Stuffed Jalapeño

Here is a little treat I made this week. 

Remove the stems of the jalapeño peppers and then using a Halloween pumpkin cutter, remove the seeds and vanes from the inside. A knife is way too dangerous to use when coring these little fruits. 

Just for those who don't feel like burning your hands, put at least one glove on when working them. Lets just say my husbands hand was on fire for an hour.

Then use a fork to mix the stuffing together in a small bowl. I used an equal combination of mozzarella and cream cheese. Using your finger scoop some filling up and push it into the pepper.  Set aside once all peppers are stuffed.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the pepper on a strip of bacon, as shown below.

Then fold the bacon over the pepper, trapping the filling against the bacon. When the cheese melts in the oven once you cook it, it's going to want to run out, so the tighter the pepper is wrapped, the better. If the bacon splits, like shown below, you will loose your filling.

Then twist the bacon around the pepper, overlapping each time you go around.

Place a toothpick through the end of the bacon and repeat until you run out of ingredients (do this process for all peppers).

Place the jalapeños peppers on a cast iron pan to cook. There is no reason that you have to use a cast iron pan, except that they are awesome! If you don't want awesome, you can use a cookie sheet.

Cook for 30 min, or until the bacon browns and the house smells like heaven. Eat as many as you can before the children discover what you are cooking and you have to share. I served it with a dipping sauce, just to cut the heat. It was a great appetizer!