happy friday!  i truly mean that – i am actually having a good day and during quarantine, that is absolutely something to be grateful for.  for those of you who know me personally, you know i like my food with a kick.  i eat a fresh jalapeño or serrano literally every single day whether it is chopped up over a salad (especially my savory southwest salmon one), thrown in a taco or put on a toasted bagel with cream cheese – i just think things taste better with a little heat.  i cannot believe i have not posted about these sooner but better late than never.  so, let’s get down to business.  here is what you will need to make my bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeños:

ingredients:

• 5 large jalapeños
• 5 strips of bacon (avoid thick cut)
• 4 ounces of cream cheese (i use onion & chive or jalapeño for extra flavor but if all you have on hand is regular, it will get the job done)
• 1/2 cup of grated cheese (this is up to you – i mix it up between the italian four cheese blend from trader joe’s, mexican blend or sharp white cheddar – the first is what was used today)
• garlic salt
• onion salt
• black pepper
• ranch dressing (hidden valley never disappoints but if you have a different brand on hand or like to make your own, do you, boo!)

*i don’t have a particular amount of seasoning that i use – i just sprinkle a few dashes and call it good.  i rarely measure my seasonings.  a trick to be sure you are not putting too much is to sprinkle it into your hand so you can see how much you are putting in before adding it to the mixture

now, to make these bad boys!

1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. rinse your jalapeños and slice them in half lengthwise
3. scoop out the contents and sit to the side
4. put cream cheese, grated cheese and seasonings in a bowl and mix together
5. if you enjoy extra heat like me, dice the jalapeño contents up and add to the cheese mixture (if this sounds scary skip this step)
6. use a teaspoon the stuff each jalapeño half – it should look like this:
7. take the five strips of bacon and tear each strip in half, then wrap each strip around a stuffed jalapeño (if presentation is super important or if you are serving these to guests, stick a toothpick or two in each to be sure the bacon stays perfectly in place – i am out of toothpicks and am serving no one because of shelter in place)
8. place on baking sheet and put in oven for 25 minutes (i do not spray the baking sheet because the grease from the bacon doesn’t allow the stuffed jalapeños to stick)
9. remove from oven and plate with a side of ranch dressing
10. enjoy!

if i want something savory and indulgent that is not packed with carbs, this is my go to.  who doesn’t love spicy, cheesy, bacon-filled goodness?

make them and let me know what you think!

xoxo,

k. tap

p.s. it is friday so don’t forget to make yourself a cocktail.  my strawberry mule is definitely delicious!