Jalapeños with Cornbread Stuffing

   
    Late summer is one of my favorite food times. That's when the peppers are poppin' in the gardens. I think I'd rather have fresh peppers to use than tomatoes, and that says a lot for an Indiana girl. But I can think of all kinds of ways to stuff and use them.
    Recently I saw a recipe using cornbread as the stuffing and gave it try. It's very easy with only a few common ingredients. It took longer to remove the seeds from the peppers than to make the dish.
    My thought is to make them ahead and reheat in the microwave, that way the cornbread isn't so dry. When eaten fresh, these are best with a dip - Ranch is always good.

Jalapeños with Cornbread Stuffing
6-7 large jalapeños
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (save 1 T. bacon fat)

1 box JIFFY corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
1 T. chives, finely chopped
ground black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover a large baking sheet with foil.

Cut jalapeños in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place on prepared baking pan.
 
In a medium bowl, combine corn muffin mix, egg, sour cream and bacon fat.
Mix until just combined.

Fold in chopped bacon, cheddar, chives and sprinkle with pepper.

Divide cornbread batter between jalapeño halves.

Spoon any remaining batter into paper cupcake liners.

Bake until the cornbread is golden, about 15 minutes.