Another appetizer - Jalapeno Poppers

These have become a favorite!  

The Best Ever Jalapeno Poppers

 12 jalapenos

1/2 lb. bacon, sliced into small pieces

1/2 lb. bulk sausage (regular or spicy)

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated

3 green onions, coarsley chopped

1 cup loosley packed cilantro leaves

1/2 teas. Northwoods Fire (Penzey's Spices; an alternative would be Emeril's Essence)

1/2 teas. ground cumin

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pug foil on a a 9x13 inch pan; spray with cooking spray.

2. Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise, keeping stem in tack.  Seed with a mellon baller.  I recommend wearing latex gloves if you wear contacts!  Put on baking sheet.

3. Cook jalapenos about 15 minutes, until just starting to get soft.  Time may vary depending on the size of the jalapenos.

4. While jalapenos are baking, cook bacon until crispy, then drain and cool.  Cook sausage, then drain and cool.

5. Combine bacom, sausage, cream cheese, jack cheese and spices in a food processor and pulse until combined.  Add onion and cilantro and pulse just to combine.

6. Fill cooled jalapeno halves with meat and cheese mixture and place on foil covered baking pan.

7. Cook at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until heated through.  As an alternative, you can broil them for about 5 minutes if you want the tops to brown a bit. Watch carefully.

Serve warm.

This will fill more than 24 jalapeno halves, but the mixture freezes well.