pieces of parchment or wax paper.

pie crust rolled out between 2 pieces of parchment paper
Pie Crust rolled out between 2 pieces of parchment paper.

Remove the upper piece of paper and after that use the bottom piece to dump the rolled out crust into the Pyrex pie dish. This step is also very important. This crust is too fragile to transfer without using the paper for support.

bottom pie crust flipped into the pie dish
Bottom crust flipped into the pie dish using the bottom layer of the parchment paper.

Remove the paper from the bottom crust and pinch evenly into the pie dish.

pie crust ready for filling
Pie crust ready for filling.

Add your desired filling. I added peach blueberry filling, find it here.

pie crust with peach blueberry pie filling
Best Pie Crust filled with Peach Blueberry Pie Filling.

Repeat the process for the top crust. Pinch the edges shut.

pie crust ready to bake
Best Pie Crust Ready to bake.

I use the handle of a butter knife to make a nice edge, but you could also use a fork. Bake as directed for your favorite pie recipe.

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Categories
Casseroles Easy meals Recipes Traeger Recipes

Smoked Shepherd’s Pie on the Traeger Recipe

This Smoked Shepherd’s Pie on the Traeger recipe is a favorite at my house. It is actually modified from a recipe I got from my favorite chef Alton Brown. My daughter loves it so much that she will eat the leftovers for breakfast lunch and dinner until it’s gone. She even chooses it as her “birthday cake”. It can be baked in a regular oven, but in the Summer months I prefer not to heat up the house with my oven. This is why I started to bake Shepherd’s Pie on the Traeger pellet grill. I use a pyrex baking dish on my Traeger pellet grill for may recipes, including peach blueberry pie.

Smoked Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Ingredients for the potatoes

4-5 pounds of potatoes
3/4 Cup half and half
1/4 Cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 Egg Yolks

Ingredients for the meat filling


1 large onion minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic power
1 Cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds ground beef or lamb
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can chicken broth
1 can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, beans)

Instructions for Shepherd’s Pie potatoes

Peel the potatoes, and slice into quarters. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 15-20 min.

Drain the potatoes, add the salt and mash with the butter. In a small bowl mix the half and half with the egg yolks. Use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes, slowly add the egg mixture to the potatoes. Whip until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Instructions for Shepherd’s Pie meat filling

Brown the beef or lamb. Set aside to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Pour the olive oil into the pan and sauté the onions until tender. Return the drained meat to the pan. Next, add the flour and mix to evenly coat the meat and onions. Slowly pour the can of chicken broth over the flour coated mixture, mix to coat. Now,  thoroughly mix in the tomato sauce. Season the mixture with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and pepper. Finally, add the frozen mixed vegetables and stir until the vegetables are warm and slightly softened. Transfer the meat mixture to a large Pyrex deep baking dish 13x9x3″ (See the recommendation below) and spread evenly. Top with the potatoes and smooth with a rubber spatula.

Instructions for Smoked or baked Shepherd’s Pie

Preheat the Traeger to 375 degrees F. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Enjoy! 

If you would prefer to bake this in an oven, then preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Bake uncovered for 40 -50 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.

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