Friday, January 28, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011

Bacon-wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

Oh yeah. They taste as good as they look.
And they are so easy to make.
I made these for a little party of about 13 teenagers. Let's just say that they didn't last more than a few minutes. But I was afraid I might have killed one of them; they were a little spicy. Especially the ones where there might have been a few seeds still hiding in them!Oops!!
Here is the easy version of the recipe. But again, if you want the beautiful pics and Pioneer Woman humor instead of mine, then click here. But if you're still with me, here is my version!



Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

20 jalapenos
2 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz.) package of bacon

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the jalapenos in half, lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds, CAREFULLY!! Use a spoon, but even then, using gloves wouldn't hurt. I can't figure out how to have my hands NOT burning after this process.
3. Cut the bacon slices into thirds, you can do this without even separating the hunk of bacon. Hunk. That's a cooking term.
4. Fill each jalapeno half with cream cheese, wrap with a third piece of bacon, and stick a toothpick through it.
5. Put them on a pan, preferably a pan with a rack underneath it so that the bacon grease can drip down below. I used a broiler pan and it worked just fine!
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If the bacon doesn't appear done, then put the oven on broil and bake a few more minutes. Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: These are hot!! If you want even more heat, then leave the seeds in them. But don't say I didn't warn ya!!

Blessed little jalapenos.
The process. Very easy!! Especially when you are cooking alone in a clean kitchen, someone is watching your kids, and you are accompanied by country music. Just sayin'.
Right before we popped them in the oven.
Such easy prep!! I even have another order to make these, and to triple the recipe!! You won't be able to resist them!!
They will be gone fast!!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Am I who I want my kids to be??


One of my favorite blogs, Inspiredtoaction.com, had a blog post entitled "12 words on selecting goals for the new year."
Need goals?

Imagine who you want your kids to become.

Be that.


This was the whole post. Few words. Lots to think about.

There are so many dreams we have for our kids. So many things we want for them that we didn't have. We want them to be the people we weren't. The person we wish we could be. Well why not put our effort into becoming that person instead of trying to get our kids to be that?? They watch our every action. Our every reaction. The copy us, mimic us. Even as teenagers, they are people who have learned to deal with life from us. Scary thought?? Not if we are putting God in the center of our lives and allowing His Spirit to transform us into being more holy. People who love more. Have more grace. Have become more humble.

Do we speak lovingly to our kids, or do we just order them around?

Have we cultivated a relationship with our kids, or are we more interested in making sure they obey a strict list of rules we have for them?

Do our kids see us putting others first and sacrificing our needs/wants for the good of others?

Do our kids see us on our knees, pursuing God in prayer and doing what He is asking us to do??

I want my children to love God with all their heart. To be kids and adults who want to do what God wants them to do. People who aren't influenced by the world, but are motivated by God's love. There are so many things that I'm not, that I want my kids to be. So a good investment of my time would be to write a list of who I want my kids to be, and then put those things on my to-do list. To pray over them and actively pursue becoming that kind of person for my children to model. With God's help, I think we can be the godly example that they can look up to!!