Bacon Blue Cheese Jalapeno Poppers - Hollowed out jalapeno peppers are stuffed with blue cheese and then wrapped in bacon to make an astounding appetizer, fit for any occasion.

Hey you guys...... it's football season!!!

Okay, fine, you got me, I really don't care all that much for the actual football game. But you know what I do like about football season? Yep, you guessed it, THE FOOD!

At what other time is it acceptable to have friends over to scarf down mounds of nachos, load your potato chips with onion dip, pile fresh guacamole onto just about anything that is edible? Seriously, football season is the best.

If you live in the New England area like I do, you undoubtedly have been anticipating this season with bated breath, waiting to see the outcome of "Deflategate". Will Tom Brady be playing or won't he? Well, we got our answer this week and he will be playing! Now, I hope I never hear the word "Deflategate" again!

Anyway back to the food. I've been thinking I need to come up with some new appetizer recipes and then like an epiphany coming to light, I happened to be scrolling through my Facebook feed and there it was. My friend Jessica, the creator of Savory Experiments, had posted a link to her Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken Stuffed Chile Peppers. As soon as I saw it, I knew what to do.

As luck (or fate in my eyes) would have it, my kids had just plucked over a dozen jalapeno peppers from my garden. Jalapenos, green beans and eggplant seem to be the only things that ~~my arch nemesis~~ the groundhog that lives in my woods doesn't have a taste for. Lucky for me.

I always see stuffed jalapeno recipes using cream cheese or cheddar cheese but I thought, what goes great with bacon? Blue Cheese! JACKPOT!

I made them right then and there. It was about an hour before dinner time, and while I am usually yelling at everyone for snacking before dinner, it just had to be done. My husband was certainly not complaining. We scarfed down a few directly from the baking sheet before I could even plate them. Then my husband had a great idea. He stuffed two of the poppers right inside the burger he was eating for dinner. Let's just say, it wasn't the worst idea he's ever had. The only problem is, he might expect this every time I grill burgers.

Some quick info:

Make sure to wear gloves when scooping out the seeds. I have learned this the hard way. Just because you wash your hands doesn't mean you're in the clear if you touch your eye. I didn't have any gloves so I stuck a plastic sandwich bag over the hand I was using to hold the peppers and it worked great.
My bacon was pretty thick, so keep an eye on your baking time. The cook time will vary on the thickness of the bacon.
They reheat beautifully so go ahead and make them the day before the party. We had some leftovers that I just popped back in the oven for about 10 minutes the next day. Good as the first!
I highly suggest lining your baking sheet with foil for an easy cleanup. Also, I like to cook on a rack so the excess grease drips off, but if you don't have a rack just cook on the lined baking sheet and blot with a paper towel before serving.

These Bacon Blue Cheese Jalapeno Poppers are definitely going to be on the tailgate menu. What are your must have football snacks?

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