One summer evening way back in June, we were grilling out at a good friend’s house, and he decided to make some jalapeño poppers from scratch. He didn’t follow a recipe; rather, he just kept making it up as he went along. The result was fabulous. While I don’t actually remember if he used jalapeños or smaller sweet peppers, what I do remember is how fantastic they were, and that they were much, much better than the pre-made, frozen kind.

I am a sucker for appetizers/hors d’oeuvres/munchies/etc. They’re an easy dinner if you make a few (I confess, it’s one of my favorite dinners if Mike is working 2nd shift on a Friday night), the perfect snack for when you’re watching Netflix and having a beer, and are low-maintenance when you have friends over. Jalapeño poppers are one of my favorites – particularly, the kind with cream cheese. I love cheese, and I especially love spicy food. Together, they’re a perfect combination.

I made these to compliment our weekly pizza night. Like our good friend, I made it up as I went along, and absolutely LOVED the result.

Cheesy Bacon Jalapeño Poppers – The Spicy Simmer

• 4-6 jalapeño peppers
• 4 tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese
• 4 tbsp shredded cheese (I had Sargento 4-Cheese Mexican on hand)
• 2 tbsp bacon, chopped fine (I used Oscar Mayer bacon pieces)

1. Preheat oven to broil, on low setting if you have the option available. Spray a broiler pan (or cookie sheet) with cooking spray.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine cheeses and bacon.
3. If you have disposable gloves, wear them to slice & seed the jalapeños. Otherwise, the capsaicin from the peppers will remain on your hands, and when you accidentally rub your eyes, they will burn! Anyway…slice and seed the peppers.
4. With a small spoon, fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture, and lay open side up on the pan.
5. Bake in oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese melts, and starts to brown a bit.

Cheesy. Spicy. Perfect!

I am fairly certain that these poppers are a bit healthier than the frozen kind that we’re all accustomed to. There’s no breading, and no added oils. They are spicier than the ones in the box/bag as well, which I enjoyed, and yet there’s just enough cheese on each one to cool off your tongue. The bacon adds just a slight smoky, salty flavor and, well…bacon makes a lot of great things even better 😉

What’s your favorite appetizer?

PS – I’ve linked up this recipe at Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity. There’s other great recipes and ideas over there; check it out!