Monday, February 4, 2013

Roasted jalapeno grilled cheese

Happy Monday, all! Oh, I know I'm a bit late today. It literally took all the strength I could muster to pull myself out from under the warm covers in my blackout blind darkened bedroom this morning when my alarm went off...let's be real, it was after the third time the alarm went off. The sleep function got a lot of exercise today...gotta make sure it works properly, ya know.
 
I honestly think I have a food hangover. I ate so much naughty food this weekend that I can literally feel it coursing through my veins. Chili, cornbread, hot wings, pizza, cheesecake, cheeseburger, french fries...omg, that list is making me convulse in shock. We had a surprise birthday party for a friend and hosted a chili cookoff, which meant I had to try all 11 types of chili (I made jalapeno popper chicken chili which I will share with you soon) to see which was the best...I rose to the challenge. The superbowl is always a battle, and one I didn't win this year. I was too hungry by game time to be counting any calories...a healthy snack beforehand would've been useful to curb that growling pizza monster inside of me, but I was blinded by the piles of cheese and went face first in the pie the second I saw it. Oh well, you only live once, right?
 
I won't be making this adult style grilled cheese this week, as my stomach needs a break from all foods spicy, but I will be making it again and that's a fact! Main Man loves my Griddler, and is so excited when he sees it pulled out...I didn't think the smile could get bigger but then I said "jalapeno grilled cheese" and his face almost broke in half. These don't really pack too much heat because the peppers are roasted, which tames them a bit. I went with just cheese and peppers on mine but Main Man wanted one with just cheese and peppers and one with turkey as well as the cheese and peppers so we did a little experiment. I had some asiago bread leftover so we used that but you can use whatever bread calls to your pretty little jalapeno loving heart!
 
bread
fontina cheese
smoked cheddar cheese
jalapeno peppers
mayo (I use fat free)
 
First you roast your whole jalapeno peppers for about 10 minutes in an oven that's preheated to 400 degrees. Once they have the pretty black marks on them and they look a little shriveled, they're done. Take them out of the oven and dice them up to be layered on top of your bread and cheese. Spread the empty side of the bread with mayo and put your sammies together for their final performance...in the Griddler!

 
I luuuurve making paninis (check out the Griddler tab for more recipes) because they're so simple and hands off once you throw them on the grill...and they come out looking like deli style sammies! the grill marks just get me salivating every time.  Shut the Griddler and leave it on medium heat for 10 minutes or so (depending how done you like your paninis).
 

Pull the sandwiches off and serve while piping hot cheese is still juicing out the sides. These were faaaaaabulous, you guys! Not too much heat, but some smoky flavor in there that is mighty impressive. It's neat that the flavor of a jalapeno changes when it gets cooked. I want to say it adds a sweetness factor to the peppers, maybe it's the sugars being broken down in the heat or something? I don't need to know why...I just need to know that it happens and I sleep just fine at night.


I hope you're all crawling out of your food hangover today and having something a little more fresh than the fare I devoured this weekend. Main Man is out of town this evening so I will make something pretty light to much on and hope to feel a little less weighted down tomorrow morning when my alarm goes off...maybe I'll even hop up after the first time!? One can only hope...



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