HaPpY BiRthDaY cArA!!

last sunday was mine and kasia's friend cara's birthday. what better way to have a party than to bbq on a warm (okay, HOT) summer day?? it was so hot, i couldn't be barefoot on our deck. the bbq was so hot, i had to wear an oven mitt over my hand as i flipped the burgers, turned the corn, and dropped the jalapeno poppers! that was a first......

i was so excited to make the jalapeno poppers since it had been quite a while since we've had them. kasia and i set off early saturday morning to the farmer's market in downtown salt lake city in search of veggies for the bbq. we were sad to see that it was still a little too early in the season to get what we needed. we got cherries and snap peas instead.....we always win when we go.



so the jalapeno poppers......so much fun to learn to make. bacon takes food to the next level. who doesn't love a veggie wrapped in bacon that is stuffed with cream cheese???

ingredients

*jalapenos, halved and seeded (depending on the hotness you want)

*2 bricks cream cheese

*1/4 c grated cheddar cheese

*1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

*bacon (1 per jalapeno)

*TONY'S

*toothpicks

the first thing you want to do is make the stuffing for the poppers. the longer it has to harden and set, the easier they are to stuff and grill. i usually try to make the stuffing a day before and just let it chill in the fridge. dice up the onions and toss them in a bowl with the softened cream cheese, grated cheese, and as much TONY'S as you want!

ps......DON'T heat up the cream cheese!!!!!! i didn't do this, but i know some people might think, oh, i can just throw it in the microwave! wow, not smart. i usually just take them out of the fridge an hour before i make the stuffing

while the stuffing is chilling in the fridge (or the next day), it's time to get the jalapenos ready!! kasia taught me to blanch them so the keep the awesome green coloring. it also makes the peppers easier to work with. when i make these, i usually take out all of the seeds and membrane......mainly because i personally don't think the people of utah know how to handle heat. after i seeded and cut them, i tossed the jalapenos into a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes. i immediately put them in an ice bath. they are so beautiful!!!!!

the next step is the best in my mind......BACON!!!!! you'll want to partially cook the bacon so they don't have to spend as much time on the grill.....

we had so much bacon we had to cook!!!! i had over 2 dozen poppers......so i needed 2 pounds of bacon!!

it got to the point when i had to get out kasia's cast iron pan to double fist the frying.

i felt like i was having a heart attack just looking at the pile of bacon grow.......especially since the pieces aren't cooked all the way through. i will tell you though, our kitchen smelled amazing!!! bacon plus the smell from the grill!!!!

after the bacon is cooked, it's time to stuff the peppers!! i wanted to give the bacon time to cool off....since i'll be man-handling the bacon and don't want hot grease on my hands. fill the pepper until it's level with the sides of the halved pepper. you don't want it too full!!!!

i think this was all of them. the good news was that i was able to do this in the living room while i was watching mine and kasia's favorie movie....FAST FIVE!!!

next step is to wrap the peppers with bacon.......which then turns them into the poppers!! it's a good idea to soak the toothpicks for 10 minutes before using them...this way they don't burn on the grill. i forgot, but it wasn't the end of the world!! wrap 1 piece of bacon per pepper, using the toothpicks liberally. i usually use 2-3 per popper. throw them in the fridge until just before putting them on the grill!!

last step is to throw them on the grill!! the benefit of leaving them in the fridge is to keep the cream cheese from melting as quickly and oozing out of the edge of the pepper. these things bbq fast, so don't turn your back on them!!!

i don't have an "after" picture because they went pretty quick!! always a crowd pleaser!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARA!!!!!!!!!