Bacon Sausage Jalapeno Poppers

Hi folks. I know it's been a while but things are finally starting to settle into a routine. We are now in Dickinson, TX in a lovely RV park, Green Caye Village. We are really enjoying it. Next to a beautiful golf course, not that I care for golf but RV parks next to golf courses tend to keep their lawns very neat. They have a few ponds on the property that are stocked with fish so John can go fishing right here in the park if he chooses. We are about 30 minutes from where we work in the Pasadena/Clear Lake area and 30 minutes the other direction takes us to beautiful Galveston! We are so loving it here!!

I could not believe how far behind I am in posting recipes. I mean I knew it had been a while but I didn't realize how many recipes I hadn't posted even before moving from Brownwood! I going to start today with these yummy jalapeno poppers.

Other posts to expect in the future:
     Mexican Tortellini
     Jalapeno Popper Quiche
     Easy Crock Pot Chicken
     Roasted Beets (not sure if I even remember exactly how I cooked/seasoned these)
     Roasted Cabbage
     Restaurant Review - La Brisa Mexican Bar and Grill - our new fav Mexican place in the area, which pretty much means it's our new fav restaurant since Mexican is what we like to go out for most often.
Hopefully I'll get all these up fairly soon. Now for the poppers, I found these bites of yumminess at Happy Pinning or maybe John sent me the link. I'm now sure but that doesn't really matter, what matters is I found these and we devoured them, more that once. Adjust the quantities according to how many you would like to make.

3 large jalapenos
jalapeno flavored cream cheese or whatever flavor you like
3 breakfast sausage links, I prefer the ones that are already cooked
3 slices of thin bacon, I've tried the thick - they don't stay wrapped

Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membrane. Fill with desired amount of cream cheese. Cut the sausages in half lengthwise.

Place half a sausage on top of each stuffed jalapeno, flat or cut side down.

Wrap each with half a slice of bacon. Places poppers on broiler pan or baking sheet covered with foil, broiler pan works best. Bake in 425 degree oven, 400 for RV ovens, for 20 to 30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. Bacon should be browned and crisp.

Serve and enjoy. For instructions on how to smoke or grill visit the link above.

Saucy Venison Sausage Balls

I pinned this recipe over a year ago from The Daily Dish. Made a couple of changes like making my own meatballs rather than using frozen. These were a big hit at my fams early Thanksgiving.

3 lbs spicy venison ground sausage
2 10 oz jars apricot preserves
28 oz bbq sauce

Form sausage into balls, about 32. Place on cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Place in crock pot. In medium bowl combine preserves with bbq sauce.

Pour sauce over the meatballs. Heat on low for about 2-3 hours.

Load in car, drive 3 hours to moms. Plug crock pot back in, set on warm and watch how fast it's devoured! Enjoy!!

Shared with:

Pico de Gallo

I love pico de gallo but have only made it a few times. It is great on tacos, enchiladas, tostados, with chips or on anything you want to add a bit of fresh, spicy flavor!

1 medium tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1 serrano pepper, chopped
1/4 cup snipped cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for one hour or more. Serve with your favorite Mexican dish and enjoy!

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Best Ever Cheese Dip

This was just going to be a quick easy side for some beef enchiladas. (Yes, we have appetizers as side dishes around here.) It is now my go to recipe for cheese dip. The cream cheese was a last minute idea, I saw it in the fridge and thought I had better use it up before it spoiled. (I really hate wasting food!) This is what made this dip stand out. Extra creamy, extra yummy goodness!

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp chopped red onion
1 small serrano pepper chopped
1 lb processed cheese, like velveeta, cubed
8 oz whipped cream cheese
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
tortilla chips

In large saucepan melt butter.

Add the onion and serrano pepper. Saute until onion is tender.

Add the cheeses and the salsa. Continue cooking over med-lo heat, stirring frequently, until cheese is completely melted.

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

Jalapeno Bites

I pinned these yummy looking bites a while back. The original recipe can be found at Dishing With Leslie. I followed her recipe almost to the letter. These were very yummy, although I thought they were a little salty tasting so next time I plan to reduce or leave out the salt. My husband and youngest sis, who both tend to be salt sensitive, didn't feel they were salty tasting, so my taste buds may have been off. I will definitely make these again. We love jalapeno poppers and these were so easy to make!

8 oz block cream cheese, softened
7 oz shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped jalapeno, I used two large jalapenos
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1+ cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, 325 for most RV ovens. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In medium sized mixing bowl combine cream cheese, parmesan cheese, jalapeno, egg and salt. Form into small balls, I used about one tablespoon of mix for each bite. Roll balls in panko crumbs, adding more crumbs as needed.

Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until a light golden brown.

Serve and enjoy! This made 23 bites.

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Cowboy Caviar

A friend of mine posted this recipe on pinterest a while back and I have been waiting for an opportunity to make it. It came this past Sunday - we had another couple in the park over for dinner. They are awesome people and we all had a great time.  The recipe did not have a link back, I believe it is my friends own creation, but don't know for sure. It makes a LOT, too much for four people for sure!

2 cans southwest style corn, drained
1 can rotel, drained
6 green onions, sliced
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream

Combine all ingredients. Serve with corn chips and enjoy.

Now this is the way I served this dip on Sunday and everyone loved it. However, when I took out the leftovers to have with tacos last night it dawned on me I had forgotten the cheese! It was supposed to have to cups of shredded cheese in it as well. I added about 1/2 a cup to the leftover dip and it does make a difference, much better with cheese!

