Well, I'm pleased to share that since that time, I've taken home 1st place in my company's last FOUR cook off competitions :-) The first, a crock pot cook off, the second, a bake off, the third, a tail gate cook off and this last one - basically a free for all - as long as your recipe fit into one of the four categories: appetizers/salads, sides, entrees and soup/chili.
The latest recipe to be entered into my exclusive award winning repertoire is for my:
BBQ Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
Ingredients:
20 med-lg jalapeno peppers, sliced in half lengthwise with the seeds and membrane scraped out
1 lb. fresh smoked pulled pork (or chicken/beef), mixed with your favorite BBQ sauce
1/4 lb of bacon, cooked and chopped into bits
1/2 cup Velveeta cheese, diced
1/2 cup fresh shredded monterey jack cheese
Extra BBQ sauce for drizzling
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Fill each hallowed jalapeno half with about a teaspoon, up to a tablespoon, of BBQ pulled pork (depending on the size of your pepper). Nestle a bit of the diced Velveeta cheese into the meat (use as much or as little as you like!). Sprinkle each of the poppers with your fresh crumbled bacon bits. Top with the shredded monterey jack cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until everything gets nice and melty. Turn up the heat on your oven to 400 degrees and continue baking for 5-10 minutes, or until the BBQ sauce begins to caramelize and the cheese gets nice and bubbly.
Remove pans from the oven and allow the poppers to cool for about five minutes. Set the poppers out on your favorite serving dish/tray and drizzle with additional BBQ sauce. Finish by sprinkling with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Okay - I think I took a chance serving jalapenos to a group of people who's heat levels I was unsure of... But it worked out! And, luckily, all of the entrants were anonymous (as always), so even though there may have been some people who didn't want me to win for the 4th time in a row (ha!) couldn't have a lot of say over it :-)
The poppers are sweet, spicy, hearty, cheesy and overall, simply satisfying! I originally created the recipe to serve at my neighborhood Bunco soiree, and it was the first item to go on my buffet! I knew the judges here at work would love it... I was up against some very stiff competition in my category (salad/appetizers) and feel lucky.
And in case you're wondering, I received a nice Target gift card for my winning efforts, which was spent within 24 hours on Halloween costume bits and pieces for me and the Hubs. We went as Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphires...
Can't you tell?!?
Ha! I hope you all enjoy a very happy - and safe - Halloween :-)
*** Update - apparently we selected the BEST costume this year, since it wouldn't have been an option next year... Just this AM, Kim filed for divorce from Kris.***
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