Story time with Susan

I have decided to share this humiliating story with the blogging community. It does make me sound silly, and maybe a little pathetic, but hey, these kind of stories always seem to be the most entertaining for others.

It all started when I came up with the brilliant plan to make homemade jalapeno poppers for Darcen, since he is getting home tonight from a business trip (they are some of his favourite appetizers). In the recipe, it says to wear gloves, but I just thought to myself, "Susan, you've made these before. You are a pro and don't need gloves."

So I started slicing the jalapenos in half and began to seed them with a grapefruit spoon. All was going splendidly, when all of a sudden I needed to blow my nose (I am fighting off a little cold right now). So I quickly dropped my knife and ran to grab a kleenex. *Note: I did not wash my hands before doing so.

I took care of business, when all of a sudden, it felt like a fire was breaking out on my face. And I'm telling you, this is intense pain on my lips, my nose, and the inside of my nose. Don't ask me how the jalapeno juice managed to travel in all these areas.

Anyways, I have never had such intense pain on my face in my life. It seriously felt like my face was on fire. Tears started streaming down my face as a reflex...I wasn't crying, but my body was...does that make sense? In a panic, I grabbed an ice cube and tried to relieve my burning face. It didn't work.

So plan B. I soaked a paper towel in milk and dabbed my face. Nope. Didn't work. Plan C: Still in a state of burning and tears, I called my parents (unfortunately, my hubby has no cell, so I couldn't call him). My parents attempted to hold back their laughter, as my mom suggested to fill a bowl full of milk to soak my face. Then she said to call her back in 5 minutes to see if it worked. I said, "Ok, I'll try anything."

I proceeded to fill a bowl full of milk and soaked the lower half of my face for a few minutes. Since my nose and mouth were submerged in milk, I did the soaking in 20 second intervals. After multiple dips (probably 20 or so)...success!! It took about an hour for the pain to fully go away, but the milk did the trick. Brilliant. Thanks Mom!

So, my friends, let an old pro let you in on the cooking lesson of today: Use gloves when cleaning/handling jalapenos, and do not touch your face! And if you do make the same mistake that I did, milk is a miracle remedy!

End of story.