By Amy Larson

Zippy Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

1 box of cream cheese, melted

Eight slices of thick sliced buttermilk or other bread

4 Tbsp. butter, softened for spreading

12 slices of thick cut maple style bacon

2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sprinkle of cayenne pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste

2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and diced

Preparation

• Cook slices of bacon and set aside on paper towel. Seed and dice jalapenos, sauté in bacon drippings and set aside. Place cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl and cover with a napkin or paper towel, heat for one minute to soften. Stir cream cheese after heating, then add in sautéed jalapenos and add garlic to taste.
• Butter one side of bread slices, then spread cream cheese mixture into the center, topped with cheddar cheese and three slices of bacon each. Form into a sandwich and place in a large pan on medium heat until bread is grilled and cheese is melted.
• Cut in half and eat while toasty hot.

Note: My “adopted” brother Jari Vesterinen got me hooked on jalapeno poppers back in the early 1990s. Something about the heat and cheese-filled goodness said festive and happy and “all is well” to me. The science behind this is that jalapenos and any capsaicin-like pepper gives one a natural anti-depressant boost.

No wonder the kids and I or whatever friend I had with me went on so many late-night jalapeno popper runs. They were cheesy, crunchy, spicy life-joy fixes!

This recipe is an ode to all of those pepper parties.

Soda Pop Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 c. heavy whipping cream

1 c. soda pop of your choice

Food coloring of your choice

Preparation

• In a medium bowl, whip cream until thickened. Add in soda, stir.
• Add in a few drops of complimentary food coloring. Pour combination into a plastic container, secure lid, and place in freezer for 4-6 hours, then enjoy!

Note: This opens up a whole new world of ice cream possibilities! Orange cream, red cream soda cream, root beer cream, cola cream!

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