Deliciousness. Wrapped in Bacon.

We had a cookout to go to a couple of Sundays ago, so we decided to try a new appetizer to bring. We decided to make BBQ Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos. Now I'm sure someone else has made these before but I was pretty proud of myself for coming up with the idea, especially considering I don't like jalapenos! (1 exception - - Charlie Penner's Jalapenos. But then again I eat anything that Charlie makes.. including Bacon Icecream). So we gathered up our ingredients and got to workin! First step is to find some stud who will cut and de-seed the jalapenos that you got. Check.

Please excuse the mess. The condo is a work in progress and there's 2 boys that live there who leave each other weird notes in even weirder places. There's really nothing I can do but sigh...

Next step, while the stud is cutting and de-seeding jalapenos, mix up 1 package of cream cheese with a couple handfuls of shredded cheese. We used a combination of shredded habanero cheese and cheddar cheese. Oh, and I added some chipotle seasoning too because I don't eat these things so I really wasn't taking into consideration the "hottness" factor.

After putting all of this deliciousness in a bowl, take a moment and thank Pampered Chef for making such great cooking utensils and bowls, and then have said stud come over and mix this up because you're silly and forgot to let the cream cheese come to room temperature. And stud has much larger muscles than you do so this is a much easier task for him. Or.... you could let the cream cheese come to room temperature. But really when there's a cookout calling your name, who has time for that?

Next thing to do is to stuff those babies with the cream cheese mixture. Some of it may or may not have wound up in my mouth.. I'll never tell. We then cut our bacon strips in half (we got the thick cut slices from our butcher because really, why would you want to skimp on bacon?), and wrapped a half slice around each jalapeno. As if that isn't good enough, we then went ahead brushed each bacon slice with BBQ Sauce. Any BBQ Sauce will suffice. we used a couple different ones; a hickory smoked one, an original, and a hot and spicy one. After you brush the BBQ sauce on, pop them in the oven at 375* for about 25-30 minutes.

This is how they looked before they went into the oven. The ones in the back look a little different because Sean wrapped those with a whole slice of bacon. And I have zero pictures of how they looked after they were cooked because by the time they came out of the oven and I ran to get my camera, Sean and his squad had devoured more than half of them. Not even kidding. But they loved them. Sean said they were one of his favorite things that we have ever made. The BBQ sauce caramelized while they baked and they just looked delicious. Not overwhelmingly spicy but with a good kick. Deliciousness. Wrapped in bacon.

CoNAN... like the Barbarian

So Sean and I got a cat! And he is the cutest lil boy ever. All you cat haters out there go ahead and say "ewwwwww". But don't you dare hate on Conan until you meet him! He is so cool! This started because Sean really really really wants a dog. However, with his work schedule and sleeping schedule, and the space that the dog would have available in the condo, the idea of getting a dog is not feasible at this time. A cat however, it's much more low maintenance. So we took a trip to the Howard County Animal Shelter, and voila! We found our cat.

Can you take it? So cute.

Originally named "Freddy" by the pound, he's 2 years old, he has his 2 front paws declawed, and he was already neutered. And he is the coolest cat you'll ever meet. He had no problem adjusting to Seans condo and made himself right at home. He has such a great temperament; super friendly, loves to be loved and snuggled with, loves to be played with but is also great at running around and batting his toys around by himself, and has an emotional attachment to his pet mouse. He carries that thing everywhere with him!

^^Can you find Conan?

I told you, he L-O-V-E-S to snuggle!

And KEVIN likes him. Seriously, that alone should be proof enough that he is the best cat in the world.

And yes, his name is pronounced CoNAN. Not to be confused of course with the name Conan, like Conan O'Brien. Ah yes, can you tell a boy named him? :)

Update..

After 2 days of running in my Vibrams, I can't move my body. And it feels oh so good! When the Vibram people tell you not to start running more than 1/4 mile in them, please listen. They're not kidding. Really. They're not. I, thinking I am Superman, decided that it would be ok to run a mile in them the first two days. You can feel it in every muscle in your body the difference. Now granted, I think I ran much better in them, but you definitely need to work up to it.

Still, go get a pair.

Barefoot??? You mean... Alien feet?

So I have a new obsession. Vibram FiveFingers. They are amazing! We both love running, hiking, outdoor sports, water stuff, so-- enter Vibrams! Sean had heard about them a couple weeks ago from a guy he works with, and our friends Zach and Heather from church are huge fans of them.. so we were convinced. And of course Sean spent a lot of time researching them and reading the studies on them and anyway, we were sold. We made our way down to Hudson Trail Outfitters (as per Heather's recommendation.. ps that's probably our new favorite store). The whole concept is barefoot running and the effects of it on your body! Like anything, there are positive and negative reviews on them, but we love love love them so far. We each tried a couple different styles on, and I wound up getting a pair of the Bikila's and Sean got the black KSO's (pictured above) as per Zach's recommendation. I can't wait to get another pair! I'm thinking the KSO's will probably be next for me! They are also great conversation starters.. the looks that we've been getting from people when we wear them out.. ha! Go buy a pair.. I approve.