Bacon-wrapped Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers

Bacon-wrapped Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers are made with four of my favorite things: spicy jalapeños, sharp cheese, pan-fried shrimp and bacon. They are super easy to put together and bake up crispy in the oven. Make them ahead of time and bake when you are ready to serve.



My grocery stores here in Dubai are hit or miss when it comes to some ingredients. All year-round we can find the little red chili peppers that are often used in Asian cooking but habaneros and jalapeños turn up less frequently. I’ve learned over the last almost four years of living here to take advantage, and quickly, when I see those two.

I make my own habanero sauce that we eat on just about everything so I buy the peppers, remove the stems and wash them immediately. Then I freeze them in a Ziploc bag until I am ready to make sauce. Making habanero sauce requires weather cool enough to open the windows and doors to let some fresh air in and that won’t happen here until a little later in the year.

When decent-sized jalapeños appear, I make poppers. Traditional jalapeño poppers are filled with cheese, breaded and deep-fried but for many years, I’ve been either breading and baking mine, or wrapping them in bacon and baking them. Either way makes a fabulous, delicious jalapeño popper.

I’ve been on kind of a shrimp kick lately, with last week’s bacon-wrapped spicy baked shrimp and spicy salmon shrimp burgers on this blog and, even today, make sure you check out my Cucumber Shrimp Cups on the Sunday Supper Movement website. They are pretty and tasty!

When there were jalapeños in my local grocery store and Sunday Supper announced a football food theme, I knew what I had to do! Add shrimp to my bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers as well. Best decision ever! If you are gearing up for football season, you'll want to make these and possibly everything else on the list below. Let the games begin!

Ingredients
24 medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 oz or 100g cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 oz or 100g extra sharp cheddar, grated
2 cloves garlic, garlic pressed or very finely minced
12 fresh jalapeños
12 slices streaky bacon

Method
Preheat your oven to 425°F or 218°C.

Heat a skillet and drizzle in the olive oil. Quickly cook the shrimp for a few minutes, sprinkling them with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Cut jalapeños in half lengthwise. I like to cut carefully through the stem as well so each half still looks like it has a stem.

Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes. If you don’t like things too spicy, you can discard these. I like to add them to the cheese filling.

Mix together the cream cheese, cheddar, garlic and salt. Chop the membranes of the jalapeños and add them in along with the seeds, if desired. Give the whole bowl a few good grinds of black pepper and mix again.

Fill the jalapeño halves with the cheese mixture. Top them with a shrimp each. Cut the bacon slices in two and wrap one around each shrimp topped jalapeño popper.  Secure the bacon with a toothpick.

Set them in a baking pan.

Bake for 20 minutes in your preheated oven or until bacon is crispy and cheese is turning golden as well.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our host today, Coleen of The Redhead Baker and our event manager, Shelby of Grumpy's Honeybunch. How I wish I could get together with all my Sunday Supper friends to watch football. Who am I kidding? I really just want to eat all these fabulous dishes!


Appetizers

• Atomic Buffalo Turds by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Avocado Corn Salad by Books 'n Cooks
• Bacon-wrapped Shrimp Jalapeño Poppers by Food Lust People Love
• BLT Bites by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Buffalo Cauliflower Bites by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs by Highlands Ranch Foodie
• Buffalo Chicken Taquitos with Cilantro Crème by Cooking with Carlee
• Chipotle Lime Chicken Fajita Sliders by Flavor Mosaic
• Cucumber Shrimp Cups by Sunday Supper Movement
• Game Day Burger Sliders by Dessert Geek
• Gyro Meatballs & Herbed Yogurt Dip by My Life Cookbook
• Ham and Salami Rollups by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Healthier Patatas Bravas by Caroline's Cooking
• Kale Pesto Dip by Cooking Chat
• Lemony Chicken Wings by Basic N Delicious
• Liptauer (Hungarian Cheese Spread) by Curious Cuisinere
• Loaded Guacamole by Casa de Crews
• Loaded Smashed Potatoes by The Hungry Goddess
• Mexican Spinach Dip by Meal Planning Magic
• Nachodillas with Jalapeño Bean Dip by Palatable Pastime
• No-Bake Almond Energy Bites by Pies and Plots
• PB&J Wings by The Crumby Cupcake
• Pork Belly Sliders by Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Queso Blanco Dip by Life Tastes Good
• Roasted Jalapeno and Chorizo Queso by The Texan New Yorker
• Sausage Pizza Dip from Family Foodie
• Ultimate Taco Dip by Monica's Table

