In this house, we love practically anything with cream cheese in it and Jalapeño Poppers are no exception. Deep fried, baked, pickled, as a spread, we like the heat and flavor of Jalapeños from our garden. And let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like enjoying some fresh baked, home grown, Jalapeño Poppers in the middle of a North Dakota blizzard.

It’s easy enough to pickle and can them with a basic brine recipe but Jalapeños also store well in the freezer. Here’s how we make and store our Poppers for easy grab’n go winter treats!

25 Acre Jalapeño Poppers

• 20-30 Good Sized Jalapeños
• 1 Block Of Cream Cheese or Neufchâtel Cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 Cup Bacon, Cooked & Chopped
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Cup Fine Diced Sweet Onion
• 1-2 Cups Dry Bread Crumbs

 

Clean and remove the end cap of each Jalapeño, slicing them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and pithy vanes. Depending upon the heat level you want to achieve, just remember, the vanes are where the heat is retained. Set aside.

Start preparing your filling by putting the Cream Cheese, Bacon, Garlic Powder and Onion into a bowl. Combine them with a spoon or fork. Feel free to get creative at this stage! You can add anything you want, including herbs, crab or shrimp instead of bacon…you name it and I bet it probably can make a pretty good filling for Jalapeños. Scoop or pipe the cheese mixture onto each half of your cleaned Jalapeños.

Once the Jalapeños are filled, it’s time to do a simple dip into the bread crumbs. I use homemade Italian seasoned crumbs and they taste fantastic. Simply invert the filled Jalapeño onto the crumbs and they will stick. Set finished poppers on a plate until you’ve done this will all your peppers.

To store for future use, I line up my peppers in a vacuum seal bag. I use light suction to get the air out of the bag and heat seal. Toss them into the freezer where they will stay fresh for well over a year using this method.

When you are ready to indulge, remove the Poppers from the plastic and just place in an enclosed foil pack with a little olive oil. The peppers will steam a bit and the cheese will become warm, creamy and delightful as it mingles with the bacon. You can utilize the oven for this but from time to time we’ve added the peppers to the grill for added smokiness. Either way, you’ll be happily enjoying this side dish.

#LifeOn25Acres