My Golden Ticket

I had the good fortune the other day to enter a recipe contest on Blake Makes in which the top 24 recipes submitted won a jar of McQuade's Celtic Chutney, Fig and Ginger Flavor. Always in the market for local, organic, artisan foods, I was ALL OVER THIS. I didn't actually think I would be one of the 24 winners, notably given the over hundred recipes submitted and the fact that my idea was deceptively simple--baked, panir-stuffed jalapenos with a dollop of chutney on top. So imagine my surprise when two days later I get an email: "Congratulations, you've won a jar of chutney!" Then comes the bomb: "Now make your recipe and post it!" WHOA. Not gonna lie, I didn't know submitting a recipe in a contest would also involve actual cooking. I'm a visionary, not a practitioner. Thanking my lucky stars that I didn't submit a braised pork tenderloin, I enlisted the help of one of my favorite cooks, Annelies, and we got to crackin'. Or seedin'. Whatever you'd like to call it. With her graceful and natural movements in the kitchen, we whipped these things out in no time. As fast as we could slice a jalapeno in half/ remove the seeds /stuff them with panir cheese /pop in the oven for 25 minutes, we were done. The last step was a snap--just a spoon full of chutney on top and...HEAVEN. The savory chutney and rich panir totally complemented the spicy kick of the jalapeno and I couldn't get enough. And all I'm gonna say is, THANK GOODNESS I HAD A FRIEND THERE TO HOLD ME BACK. Seriously if she weren't there? I would've eaten every single one of them. They were THAT DANGEROUS. As it was, the two of us polished them off together and I never felt so good...

I officially have my favorite appetizer. This is going to be my token party offering, I can tell already. Notably as it will make me wildly popular. In fact, feel free to invite me to all your parties. I'll be That Cool Chutney Girl, which is way cooler than my old title, The Guacamole Lurker.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a jar of chutney to lick out. I mean...clean.