Bacon Jalapeño Poppers

This recipe has pretty much become a go-to for holiday snacks in our house. We sometimes make them before we take off to go camping, or before the weekend begins. They can be made up ahead of time and placed in an airtight container in the refrigerator and popped into the microwave, air fryer, or oven for a short time to warm them back up, because they are best served hot.

• 20-30 jalapeño peppers (seeded and cut lengthwise in half) **use gloves for this**
• 3-4 (8oz) blocks of cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 tablespoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon of jalapeno juice (this adds some additional spice to the mix)
• 10-12 jalapeno seeds (more or less to your own spice tolerance)
• Cooked bacon (entire package)

Mix cream cheese, onion powder, pepper, salt, and seeds together in a bowl and fill each jalapeño shell with mixture. Be sure to overfill to your desired amount. Cut bacon into small diced pieces and sprinkle on top of cream cheese mixture. 

Place on baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until the tops are browned and bacon becomes crispy.

Enjoy!

Nuts and Seeds Banana Bread

• 1/2 cup melted salted butter
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground or grated nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (not imitation)
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup, or more of seeds and nuts (peanuts, pumpkin, flax, sunflower, almond, cashew, chia)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the ripe bananas and melted butter. Mix in the baking soda and salt. Then add in sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour last.

Pour the batter into greased loaf pan and sprinkle 1/2 of the nuts on top. Halfway through baking, sprinkle the remaining nuts on top and finish baking.

Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing.

This recipe is customizable in so many ways. Instead of bananas, try canned pumpkin, zucchini, even watermelon. Instead of nuts, add raisins, cranberries, currants, blueberries, or even strawberries. The possibilities are endless. We have tried all different ways to incorporate foods into this recipe. It should be called, "Everything in the Cabinet Bread."☺ I hope you enjoy it, because it's a huge favorite in our house! If you give it a try, let me know by tagging me on social media. I would love to know what you think of it, or if you added something fun.