BBQ Jalapeno Poppers

            So unless you live in a cave, you are aware that last Sunday was the Super Bowl, i.e. Mecca of professional football.  If you are like me, and not an intense follower of professional football, you might view the Super Bowl as more of an opportunity to spend time with good friends and over indulge in fare such as chips, dips, and other not so healthy foods.

            This year, our friends hosted a “Souper Bowl” party with a variety of tasty soups.  I thought this was an excellent idea and a good way to try a variety of soups, and warm up as it has been so cold this past week!  I decided to contribute buffalo chicken dip (aka the love of Chris’s life) and BBQ Jalapeno Poppers from the Pioneer Woman as I have been dying to try them out.

            First and foremost, I loved that this recipe was very simple and took minimal effort.  The only thing that was somewhat time consuming, was the preparation of the jalapenos, but I enlisted a certain someone to help me out with that.  Securing the bacon with the toothpicks was somewhat difficult at first, but I became significantly faster towards the end of the poppers.

            These poppers were a hit with many party guests and Chris says that he would like to see them again in the near future if possible.  I will admit that I only tried half a bite of Chris’s, but enjoyed what I tried.  I also just think they are SO pretty!  Next time I will be sure to lay claim to one before they are gone!  One final word to the wise-if I didn’t know there was going to be a plethora of food at the party, I would have seriously wished I had doubled or tripled the recipe.  Try these out for yourselves soon!

Slainte!

Recipe:

-18 fresh jalapenos

-One 8 oz. pkg cream cheese

-1/2 grated cheddar cheese

-1 green onion, sliced

-16 slices thin bacon, cut into halves

-Bottled BBQ sauce

-Toothpicks

-Rubber gloves for working with the jalapenos.  Don’t skimp on this unless you have a death wish for your hands!

Preparation:

-Preheat the oven to 275 degrees

-Begin by cutting the jalapenos in half lengthwise, trying to keep the stems in tact.  WEAR GLOVES WHILE DOING THIS!

-Scrape out the seeds and light colored membranes

-In a bowl or electric mixer (I used the mixer) combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and chopped green onion. 

-Stuff each jalapeno with the cheese mixture.

-Wrap each jalapeno with the bacon, trying to cover as much of the surface as you can without stretching the bacon too tightly (it will contract as it cooks).

-Brush the surface of the bacon with the BBQ sauce.

-Secure the jalapenos with the toothpicks and pop them into the oven for 1 hour, or until the bacon is sizzling.

-Serve hot or at room temperature

Enjoy!