Jalapeno Popper Mac 'n' Cheese

There is a good-sized garden where I work and they always sell excess produce that they don't use in the kitchen. I doubt they use any of the jalapenos in the food for the nursing home residents though, so maybe they just sell all the peppers to the staff that they produce :) Anyway, they had some jalapeno peppers available a couple of weeks ago (my plants are just starting to produce this last week) so I picked up about 3 dozen for $2. Not bad. I happened to find this recipe in my latest Rachael Ray magazine and thought it sounded delish. It was!

Jalapeno Popper Mac 'n' Cheese From Everyday with Rachael Ray

salt and pepper
1 lb hollow, ridged corkscrew pasta, such as cavatappi (I used elbow macaroni)
extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3 jalapeno chiles, seeded and thinly sliced
2 serrano chiles, seeded and thinly sliced (I didn't have these and used an extra jalapeno)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I substituted skim)
8 ounces cream cheese
2 T dried minced onion
2 cups shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot. In a skillet, heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium heat. Add the peppers and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to the pasta.

Preheat the broiler. In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream cheese and onion over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until smooth, 5 minutes; stir into the pasta. Stir in the cheese; season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta to a baking dish and broil until browned, about 3 minutes.