Dad's Favorite Jalapeno Poppers

I recently went to the Nascar Sprint Cup All-Stars Race in Charlotte, NC, with a friend. My friend's dad's friend made some jalapeño poppers that were really good, so when I got home, I decided to try to replicate them. It turns out my dad loved them!

Jalapeños - about 10 (this will make 10 poppers)
Philadelphia Cream Cheese - an 8 oz. pack
Real Bacon Pieces - NOT bacon bits. I used about half of the little Oscar Mayer package I got.
Parmesan Cheese - a few shakes of this.
Minced garlic - 1 tsp.
Cilantro - A few small leaves, cut up very tiny.
Onions - a little less than 1/4 of an onion, finely chopped.



Breading Option 1:
Vegetable/Canola Oil - enough to fill the deep fryer.
Milk - a small bow full of milk to coat the jalapenos before frying
Dry bread crumbs - Enough to coat your poppers.

Breading Option 2:
Breading Mix
Water
Vegetable/Canola Oil - enough to fill the deep fryer.5


Equipment:
Deep fryer
Cutting board
Knife
Spoon
Plastic bag

First, cut off the tips of the jalapenos and discard them. Then, using a small pairing knife, toroughly clean out the inside of each jalapeno, trying not to cut the outside of it. Discard the seeds and veins you get out.

Put the cream cheese (all 8 oz.) in a small mixing bowl. You may want to microwave it for about 15 seconds to soften it. Now put the bacon pieces, parmesan cheese, minced garlic, cilantro, and onions in and stir really good.

Put your cream cheese mixture in a plastic baggie. Mash it around until it is soft. Now cut the corner of the bag off so you have a Poor Man's Pastry Bag. Now get a friend/brother/sister/dad/mom/somebody to hold up the jalapenos and squeeze the filling out of the bag and into the jalapenos.

What I do with leftover filling: put it on saltine crackers! These make a great appetizer or snack.

I did the "Breading Option 2" which uses water, breading mix, and canola oil. Dip the jalapenos in the water (do not get the cream cheese mixture wet) and roll them in breading mix. Set the dryer to 365 degrees and fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown.

The breading didn't really work, so I will try option 1 next time. They still taste really good though!

Thanks for looking!