Jalapeno Poppers

This is probably the only way I could eat a Jalapeno straight - with loads of cream cheese on top to wash away the heat of the pepper. Jalapeno Poppers is not an easy appetizer to make, but it sure is delicious! The bacon bits and lots of shredded cheese make it really good (who could go wrong with bacon?)

What you need:

• 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened; room temperature
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
• 2 tablespoon bacon bits
• 6 - 8 pieces medium-sized Jalapeno peppers
  
• 1 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil for frying

What to do:

Wash the jalapeno peppers and cut them lengthwise. Using a melon baller or a small spoon, scrape the seeds off the peppers. Set aside.

Mix the cream cheese, cheddar, and bacon bits in a medium-sized bowl. Spoon the mixture into the jalapeno halves. Try to pack in as much as you can. Use your fingers and pat the cream cheese mixture in the pepper. You can also put some extra on top of the jalapeno so it would be shaped like a whole pepper instead of halved. It would not fall off since the cream cheese and cheddar mixture is thick.

Prepare three bowls and put the milk, flour and breadcrumbs in separate bowls. Set the breadcrumbs bowl aside. Dip the stuffed jalapeno into the milk, then the flour, making sure that they are coated well and evenly. Put them on a cooling rack to dry for around 10 minutes.

When dry, dip the Jalapeno again in milk, then in breadcrumbs. Set on the cooling rack again to dry.

Put oil (enough to cover the whole jalapeno surface) in a skillet over medium-high heat and deep fry the stuffed jalapenos until golden brown. Remove and drain on cooling rack. Enjoy!

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Wear gloves when washing and seeding the peppers. Avoid touching your eyes or face afterwards.
2. Don't cut the stem of the pepper as you can use it to handle the halved jalapenos when dipping or frying.
3. If making bacon bits from scratch, make sure to fry (or bake) until they are very crispy - makes it easier to break them to smaller pieces.
4. If you don't have Italian breadcrumbs, any dry breadcrumbs will do. Or better yet, try crushed corn flakes cereal for some crunch!
5. Want bigger poppers? After cooling from the milk-breadcrumbs dip, do the process again (dip in milk, then breadcrumbs, then let dry).
6. For more heat, add some of the pepper seeds in the cream cheese - cheddar mixture.