Dinner can be so hard sometimes. And my family insists on eating EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. Yours too, huh? It’s like they think they’ll die or something if they don’t eat… oh, wait. What’s a momma to do? Well, some times, I need to liven things up with something I really love so that I’ll be excited when the time comes to make dinner. While these Bacon & Cream Cheese Jalapeno Poppers are great little appetizers for any party menu… and the leftovers make a great breakfast the next morning… I have been known to make these simply because it’s Tuesday and I want to be excited to make dinner. So, yes, put these on your next party menu and them add them to your meal plan menu too because whatever your celebration may be – Superbowl? Oscars Party? Valentine’s Dinner? Birthday party? It’s Thursday and the kids are still alive?! – I pinky promise, these will be a hit!
BACON & CREAM CHEESE JALAPENO POPPERS
These are absolutely bursting with delicious flavor because, I mean cream cheese and bacon… how could they not be amazing?! If tonight’s dinner plans are really better than cream cheese and bacon, well then, share your recipe! My family eats EVERY. NIGHT. Remember? Help a momma out and give me some new recipe ideas! And make sure you add this to the menu for another night because you won’t regret it and I love to share the good stuff!
The cheese and the bacon fat tame the heat in most of the peppers, leaving just a little bite behind. This is one time when the cheap bacon can actually help you out! The more fat, the more subdued they will be. Want to make sure they are tame enough to enjoy? Be sure to get all the seeds out because that’s where the pepper’s punch is really hidden. These jalapeno poppers definitely still have a kick, but even my kids can handle most of them.
The downside is you can’t really tell the hot ‘n spicy ones from the not-so hot ‘n spicy ones just by looking at them; so, be wary if your heat tolerance is low and have a glass of milk close by. And yes, they are totally worth the Russian Roulette you play every time you reach for another one. Can’t stand the heat and don’t even want to risk it? Try substituting green bell peppers, because these are just too dang amazing to miss out on.
ENLIVEN DINNER WITH BACON AND CREAM CHEESE JALAPENO POPPERS
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 20 poppers
- 16 oz package of bacon
- 10 Jalapeno peppers (you can use any pepper, for more control over the heat factor. My mom likes these with green bell peppers).
- 16 oz package of cream cheese
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil for easy clean up.
- Wash the peppers. Open the bacon and slice it in half. I find kitchen shears seem to be the easiest way to do that. Open the package of cream cheese.
- Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds and membrane. I cut the stems off too, but that's optional. I also wear latex gloves so I don't get jalapeno in my eye later...
- Cut the cream cheese into 20 skinny slices.
- Lay a slice of cream cheese inside each pepper.
- Wrap each pepper and cream cheese slice in a half strip of bacon.
- Place the peppers on the baking sheet in a single layer, not touching each other. (Super secret amazing flavor boosting tip: Sprinkle a little brown sugar on the peppers!)
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on size of peppers. When the peppers are an olive green color and the bacon is thoroughly cooked, take the peppers out of the oven.
- Let cool approximately 10 minutes. Be careful, the grease from the bacon will be HOT!
- Serve and enjoy!
- Store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.
