Jalapenos coming out my ears!

Suffice it to say that one jalapeno plant always gives me far more of those little green gems than I ever need in a summer.  I offer them to everyone but no one ever takes more than one for a batch of salsa. My unsuspecting neighbor asked for one today but received five or six.  She is going to a family reunion this weekend by Lake Superior so they need to keep warm in the unusually chilly August we are experiencing.  I have made several different versions of jalapeno poppers over the years but feeling a bit lazy I decided to make a popper dip instead.  In my opinion, this dip is not as good as real poppers and it doesn't use nearly enough of my peppers!  It is very good if you are looking for a much easier alternative.  My peppers are not nearly as hot as I have had in past years when gloves were an absolute requirement and choking and coughing from the fumes nearly doubled me over on the kitchen floor!  That being said, the only change I would make to the recipe would be to add more seeds since we expected a little more fire in the mouth with our popper dip.

Jalapeno Popper Dip


2-8 ounce packages cream cheese(reduced fat is what I used)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 large chopped jalapeno peppers(seeds to suit your fire level)
***I threw in 1/2 chopped Anaheim pepper since I had one to use***
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese(or cheddar, co-jack)


1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted

6 slices cooked and crumbled bacon(optional)

 

 

 

 

Place first 5 ingredients in food processor and process until combined.  Place this mixture in slightly greased 2 quart baking dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 Another time saving and easy clean-up trick is to make your bacon in the oven.  Foil line a cookie sheet and place bacon in a cold oven, heat to 375 degrees and bake for around 15-17 minutes.  Why make it any other way, really?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Combine crumbs, cheese and butter until well blended and spread evenly on top of cheese layer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly browned, remove from oven and toss bacon on top if you are using it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve with tortilla chips, baguette slices or crackers.  It is equally good the next day when it is cold.