Cream Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

I made these jalapeno poppers this past Sunday for Superbowl snacks, and I am obsessed with them. I got this recipe from fortheloveofcooking.net which has a ton of great recipes. Kevin and I put the kids to bed early and recorded the Superbowl so we could watch it at our own pace with no interruptions.....I think back to all our years "mainly pre-kids" when we attended fun Superbowl parties and find it hilarious that all I want to do now is curl up on my couch in my pajamas and eat good food. Funny how times have changed, but I wouldn't have it any other way. These jalapeno poppers were the perfect appetizer to the yummy filet Kevin grilled for us. I was scared they were going to be too spicy, but they were perfect....just make sure to get all the seeds out. Dip them in ranch like I did, or eat them by themselves...either way they are scrumptious.

Cream Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

*This is my alteration from the original recipe to suit our needs...this made 14 poppers

You will need:

-7 fresh jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed

-8 oz cream cheese, softened (I forgot to sit it out so I microwaved it for a few seconds)

-7-8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled finely

-plain panko bread crumbs

*First get the jalapenos ready. Slice in half lengthwise and removed the seeds and inner vein. I found the easiest way to do this is with a grapefruit spoon...if you have one, it works perfectly, if not just use a knife. Be careful not to touch your face or eyes while doing this!

*Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. (I set the jalapenos on top of a wire rack, on top of the baking sheet...don't really think you have to though).

*Mix softened cream cheese with crumbled bacon.

*Smear each jalapeno half with cream cheese mixture.

*Pour some of the panko crumbs onto a plate. Dip jalapenos, cream cheese side down, in panko crumbs

*Bake at 375 for 22-23 minutes. Then set the oven to a LOW broil and broil them for about 2-3 minutes until tops are golden brown. Watch them carefully so they do not burn!!

*Serve immediately with ranch dressing if desired

these were so good.....

Here's where our superbowl night gets really pathetic....a few years ago we started the dorky tradition of doing superbowl square bets. I say dorky, because most of the time you do this with a large number of people. And bet money on it. Well, we figured we would make our night at home more interesting so Kevin made a full out superbowl square chart, and we each picked our slots (drew numbers and everything). We each wrote down a reward for each quarter of the game. The rewards got consistently better with each quarter. I won the first two, and of course, Kevin won the last two...the best ones. Here's a picture of our bets. If you're wondering what "full body" means, it means a massage. We take massages and back rubs very seriously in our house...I do at least. If the Giants hadn't decided to go for a 2 point conversion in the last few minutes of the game (for no reason) I would have won the last bet and have been a very happy girl. Notice how detailed I was in my house cleaning requests? Instead, Kevin gets to go fishing...for as long as he wants...whenever he chooses....with no complaining from me. Pathetic, huh?