Jalapeno Poppers

Not so long ago, I took a cooking class at Williams-Sonoma.  One of the featured recipes was a jalapeno popper, which is a favorite appetizer of mine.  During the cooking demonstration, we were given time to shop the entire store with a discount for the evening and I picked up a fabulous jalapeno popper rack for filled peppers!  This rack makes the popper process so easy, and better yet, the filling doesn't ooze out during baking!  Oh yes, I forgot to mention, these are baked, not fried, so they're that much healthier!

18 jalapenos

1 8-ounce brick reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

2 cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.

In the bowl of stand mixer, combine cream cheese and shredded cheese using the paddle attachment.  Set aside.

Chop the top off the jalapenos.  Wearing latex gloves, use a small knife (the shape of a grapefruit knife, and its serrated edges, work the best) to cut and scoop out the seeds and ribs of each pepper.  Trust me on the gloves.  I made a double of this recipe for my son's first birthday party and my hands were stinging for two days (if that happens, wash your hands in hot water with a dish soap that cuts oil, like Dawn; this will break down the pepper oils on your hands, rather than just redistribute the oils as a regular hand soap would do).

Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag or zip-lock with the corner cut off and pipe the cream cheese mixture into each hollowed out pepper.  Place the peppers into the baking rack and bake until cheese is bubbling and brown on top.  Serve hot.