Day 334: Jalapeno Poppers

I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas!!!  It's Christmas night as I write this and I'm sitting in my PJs eating Chinese food, because, unlike some members of my family, I didn't totally pig out at Christmas dinner and I happened to still be hungry around suppertime.  :)  We certainly had a wonderful Christmas and I can't believe it's already all "wrapped up."  Ha.  Go ahead, shake your heads in embarrassment, it's okay. 

On Christmas evenings, I generally sit back and reflect on the day.  I'm still not sure if this is a good or bad thing.  I end up wondering if it was Christ-centered enough, if we had as much fun with family as we could have without stressing about this and that, and if my kids were really as grateful as they could've been for their gifts.  Was I as grateful as I could've been???  I think it's good to be self-reflective as long as it doesn't become an obsession.  After all, we can't redo Christmas this year, but we can grow in the coming year and try better next year.  But my family certainly did have a fantastic Christmas and I like to think that the answer is "yes" to the questions above.  And now I'm hopeful that my kids will sleep for a week.  Just kidding!  I know they'll be up with the sun tomorrow morning. :)

Anyway, the recipe I want to share in this post I made for the first time last Friday (12/19, Day 334).  I hosted a surprise baby shower and my friend has been craving jalapenos and all things spicy all through this pregnancy.  So when I saw this recipe from Ree Drummond when I was watching her show last week, I knew I had to make it!  Coincidentally, I also made them as appetizers for today's Christmas dinner.  They are delicious and a huge crowd-pleaser!

Adorable lollipops made by a friend for the shower!

Jalapeno Poppers

10-20 jalapenos (however many poppers you want--get half as many jalapenos)
8 oz cream cheese (a container of cream cheese "spread" that you can spoon out is best)
1 package of bacon

Preheat the oven to 275*. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet to bake the jalapeno poppers on.  My advice--WEAR GLOVES!  So, while wearing a pair of clean, latex gloves, cut each jalapeno in half and clean out the seeds and pale veins.  Then, place a spoonful of cream cheese in each jalapeno half.  Cut all the bacon strips in half and take each half slice of bacon and wrap it around the jalapeno half.  Secure the bacon with a toothpick.  Place the poppers on the baking rack.  Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy.  Devour!