Bacon-Wrapped Peppers with Spinach Artichoke & Blue Cheese Creme

 

Oh my heavens! – – The Popper Gods are smiling! Yes indeedy, they sure are! And so was I after devouring these pretty little peppers!

I was feeling a little down and out on Oscar night, in that, I had made nothing for the evening to have some fun and enjoy watching all of the stars being honored for their hard work and dedication. No fancy cocktail….no appetizers….not even a cute little finger sandwich. 🙁  

I thought, there must be something I could whip up….so into the fridge I stuck my head.

I instantly spied some creamy, cheesy artichoke spread. Definite check. Hey! I have blue cheese crumbles! BIG check! But…would they play ok together? I tested. Check. 😉

A few peppers left in the freezer…..HUZZAH!

Some fancy-dancy, kicked-up poppers just made the VIP list!

I’m not a person who thinks we should be overly proud of ourselves, but this idea really made me smile! 😀

I already knew that I had some bacon that I had cooked earlier in the day, so that was quickly billed to be the royal Red Carpet ribbon to tie this delectable appy all together! THIS – – was going to be good! 😉

After imagining how all of the flavors would taste together, I knew it was lacking just a bit of Hollywood-worthy luster. It definitely needed something extra. Something with raw talent and spark!

SRIRACHA!! AHA! That’s the front row ticket! 😉 I had a feeling that dipping these into a pretty stream of hot chili sauce would add that twist that every great movie has. And this thickened the plot like you never saw it coming! 😮  

Sriracha sauce has become our “house dressing” of choice, and used on about everything that you can imagine! LOVE this darned stuff!

If you’re not a hot sauce lover just like my hubby wasn’t either, you really ought to give this a shot. I am still so surprised at how much he loves this, too, being a person who normally despises ANY kind of hot sauce.

So if that doesn’t cue you to try, then I don’t know what will! 😉 😀 You may lose the part and be cast as an extra. 😉

And you definitely want to be included in this production! They were famously rich-creamy-DREAMY good! 😀  

So if these grace your next party, from Nascar to the Oscars, be prepared to sign autographs! Because your guests will really LOVE this new twist on poppers! Whether your bubbly of choice is an ice cold beer, a glass of champagne, or even a “Shirley Temple”, these are definitely hearty enough and pretty enough for any party!

I can see these being the hit of lots of barbecue parties coming up this summer, too, so you might just want to save this onto one of your fun Pinterest Boards so that you won’t forget!

They were truly that good! 😀 Not everything has to have 10 thousand exotic and expensive ingredients to be appreciated highly….as I always say, “There’s elegance in simplicity”, too. 😉

Enjoy all, have a fun day, and treat yourself to something you’ve always wanted. Life is too short not to enjoy! 😉 😀   

 

   

BACON-WRAPPED PEPPERS with SPINACH ARTICHOKE & BLUE CHEESE CREME 

Makes 16 appetizers

 

8 medium-sized jalapeño peppers or small banana peppers, halved lengthwise and cleaned out

1 (6.5 oz.) tub Alouette Spinach Artichoke Cheese Spread

1/3 – 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles, as much as you’d like

16 slices quality bacon peppered and baked until done but not crispy, I like Wright’s Bacon

sriracha sauce for dipping

 

DIRECTIONS:

Line a baking sheet with foil, and bake slices of peppered bacon for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove slices to several layers of paper towel and cover with a pepper towel, lightly pressing, to absorb any fat. Set aside. *I usually remove the bacon from the oven, turn the slices, and pepper the second side when there’s about 5 minutes left to evenly cook.  

Slice peppers in half lengthwise, clean out seeds and membranes, and fill with cheese spread, pressing pepper around cheese. Amount completely depends on size of peppers.

Top with crumbles of blue cheese and lightly press to stay on. 

Wrap each with a strip of cooked, but limp bacon. Place onto a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 5-8 minutes at 375 until cheese is melty and bacon crisps up. Watch so that the cheese doesn’t ooze out and the bacon doesn’t burn.

Place onto serving platter or plates, and serve with sriracha hot pepper sauce for dipping.