Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers — Family, Food & Frolic

It's the tail end of the lunch here on the West Coast and I am ending it with a happy tummy. Today, I decided to whip up an alternative to bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. About 6 years ago, a friend introduced me to bacon wrapped jalapenos. Oh sure, they were around long before that. However, that's when they became a family favorite for my household. I always had that catch that I liked them, but the grease was a little heavier than I liked. The other problem was that the jalapenos ended up getting a little well done in order to get the bacon cooked to my satisfaction. So, I came up with this alternative: Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers.

Before I dive into the ingredients, I will introduce a little of my style of cooking. Since "Family, Food & Frolic "-version 2.0 is just getting up and running, this is the first time that a new crop of viewers are seeing my recipes. While some of my recipes- like baking- need to be followed exactly to have the result turn out correctly, other recipes are a little more free flowing that can easily be adapted to the needs of the person making it. This is one of those recipes...casual and easy going cooking. My style of passing along my recipes is also a little more story teller narrative. In the past, that is part of my personality that my viewers loved. It's not full on "Like Water For Chocolate" (book by Laura Esquivel) story hour, but it's also not blunty 'let's get down to cooking' business style either. If that's not your style, don't despair or feel that you need to tune out, my recipes are easy to scan for the important information.

Ingredients:

4 jalapenos
1 package cream cheese (slightly softened)
bacon (about 2 slices)
shredded cheddar cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Ingredient notes: For starters, I chose to make this as a lunch for Kristin and I. Using 4 jalapenos was enough for each of us to have 4 poppers. This is where I say customize/adjust the amounts to your needs and taste preferences. This is one of those recipes that can easily be made as appetizers for a crowd.

Prep:

Cook the bacon ahead of time with your favorite bacon cooking method. For me, my preference is in the oven for perfectly cooked bacon. However, I will admit to tossing bacon into the microwave for a quick cook. In my opinion, the best style of bacon for recipes like this is the thick cut bacon as it makes great chunks. Sometimes, I will substitute well cooked chunks of ham as an imitation bacon, as it can get the same taste in a heartier form. Leave the bacon slightly undercooked as it will crisp up more in the baking process- done but you don't want overly crispy chunks. The bacon can also be prepared in advanced. Once the bacon is cooked, cut it into small chunks- the actual size is up to your preference.
Prepare your jalapenos by cutting them in half the long way (the teacher in me wants to tell say "horizontal" or "hot dog style") and removing the seeds. This can be done while the bacon is cooking. I am often having my little one help me cook or sharing recipes with people who are younger or newer to cooking (another reason for my chatty style of recipes); so, I sometimes have extra tips that may seem like common sense to a well seasoned cook/chef, but they are the little things that we take for granted. Today's mom reminder: when you are working with jalapenos, their juices will burn. Even if you don't think you have anything on your hands, wash your hands often and make sure not to rub your eyes.
Fill jalapeno halves with cream cheese.
Top with bacon. The bacon can be mixed into the cream cheese, but -eh- who needs the extra work.
Sprinkle with your desired amount of cheddar cheese.

...and ta-da:

Prepped bacon stuffed jalapeno poppers...ready for the oven

Notice that I did not say to preheat the oven. You can; however, it is not necessary for this recipe.

Place jalaleno poppers onto a greased baking sheet...or casserole dish- whatever.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. Take them out when your cheese on top is melty and starting to bubble.

The thing that I love about this version of jalapeno poppers is that everything is able to bake quick enough that the jalapeno is not too overdone, a nice middle zone between soft and crisp, which gives it a non-heavy freshness.

If adding the cheddar cheese on top is a little heavier than your preference, you could vary the recipe by sprinkling it with bread crumbs, instead.