Having a very Swedish mother you can imagine that I did not have a lot of meals where Jalapenos or other chili peppers were a key ingredient growing up. Compared to the dishes my kids generation prepare, I would say that on a scale of 1 to 10 for blandness, I was raised in a 9 for blandness world. The only time I can remember any meal growing up that was truly hot or spicy, was when a foreign exchange student from Indonesia that lived with us, made dinner. I was pretty young, but I still remember that first bite of the pepper laced entree. Holy moly, my mouth was on fire and even rinsing with water did not help. All I could think was that this foreign student had surely poisoned us all because nobody would eat food like that on purpose.
Now I have my own kids and grandchildren and they are raising several varieties of chili peppers in their own gardens for dishes that they eat all the time. Even more amazing is the fact that my oldest son, Chris, is the one who comes up with a lot of recipes you see on Live Dan 330. His Stuffed Jalapeno Popper recipe was one of our first recipes to go viral. Maybe at my age most of my taste buds are dead already, but I actually enjoy the Jalapeno Poppers now. Who knew.
Jalapeno peppers are named after the town of Jalapa, Mexico. Jalapenos are the most popular chili pepper in the US. They are relatively easy to grow and will do well even up in the tundra if you start them indoors so they have a chance with short summers.
If you do want to grow your own. Did that sound bad? Check out this short video:
For some reason people love to push limits. When it comes to peppers people are always abusing themselves by eating more and more of the hottest peppers. There is a even a scale ranking the hotness of different peppers. The Scoville Scale chart below shows the hotness of various chilis.
This clip is Man v. Food featuring a hamburger challenge with 4 of the hottest peppers layered on top of the burger.
Now for the good part- recipes to enjoy your peppers:
Here is our own Stuffed Jalapeno Popper offering from Live Dan 330.
Here is the recipe
Here is another of our favorites: Cheesy Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos
Here is the recipe.
How about a little sweet and spicy? Try this Strawberry Jalapeno Jam from Food.com
Here is the recipe.
Want to spice up any dip? Try this artichoke jalapeno dip from Dinners Dishes and Desserts.com
Here is their recipe.
Jalapenos are a great way to perk up an old favorite. How about Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese.
Here is the recipe.
There are even several Jalapeno drink recipes to choose from. We like this Jalapeno Margarita from Creative Culinary.com
Here is their recipe.
Do you have a favorite Jalapeno recipe? We would love to hear from you. Send us an email or leave a comment.
