Bacon-Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapenos

    
       Whenever I first discovered Pinterest, I went insane. I would spend hours and hours pinning all these recipes I found, and it got is still a little out of hand. So after the anticipation of having literally hundreds of recipes to try became too great to bear, I decided to invite friends over to have a party just so I could make a couple of my new found recipes. Anyone knows that when you go to Sarah's house, you basically have to be rolled home. So even though I do not like jalapenos or anything spicy (I'm a mild to moderate, sometimes barely medium girl), I wanted to try my hand at something all the men in my life love.

     Now let me tell you something that no one mentioned to me:

 jalapenos burn. They burn you skin, and it is painful.

Burn burn burn.

           So when you touch 20 or so jalapenos, you should probably wear gloves. You have to cut these and half and then scoop them out, fill, wrap, and then arrange them. You will be spending a LOT of bonding time with these guys, and they will bond to you in a way you don't want to bond with them. 

          As a side note, milk helps take away the burn. So here I was, slaving away for these hungry men in my house, not only making something I wouldn't even eat but just out of the kindness of my heart, but I also burned my skin and had to casually hang out with all these guys while my hands soaked in a bowl of milk.

Awful. 

But the good news is these were a huge hit. So here they are: 

Bacon-Wrapped Cream Cheese Jalapenos

This little piggy went OUCH OUCH OUCH

Yield: 40 appetizers

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Bake Time: 20 to 30 minutes

20 whole, fresh jalapeños
2 8-oz blocks of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 to 2 pounds of bacon

1-2 Garlic cloves*

1/2 - 1 Cup Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese*

1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder*

1/2 Tbsp Paprika*

*These can be left out completely, or altered to taste.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and set aside.

2. Cut the jalapeños in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membranes. Stuff each jalapeño half with cream cheese. Wrap each jalapeño half with bacon. Secure with a toothpick.

3. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If after 20 minutes the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish. Just keep a close eye so they don’t burn! Serve immediately or at room temperature.

- Sweet Sarah

Adapted from cream cheese stuffed bacon wrapped jalapenos