Linda’s Famous Jalapeno Poppers - Carmel Conundrum

Take Linda’s cue and put together a smorgasbord of nibbly bits for your next book club meeting.

Ingredients:

1 dozen fresh jalapeno peppers 1 garlic clove minced

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened Salt and pepper to taste

3 green onions, whites, and green parts finely chopped

12 thin slices uncooked bacon (for extra kick, use Hormel’s jalapeno bacon)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash produce. Half jalapenos, scooping out and discarding seeds. Dice onions. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, garlic, and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Fill each half of the peppers with about two teaspoons of the cheese mixture. Placing two halves together, wrap the pepper with bacon. Optional: Expecting a bigger crowd? Wrap each half in bacon to create twice as many poppers. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack. Place the poppers on the wire rack and bake for 25 minutes, then broil for another 2 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Let cool for a few minutes before serving and then serve warm. Enjoy!