Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

It's back to school time for students.... and teachers! I am loving my new job - the kids are great and everyone has been super welcoming. Elementary music so so fun.  Hopefully we will be moving soon and then I will only have a five minute commute again! I've also joined a handbell group and plan on doing Choral Union, so I am going to be a busy bee.

Just because school is back doesn't mean hubby and I have stopped grilling ;) In fact I want to get in as much grilling as possible...clinging to what is left of summer. Nice thing about living in the south, the warmish weather and football season overlap a little bit...cant' wait for football season! Go Eagles :P And what we've been grilling lately can work for summer or fall.... or anytime really, but I'm obsessed with jalapeno peppers.

This fun appetizer is one I was introduced to last summer at a fourth of July party, right after my husband and I got engaged. My new aunt and cousins absolutely love these and I was pretty much their biggest fan...I can't get enough of them. For our wedding gift they got me a pepper de-seeder and some other fun grilling equipment - they know me so well!! ;)

Oh yeah. That's bacon. And cheese. And we grilled um. Yuuuuuuup.

Ingredients:
12 or so medium to large jalapeno peppers, seeded
6 thick pieces of bacon
1 block cream cheese
1 tbsp greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp red pepper jelly
2 tbsp mint, chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make them:

First, you whip up the filling. Cream cheese, garlic, red peper jelly, mint, cilantro, salt and pepper, little greek yogurt, lime juice...yummmmm... you can tweak this however you want, just remember that it should be sweet and cheesy, there will be spice a plenty.

 You can find hot pepper jelly at most decent grocery stores and probably at a farmer's market. I found this one at Fresh Market. :) Sweet and a hint of spice.

Next, you get to seed the jalapeno peppers. Cut off the tops and scoop out everything until they are quite hollow. Then, stuff those suckers with the filling! I'm really sloppy, I just use a spoon and keep pushing it down and scraping off until I feel there's plenty in there. 

 Next, wrap them in bacon and secure with toothpicks. Then you can go ahead and grill them or cover them and stick them in the fridge until hubby (or you!) is ready to grill.

Then you can put them in a pepper stand, or like we did, stuck them right on the grill. Grill them until the jalapenos have some nice char marks on them and the bacon is cooked to your liking. Hubby is a grilling expert, nice cute picture of him below here.

Caution, they will be piping hot..... it's very hard to wait for them to cool down so you can eat them!

So good! Anyone else have other grilled appetizers they love?