Jalapeno poppers are a great little bite of flavor, and if you do it right, that's all they are: one bite. Plus, they're really simple. I made both of these recipes with the NASCAR race on in the background, and to be honest, I paid more attention to the race than to these, and they still got done in a pretty quick time. Admittedly, they're kind of similar to each other, but enough differences that they both make two, distinct, tasty dishes. So without further ado, Jalapeno Poppers, done two ways.
Cheese-Stuffed Jalapenos
Courtesy of Taste of Home magazine
Ingredients:
25 medium fresh jalapeno peppers
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the jalapenos in half length-wise, leaving the stem attached. Scrape out the seeds and inner membrane. In a small saucepan, boil the jalapenos for 5-10 minutes. The longer you boil them, the milder they become. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Spoon 2 or 3 teaspoons of the cheese mixture into each jalapeno half, depending on how big they are. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake for 5 -10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Crescent Jalapeno Poppers:
Courtesy cooking.com
Ingredients:
4 jalapeno peppers
1/3 C. Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs*
8 slices of bacon
1 can of crescent dinner roll dough
Directions;
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the tops and ends from the peppers. Cut in half lengthwise, and then cut the pieces in half through the middle. Remove the seeds. Throw away the seeds, and set aside the quartered jalapenos. Cook the bacon until crispy. Cut the bacon to about the size of the jalapeno pieces. Spoon about one or teaspoons of the cheese into the jalapenos. Top with a piece of bacon.
2. On cutting board, unroll dough; separate dough into 8 triangles. From center of longest side to opposite point, cut each triangle in half, making 16 triangles. Place chile, cheese side down, on dough triangle. Fold 1 point of triangle over filling; fold 2 remaining points over first point.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown. Remove from oven, and them immediately transfer from the baking sheet onto a cooling rack. Serve warm, and enjoy!
* Boursin cheese is actually a brand name for a specific type of cheese mixture that you can get at your local supermarket.
And there you have two simple, crowd pleasing appetizers, perfect for Game Day!
Fang Food is a series of weekly baseball food articles written by prwhitaker1 (Whit), imstillhungry95 (Blake) and Turambar (Patrick). Check out the archive of past articles! Questions, comments, suggestions, concerns? Email us at fangfood@gmail.com or contact us on Facebook..