And How to Stay Hot

I've seen the Pioneer Woman make these jalapeno poppers for just about every big even she's hosted- Christmas, people visiting the ranch, maybe even Easter but most importantly 4th of July. I can see how these would become a 4th of July tradition. You can cook them up on the grill, they're easy to make, don't fall apart once they're cooked and are nice on a burger. I wasn't head over heals for them, but the boyfriend and brother looooooved them.

So if you wanna impress a bunch of 20 something guys with a taste for spicy foods, this is your recipe.

To start, why don't we just wash those peppers. Next, I would advise putting on some gloves- no seriously. I did not listen to this advice and for the rest of the evening my fingers were... tingly? felt like they had ants running through them maybe? or even a slight burning sensation- particularly around the cuticles and any scratches I already had. but all of this to say- it's no joke! These peppers will burn you- so be warned.

Next, cut each pepper in half (look at my glove-less poor hands not realizing what they will be going through soon!)

And scoop out the membranes- see? Peppers on one side- membranes on the other

Then you wanna fill each half with cream cheese.

Wrap a slice of bacon around each pepper and secure with a toothpick.

See? Lots of peppers, filled with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and ready for the GRILL!

And voila! A couple minutes on the grill under the watchful eye of my father yielded some rather burnt looking but apparently delicious poppers. Which I would say means the recipe is pretty forgiving.

Not bad at all

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

From the PioneerWomanCooks.com

Ingredients

• Fresh Jalapenos 2-3 inches in size
• Cream cheese, softened
• Thin, regular bacon, sliced into thirds

Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT). Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half. Wrap jalapeno with bacon piece (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle (at this point you can freeze them, uncooked in a ziploc bag for later use.)

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don't want the bacon to shrink so much it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If, after 20 minutes the bacon doesn't look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of bite to it.

Serve immediately if you want 'em hot, or they're great at room temperature.