
My
rice journey continues with these scrumptious stuffed poblanos. I had chorizo in my fridge, so when I stumbled across this recipe I knew I had to make it. The chorizo is cooked with spicy and sweet peppers making for a flavorful rice base.

With the end of Summer fast approaching, I made a Popsicle inspired by Mexican
paletas, a mostly pureed frozen fruit dessert that's either ice- or cream-based. After
chopping up a cantaloupe last week, I wanted to combine it with a crisp cucumber and spicy jalapeño to create a refreshing yet snappy paleta.Zealous with my jalapeño, I chopped up an entire thing, seeds and all, and threw it in the blender. The result was too spicy for my taste, so I balanced the heat by adding a touch of sugar.

I am a diehard pickle fanatic, but I realize the same doesn't apply for everyone. This
easy pickling recipe for spicy vegetables, however, could convert even the biggest pickle skeptic. The medley of crisp haricots verts and pearl onions goes well in conjunction with meaty carrots and a subtle jalapeño bite.

When it comes to bacon and jalapeno, I'm not terribly discriminating. I'm so crazy about both flavors that I can't imagine how any combination of these two foods could taste bad, which is why I love this recipe for bacon-wrapped jalapeno "thingies" that
Wren posted in the
Kitchen Goddess group. They're jalapenos, they're wrapped in bacon, and they're stuffed with cream cheese.

If you haven't tried the classically delicious combination of steak and blue cheese, I highly recommend experimenting with this recipe. Don't be afraid, the natural pungency of the blue cheese is neutralized when mixed with cream cheese, jalapeño, shallots, and white wine vinegar.
Start making this dish in the morning to allow the steaks plenty of time to soak up the garlic parsley marinade.