I love spicy. All types. Cheyenne pepper, Chile power, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, etc. But there is something about fresh jalapenos that just makes me go gaga. Like Lady Gaga, gaga. I get all crazy and start putting them on everything. I'll make me a sammie with some toasted wheat bread, turkey, a creamy cheese like Havarti, spinach, a little ranch dressing, AND, some jalapenos. I am known to have a big bag of jalapeno potato chips at my house at all times. I am always on the look out for new jalapeno recipes to try.
The funny thing is that Stan likes one specific type of spicy. Frank's Hot Buffalo Sauce. He puts that stuff on everything. And I don't mean just a little bit either. I'm talking tons. I literally have to buy a new bottle every week. When I make a recipe that has any sort of spicy other than the hot buffalo sauce, he thinks it's too spicy. But me (the spice lover) cannot handle the amount of buffalo sauce he puts on everything. Weird. I know.
Another funny story. One of my former roommates, Edwina Cuttwater, would go out to sushi pretty much every Thursday the summer we turned 21. When we first started going together she stayed far far away for the wasabi. And I'm sure you can guess that I loaded up on the wasabi. Over time I managed to get her to split some of the spicier rolls and also to put wasabi in her soy sauce. It was a small friendship victory that I still celebrate on a fairly regular basis.
Looking over everything I've just typed and re-thinking about the recipe I am about to type, reminds me that the jalapeno cream sauce is not spicy. So I'm not sure why I shared those stories with you. Well I'm too lazy to delete it all so, mwehhh. You'll survive. But then again, spicy is a subjective scale. What I think is a 3, Edwina may think is a 7. Hmm... Maybe I should have stared with that.
Lastly, does anyone else the craving to make dinner at about 10 pm? Or is it just me? The last few meals I've made haven't been finished until about 11 pm so when I go to take pictures I am S.O.L. and have had to make due with using a lamp for my light. Goodness what bad pictures this makes. I'll try to get better at eating on a normal person's schedule.
Caramelized Chicken with Jalapeno Cream Sauce
(Recipe from How Sweet It Is)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (Removing all of the seeds will take pretty much all the spice out of this, so if you want a little spicy don't remove all of the seeds)
1 shallot, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup milk
1 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. finely grated Parmesan cheese
Add chopped jalapenos, shallots, and garlic to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. I don't have a food processor... so I just diced mine very small. Set aside.
Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon canola oil. Once oil is hot, add chicken and cook for 8-10 minutes per side, until both sides are caramelized and golden. If pan is too dry when you flip chicken add another tablespoon of canola oil.
While chicken is cooking, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Once melted, add in chopped jalapeno mixture, stirring to coat, and cook 2-3 minutes. Once fragrant, whisk in flour and stir continuously to create a roux. Cook mixture for 1-2 minutes, then add both milks, reducing heat to medium-low. Stir continuously until mixture starts to thicken (about 6-8 minutes), adding Parmesan cheese, and reducing heat to low. Once desired thickness has been reached, turn off heat (okay I forgot to add the cheese and wait for the mixture to thicken, so that's why my sauce is not as thick as I'd recommend you make yours... shame, shame I know). Stir every now and then- it may thicken a little more upon standing, you can add a little milk at this point if you think it is needed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over rice, vegetables, or pasta and top with jalapeno cream sauce.
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