Garden haul: When you grow a bunch of pretty jalapenos, you make spicy mac and cheese.

I know, I know! That zucchini is weirdly large, but my jalapenos are beauts!

By SARA VANDEN BERGE

You guys! I have jalapenos! Lots and lots of perfectly-shaped, pretty jalapenos that are growing quickly.

We picked our first bunch on Saturday, and after sharing them with friends, I thought, what now?

So I began scouring for recipes that use jalapenos and came across a few for jalapeno mac and cheese.

This recipe has been adjusted to our liking. The original recipe called for cream of onion soup, but I couldn’t find any at Walmart or HEB so I nixed it.

This spicy mac is creamy, delish and happens to pair well with pork tenderloin.

Creamy deliciousness.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED

One package (16 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni

6 tablespoons butter, divided

5 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

2 cups whole milk

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of cheddar cheese soup, undiluted

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup crushed Ritz crackers (But I nixed this too.)

HOW TO MAKE IT

Cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente; drain. Transfer to a greased slow cooker.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add jalapenos; cook and stir until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add to slow cooker. Stir in the cheese, milk, soup, mayonnaise and pepper.

Cook, covered, on low until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, about 3 hours.

If using Ritz, melt remaining butter, stir in crackers and sprinkle over macaroni mixture.