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Love Bakes Good Cakes - All My Bloggy Friends

Bacon-Wrapped, Cream Cheese-Stuffed Jalapenos

Typically I do not seed or clean the membrane out of my peppers, with the exception of sweet or bell peppers. However, my local store had these on sale:

These are pepper corers. The larger one is for bell peppers and the smaller is for jalapeno peppers. The deal was if you bought these you would receive a pound of fresh jalapenos and a 12 oz package of bacon FREE! This gave me the idea for the stuffed jalapenos, which I love but had never tried making my own. Then as I was coring the peppers another idea came to me - why cut them in half? Just stuff and wrap them whole! So this is what I did. They turned out super yummy, the hubby says they were the best jalapeno poppers ever, so I'm sure I'll be making them again soon!

jalapenos

cream cheese

bacon

(how much you use depends on how many you want to make, I made six and used about 4-5 oz cream cheese to stuff them)

First we need to core the peppers. 

I found it was easier if I cut the stem off first, then you can basically use the corer to just scoop out the membrane. 

With the stem on, I had trouble with the sides of the pepper cracking a little. There will still be seeds inside the pepper, you can either clean them out or leave them if you want that extra heat. (Surprise, surprise - I left the seeds in.) 

Stuff the cavity of the pepper with the cream cheese. 

Wrap each pepper with 1/2 to 1 slice of bacon, depending on the size of the pepper. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy!

Shared with:

Velveeta Chili Cheese Dip with an Extra Kick

We LOVE queso as a meal occasionally and I have not made it in FOREVER! It's quick, simple and yummy, so what's not to love?

1/4 cup butter
1 serrano pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion (approximate measurement)
16 oz velveeta cheese, cubed
15 oz can chili
sour cream, optional

In saucepan melt butter.

Add serrano and onion, cook for 2-4 minutes.

Reduce heat to very low, add the cheese and chili.

Stir almost constantly till cheese is melted. Top individual servings with a dollop of  sour cream if desired.

Serve and enjoy!

Menu Plan - July 1 and Super Easy Guacamole

I know you will find this hard to believe but the only change to the past week's menu plan was to switch Monday and Tuesday around, but everything on the week's menu was consumed during the same week it appeared on the menu! Now for this week's menu - there are several yummy thing's planned for this week, but not all will be revealed immediately as they are for a couple of challenges that will take place later in the month.

Sunday
Fried Chicken* with Lemon-Butter Ravioli**

Monday
ChiliMac with Green Beans

Tuesday
Brats with Sweet-n-Spicy Oven Fries

Wednesday
Pepe Boudreaux's

Thursday
Corn and Butter Dish*** with Chips and Dip

Friday
Mexican Pasta with Jalapeno Poppers

Saturday
Little Caesar's

*Fried Chicken recipe will post on Saturday July 7 as part of the Crazy Cooking Challenge

**Will post as soon as possible

***Corn and Butter Dish - corn and butter are the two ingredients in this month's Improv Challenge and this recipe will post on Thursday July 19

Super Easy Guacamole

I actually made this as a spread for our fish sandwiches, so I didn't make very much. I did use it as a spread on my sandwich, John wanted tartar sauce on his so he had the remainder of the "spread" as a dip. In the future I will quadruple this recipe and we will both have it as a dip.

1 avocado, peeled and diced

juice of half a lime

1 clove garlic, minced

sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and red pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, mashing the avocado. 

Enjoy as a dip or a yummy sandwich spread!

Nacho Tacos and Spicy Creamy Bean Dip

"I don't need my bed as long as I have my little pink pillow!"

I recently found this recipe for Nacho Tacos and thought they would be the perfect taco. Well, if you do not like or cannot eat spicy food these are the tacos for you, very mild. However, not for me, very bland. I'm not tossing the recipe but next time I will jazz it up with some HEAT!

Nacho Tacos

1/2 to 3/4 lb lean ground beef

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 tsp chili powder

2/3 cup fiesta nacho cheese soup, divided

6 taco shells, warmed

lettuce, tomato and avocado

Brown ground beef with onion and chili powder, drain if necessary.

Stir in 1/3 cup soup and heat through. Heat remaining 1/3 cup soup in microwave safe bowl for about 30 seconds. Fill taco shells with about two Tbsp of the meat mix and about one Tbsp of the cheese soup.

Top with lettuce, tomato and avocado or whatever your favorite toppings for tacos are. Serve and enjoy.

The bean dip is something I came up with one night looking for a snack and we had a little bit of left over refried beans in the fridge. I did not put the soup in my original version but this time I had some left from the recipe above and decided to use it. You can adjust the amount of sriracha to suit your taste.

Spicy Creamy Bean Dip

1 16 oz can refried beans

1/3 cup fiesta nacho cheese soup

2/3 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp sriracha chili sauce

Combine all ingredients, mix well. 

Serve with your favorite chips. Enjoy.

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip

Appetizers for lunch - yes I think we shall.

A few weeks ago I made this yummy Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken using a recipe I found on Pinterest that linked back to My Kitchen Apron. One of the serving suggestions mentioned in their post was to melt with velveeta cheese to make this yummy dip and I knew right away I was going to try it.

2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
16 oz velveeta cheese, cubed
3/4 cup buffalo chicken
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce

In a saucepan melt butter, add onion and garlic. Cook till onion is tender.

Add cheese, chicken and sauce.

Continue cooking over med-lo heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is completely melted.

Served with thick slices of Garlic Parmesan Italian Bread and jalapeno poppers makes a filling and yummy lunch.

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Check out all the great recipes and crafts posted this week.