Goat Cheese Stuffed Jalapeño Piggies

My husband loves bacon...well, then again, who doesn't? Yes, I know it's bad for you, but bacon just makes everything taste better. He came up with this concept of wrapping a jalapeño with bacon and I created and cooked it. The outcome was this spicy, creamy, bacony "piggy" that is quite interesting. If you're an adventurous foodie like we are, give this recipe a try.

INGREDIENTS (makes 3)

• 3 fresh, large jalapeños
• 5 slices of bacon
• 2 ounces of goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped (or your favorite fresh herbs)
• Salt and pepper
• Wedges of lime
• 6 toothpicks, soaked in water for 5 minutes

DIRECTIONS

First, place your jalapeño peppers under the broiler for 5 to 8 minutes. You want to char the skin all around, so turn them around a few times. Remove from broiler and wrap them in plastic wrap for a few minutes to steam-off the skin. Unwrap them from the plastic and remove the charred skin. Make a slit, lengthwise, on each jalapeño and remove seeds and ribs, but try to keep everything else intact. Set aside.

Next, set oven to 375 degrees and place the bacon in a baking sheet and bake in oven for 3 minutes, then turn them and bake another 3 to 5 minutes. You want the bacon cooked through but still soft and pliable--not crispy. Remove from oven and drain in paper towels. Finely chop two of the bacon strips.

In a small bowl, mix together the goat cheese, cream cheese, parsley and the chopped bacon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

To assemble: set the oven to broiler again. Stuff each jalapeño with about 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons of the goat cheese mixture. Wrap one slice of bacon around each pepper, securing the bacon with two toothpicks (see picture below). Place the stuffed peppers in a baking pan (you can use the same one you used for the bacon) and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, just to crisp up the bacon and heat the goat cheese.

Serve in a platter with wedges of lime and enjoy. A very cold, tall beer will certainly make this meal even more enjoyable!