Armadillo Eggs

Ok, so I know I said we dont have many traditions, but well, since then, several things have been pointed out to me. Like the fact that I always want armadillo eggs for Christmas. Often they make me cry. But they are very very yummy. It all started one year mom had a computer program with recipes on it. A very simple program and she found this recipe for armadillo eggs...jalapeno peppers stuffed with monterey jack cheese, covered in sausage and shake and bake. That year she'd grown peppers very successfully in the garden and had tons in the freezer. So she and I set out to make these (turned into Dad and Tara even having to help) for Christmas. Lesson #1: Rubber gloves if you are gutting and stuffing jalapenos. If you don't you'll spend Christmas eve up all night, not over anticipation for Santa, but because you can't sleep due to the BURNING! Ok, so it took about 4 hours to make these, thinking might not want to do it again and then I tasted them. They were good. So then until the last two years Mom and I made them, coming up with many easier ways to do things. Then I have abandoned her and she's had to do them herself. But I do love a good armadillo egg, making my mouth water just typing this. And if you feel like getting some younger gullible members of your family, you can always say they are fried mice.

So here's the recipe (from my memory...mom you may want to comment)

You will need some nice jalapeno peppers, monterey jack cheese (shredded), breakfast sausage (get the good stuff it works better), bisquick, egg, pork shake n bake.

First, gut the jalapenos, ,take the membrane and seeds out...the more you leave in, the hotter they will be. You want to leave the stem on them and slice down one side and get the guts out that way.

Next, roll up shredded cheese, until it is roughly the shape of the inside of the jalapeno and stuff it in the slit.

Next, in a food processor mix sausage and bisquik until it is well, patty making consistency. DIvide the mixture into balls, roughly tennis ball size. Place the ball between two sheets of wax paper and roll into a pancake. Wrap the pancake shape around your jalapeno, sealing off the opening where you gutted and filled, leaving only the stem sticking out.

Next beat some eggs. dip the covered pepper in egg and then roll in shake n bake.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake until the sausage is browned and it looks done (30 minutes?)

Enjoy....but have water handy. I've had some so mild that you could just eat them and not have any feelings of heat and then i've had others that have literally made me cry (but yet I dont think i've ever thrown one away:)