We had a late brunch with one of Mike’s old high school pals, so we weren’t in the mood to do a big Sunday dinner tonight. We are inundated with various peppers from the garden, so thought we would try and use them. This recipe was inspired by something my Dad makes as well as something our friend Vonnie made for us while we were visiting New Mexico. My fingers are still burning from making these, so a little advice is to wear some gloves and not to touch your eyeballs or face after if you don’t. Man, we be growing some HOT peppers!!! Next time I’m totes going to add some roasted corn to the mixture for a touch of sweet. With the sausage and cheese, they are a bit salty for my taste, but Mike seemed to really enjoy them. Here is what you need:

Garden Pepper Poppers:

• a slew of various peppers (I like the cherry peppers the best, but you can use whatever you have on hand. We also used jalapeno, pasilla, banana, etc.)
• 1 Lb. sweet and spicy sausage
• 2 blocks of low fat cream cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 4-5 chopped scallions
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• ground black pepper

Brown the sausage in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Wash the peppers, slice in half, and remove the seeds and ribs. I personally liked how the cherry peppers tasted better and you can also just take the tops off, core, and stuff. They are cleaner and make a better presentation. Can’t wait till the rest pop up so I can try this again! Once seeded and ribs are removed, give them another quick rinse and lay out on paper towels to dry.In a bowl, combine the drained browned sausage, 2 bricks of softened cream cheese, basil, scallions, red pepper, (roasted corn if you prefer), parmesan, and freshly ground black pepper.Mix together well and then start stuffing the peppers. This can be messy and they will more than likely bubble over while cooking, so try not to overstuff them. Mix bread crumbs with a bit of parmesan cheese and some pepper. Top stuffed peppers with this mixture. It makes a nice crunchy top and also soaks up some of the oils from the cheese. Heat up the grill to medium heat and line with foil. Also, preheat your broiler to high. Pour yourself a glass of wine and grill peppers for around 15 minutes. They should soften, cheese will start to melt, and bottom will begin to char. Cook until they appear to be 75% cooked through. When almost done, slide peppers on foil from grill onto a large rectangular cookie sheet . Place under the broiler for around 4-5 minutes until the top gets a lovely brown crust. Let cool for around 5 minutes before eating as the ooey gooey cheese can be very hot. These are the perfect appetizer for a B.B.Q. Looks like we need to have one soon. Deee-lish!