Main Dishes

• Bacon Swiss Burger Sliders by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Black Bean Chili by Cricket's Confections
• Blackberry Sriracha BBQ Wings by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Honey Lime BBQ Chicken Thighs by Our Good Life
• Mexican Pizza by Chef Next Door
• Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders by Food Done Light
• Oven-Fried Fish Sliders by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Philly Cheesesteak Sliders by The Redhead Baker
• White Chicken Chili by Powered by BLING

Side Dishes

• Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad by Crazed Mom

Desserts

• 5-Ingredient Buckeye Dip by A Mind Full Mom
• Brownie Bomb Bars by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Chocolate Football Cookies by The Freshman Cook
• Miso Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches by Ninja Baker
• Touchdown Popcorn Toffee Bark by The Weekend Gourmet
• White Chocolate Toffee Chunk Cookies by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

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Blackberry Lemon Thyme Muffins #MuffinMonday

Blackberry Lemon Thyme Muffins marry a trio of flavors that go so well together in a syrup or in a muffin. First make the syrup then use the leftover blackberry puree to make these fluffy delectable muffins.

Just yesterday, over on the Sunday Supper Movement website, I posted a recipe for blackberry lemon thyme syrup from the new cookbook, Not Your Mama’s Canning Book* by Rebecca Lindamood. I divided the ingredients list by three which made two almost full 8 oz jars of the most delightful ruby syrup, full of flavor and sweetness. But after draining the puree of the syrup, I couldn’t just throw the sweet mashed blackberries away. With Muffin Monday coming up – always the last Monday of the month – I knew just what to do with them!

If you’d like to learn how to can or are already a avid fan of canning, you’ll want to check out my post. Thanks to the Page Street Publishing, Sunday Supper is giving away one copy of Rebecca’s book.

Ingredients
For the blackberry lemon thyme puree and syrup
10 3/4 oz or 300g fresh blackberries
1 1/2 cups or 300g granulated sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 sprig fresh thyme

For the muffins
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
3/4 cup or 170g sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup or 160g blackberry puree
Optional – 12 fresh blackberries for decoration

Method
Follow these instructions to make the blackberry syrup but with the amounts indicated above. Discard the thyme sprig but save the strained blackberry puree to make these muffins. Trust me. That syrup is worth the time and effort.

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Generously grease cups and top of 12-cup muffin pan or line them with paper liners

In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, thyme leaves and salt together. In another bowl, whisk together milk, oil, lemon juice, vanilla and eggs.

Add all the milk mixture to flour mixture.

Gently fold just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Drop dollops of the blackberry puree on the batter then use a spatula to swirl them in, leaving streaks of color.

Divide your batter relatively evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Top each with a blackberry, if desired.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 before removing muffins from pan.

Enjoy!

Check out all the other muffins we have for you this month!

• Apple Zucchini Muffins by Palatable Pastime
• Blackberry Lemon Thyme Muffins by Food Lust People Love
• Doughnut Muffins by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Key Lime Pie Muffins (two ways) by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Lemon Muffins by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Whole Wheat Pear & Pecan Streusel Muffins (aka the Crack Muffins) by Farm Fresh Feasts
• Plantain Muffins by Passion Kneaded

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

*Amazon affiliate link

Nectarine Kumquat Habanero Chutney

Nectarine Kumquat Habanero Chutney has the perfect blend of sweet and sharp and spicy. The tart kumquats add an extra bite to the sweet nectarines and the heat of the habaneros complements the dried spices, giving this chutney a distinctly Indian flair.

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing recipes that save the summer harvest. I love adding peppers, especially habaneros, to sweet condiments. There’s something special about that hit of heat and sweet that goes so perfectly with pork or chicken. I just can’t resist. One day soon I’ll share the recipe for my confit pork belly, shown here, because it’s my favorite thing to eat with nectarine kumquat habanero chutney. But meanwhile, serve it along side grilled chicken breasts or pan-fried pork chops.

