Okay, either, I am obsessed with balls, or, I just am severely unoriginal.
Further, I am out to prove a point—JALAPEÑOS HAVE BEEN DICED IN HEAT! If you missed yesterday’s post: “Ep. 2: Jalapeno Conspiracy?!”—I subtlety mentioned the fact that Jalapeños, by cruel fate, OR NOT, have been becoming milder, and milder:
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/mar/15/why-jalapeno-not-spicy
To truly honor our spicy little friends, this recipe pushes Jalapeños to the max—some stuffed with cheese and topped with Jalapeños—-others stuffed with jalapeño, and topped with cheese. And naturally, I had to take it one step further—stuffed and topped with Jalapeño. Call me CRAY. I went there—
The second thing ya’ll need to know about me, is that I have a sweet tooth, and a meat tooth. I enjoy to cook and consume large amounts of protein in various forms(the easiest of which to work with is ground)—lately my hang-up has been ground beef, if you couldn’t tell. lul
I say all of this to clarify, I have explored the thought-processes of being meat-non-consuming(vegan/veggie), and have gone weeks, and months without minimal amounts of animal protein. What I have discovered, however, is that my body, does in-fact, crave animal protein. As someone who doesn’t identify with their body, (soul in body), I attribute this fact to my ancestors being very carnivorous. My literal ancestors are screaming in my bones to eat meat. I find this strange.
What are your bones saying?
Okay back to reality, for a moment…
I can personally tell you—these were in-fact, not spicy. Maybe like a 4/10 on the spice level. Great Jalapeño flavor, though…
Diverging…
On a personal note—I am back in the job-market. I don’t necessarily think that this is something to congratulate, but I am thankful to be exactly, unemployed, where I am.
My person philosophy is this: If you have the luxury of not settling, don’t.
That is, if something doesn’t fit, don’t force it. Let it effortlessly flow out of your life—and await something that is more in alignment with you.
In the past month I have worked at two different jobs—I think, even for me, this is a record.
The first being with a Non-Profit, assisting folks in the I.D.D. Community by being a Direct Support Professional. This was great—honestly, But they couldn’t offer me the shift I wanted(Overnights), for another 2 months. Two words: no-go.
Two months doesn’t seem like a lot of time to wait for a shift preference, but honestly, and quite thankfully, right now, I have the luxury of not settling on where I gain my employment—that is a luxury that few American’s have: being able to leave their day job, on a whim. A lot of folks in the job market are stuck—and living paycheck to paycheck.
The second job: Churchhill Estates. I lasted a total of 24 hours. Yeah, you read that right—honestly, I almost walked out within the 1st hour of being on-site.
Churchhill Estates is an assisted living/memory and retirement community for the Elderly Community—being a caregiver, I naturally applied for, and accepted a position.
WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. SUPER TOXIC COWORKERS.
There are a couple of non-negotiable(s) that I have:
1) Kind, non-toxic, gossip and drama-free coworkers/environment.
2) Decent Pay (nothing less than $15/hr after-tax
3) Fall into the category of: Casual (fast food, housekeeping, etc.), or Community Service (caregiving/human service)
4) Common-sense benefits, and adequate time-off.
5) Not be haunted/dangerous/site of previous-passing(hospital, LTC, Hospice House)—(I am too energetically sensitive to work a these places, in my experience)
6) Alignment with my schedule (Morning, Swing, or Noc)
I suppose I am writing all of this is to assuage my guilt of being a bad employee. SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME.
Daniel out. 💛
Ingredients:
- Ground Beef
- Salt
- Pepper
- Seasoning Salt
- Sliced Jalapenos
- Diced Onion
- Cubed Cheese
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef with salt, pepper, and seasoning salt to taste. Mix until the seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the meat.
- Take a portion of the seasoned ground beef mixture and flatten it in the palm of your hand.
- Place a slice of jalapeno, a few pieces of diced onion, and a cube of cheese in the center of the flattened beef.
- Carefully fold the edges of the beef around the filling, shaping it into a ball to encase the jalapenos, onion, and cheese.
- Optional: Place an additional slice of jalapeno or a small piece of cheese on top of each formed meatball for added flavor and presentation.
- Place the formed meatballs onto the prepared baking sheet, and repeat the process with the remaining ground beef mixture and filling ingredients.
- Once all the meatballs are formed and arranged on the baking sheet, place them in the preheated oven.
- Bake the meatballs for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until they are cooked through and golden brown on the outside.
- Remove the meatballs from the oven and let them cool slightly before serving.
- ENJOY!
About the Author:
Daniel is a 29-year-old, and self-proclaimed traveler, energy-worker, caregiver, activist, and long-time foodie. He enjoys spending time in nature, going for long road-trips, meditating, and spending time with his friends and family.
He finds purpose through his day-job as a caregiver—and is in the process of completing an Associate Degree in Human Services. While concurrently enrolled in classes, and caregiving, Daniel is working towards opening a Non-Profit Charity: Love Gives—whose mission statement is: “Love In Action”, aimed at providing Direct-Cash Payments to those In-Crisis (ie. unhoused, hungry, veterans, recovering-individuals, abuse-survivors). If you are interested in working with, or making a donation, please email: love.gives@outlook.com and find them on
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