Lil Smokie Bacon-Wrapped Jalapenos

Who wouldn't love these?! The only thing Doug suggested was to eat them upside down. He said it just made it easier to have the cheese on the bottom when it went into his mouth. He got more of the flavors. Tyler said, "It shouldn't be so hard to eat. Diner food. It should be easy. Accessible. Dad wants you to eat it upside down on a Wednesday under a full moon." Silly boys. 

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup pepper jack cheese
• 1 lb jalapenos, seeded and cut lengthwise
• 1 package Lil Smokies, polish sausage style
• 1 lb bacon, cut in half widthwise

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl combine garlic powder, onion powder, cream cheese and pepper jack cheese; mix well. Fill each jalapeno half with about 1/2 tsp cheese mixture, place 1 sausage on top of the cheese, and wrap with piece of bacon (you may need a toothpick to hold everything in place). 

Arrange jalapenos on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly and the bacon is golden brown. If you want your bacon a bit crispier, put them under the broiler for a few minutes. 

NOTES: We bought 11 peppers to make about a pound and used 1 normal package of Lil Smokies. There may have been a few smokies leftover, but the boys always eat them up anyway. Make sure you line your baking sheet with foil because that bacon grease is going to get all over the place. 

Makes about 24

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Recipe from Cook'n With Mrs G