Ingredients
12 1/3 oz or 350g kumquats
3 cups or 710ml apple cider vinegar
3 lbs 12 oz or 1700g nectarines
2 tablespoon canola or other light oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
12 fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon kalonji
4 in or 9cm piece of cinnamon stick
1 cup or 240ml fresh orange juice
2 large, thick thumb-sized pieces fresh ginger
6 cups or 1200g sugar
3-4 habanero peppers – about 38g

Method
Wash your kumquats and remove any stems.  Finely slice them, removing any large green seeds.

Pile them in a bowl and cover them with the vinegar. Push them down into a little if necessary. Cover the bowl with cling film and let marinate for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to proceed, chop your ginger finely. Mince your fresh habaneros. You can discard the seeds but know that even doing that, this is going to be pretty spicy. Be very careful with the habaneros. I recommend you use gloves. Do not, I repeat, do not touch anything – face, eyes, nose, etc. – before washing your hands very thoroughly with full strength soap, or better yet, an abrasive scouring powder, just in case.

Measure out your spices, putting the mustard seeds in one bowl and the rest of the spices in another.

Seed and thinly slice your nectarines. No need to peel them.



In a large pot, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add in the other spices and give the whole thing a quick stir.

Now add in the chopped ginger and stir again. Pour in the orange juice.

Now add in the kumquats and the vinegar they marinated in. Bring to a low boil and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add in the nectarines, habaneros, the stick of cinnamon and sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn the fire down.  Be careful at the beginning because the sugar really makes it bubble up.  You do not want this to boil over!

Cook until the chutney thickens to your desired consistency. Remember that once it cools, it will thicken even more so stop before you can stand a spoon in it or it will be too thick cold. I cooked mine for almost one hour over a low heat. If you are a thermometer using type, I find that jam or chutney will set when cooled if heated to just under 220°F or 105°C.

Turn off the fire and remove the cinnamon stick.

Transfer the boiling chutney to sterilized jars, popping in clean teaspoons to make sure the jars don’t break. Screw the sterilized lids on tightly.  I use the inversion method to seal my jars but experts like Rebecca Lindamood, author of Not Your Mama’s Canning Book does not recommend this. She advocates processing the jars in a boiling water bath or pressure canner.

Enjoy! If you like kumquats, you might also like my spicy tangy sticky kumquat chutney.

Check out all the fabulous recipes our Sunday Supper tastemakers are sharing this week to save the summer harvest. Many thanks to today's host Caroline of Caroline's Cooking and our event manager Renee of Renee's Kitchen Adventures.

Condiments

• Blackberry Lemon Thyme Syrup by Sunday Supper Movement
• Brinjal pickle (Indian eggplant relish/aubergine chutney) by Caroline’s Cooking
• Freezer Mixed Berry Puree by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Ginger Fig Jam by Palatable Pastime
• Herbed Salsa by What Smells So Good?
• Homemade Giardiniera by Curious Cuisiniere
• Homemade Sriracha by Monica’s Table
• Hot Pepper Oil by Feeding Big and more
• Mediterranean Chutney by Wholistic Woman
• Nanny’s 7-Day Sweet Pickles by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Nectarine Kumquat Habanero Chutney by Food Lust People Love
• No Pectin Mixed Berry Jam by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Peach Butter by Redhead Baker
• Pear Ginger Jam by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Simple Basil Butter by Momma’s Meals
• Spicy Mango Jam by Family Foodie
• Stove Top Roasted Garlic by Cricket’s Confections
• Tomato and Chili Pepper Jam by Delaware Girl Eats

Main dishes

• Grilled Peach and Burrata Pizza by An Appealing Plan
• Oven Roasted Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Tomato-Zucchini Pesto Flatbread with Chevre and Balsamic Drizzle by The Weekend Gourmet

Sides

• Garden Rice by Basic N Delicious
• Pickled Asian Vegetables by A Mind Full Mom

Snacks

• Homemade Fruit Leather by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Slow Cooker Cinnamon Apple Sauce by Books n’ Cooks

Dessert

• Chocolate Zucchini Banana Muffins by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Drunken Peaches by Nosh My Way
• Freeze and Bake Blueberry Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• How to Freeze Peaches and Make Peach Sauce by The Freshman Cook
• How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread by Asian In America
• Mom’s Zucchini Bread by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Peach Yogurt Popsicles by Food Done Light
• Summer Fruit Crisp by Pies and Plots
• Summer Fruit Popsicles by Powered By BLING

Beverage

• Berry Shrubs + A Cocktail by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

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