The week before Christmas, most of us are about wrapped out, but the Showpig.com team found a type of wrapping that will bring more joy to your holidays. (It may also help you bring a covered dish to one of your many merry festivities.) That’s right, we’re wrapping it in bacon!
BACON-WRAPPED JALAPEÑO POPPERS: Let’s kick this holiday wrapping party off with a classic. If you haven’t popped a bacon-wrapped jalapeno popper in your mouth, then you’re missing out on one of life’s simple pleasures. We linked to Kraft’s version of this appetizer stable, because we think their simple popper can be customized to fit your taste and flare. But, can you really go wrong with peppers, cheese and bacon?
BACON-WRAPPED CREAM CHEESE STUFFED CHICKEN: We’ll throw in Homemade Hooplah’s more meaty version of the popper, which just swaps peppers for chicken breast to make this a main course. Its creator encourages innovation to the meal, so feel free to spice it up for your own creamy, cheesy, smoky holiday blend.
SWINEAPPLE: If you were waiting for us to go off the deep end with these recipes, here comes the splash. Gentlemint’s “swineapple,” is a bacon-wrapped pineapple, which serves as a rib cooker. Crazy? Perhaps. Delicious? We’re almost willing to put money on it! If nothing else, it’s worth making to simply keep the holiday conversation directed toward this unique dish, rather than straying toward political banter.
BROWN SUGAR BACON-WRAPPED SMOKIES: We know we went out on a limb with our last suggestion, so we’ll turn back to another bacon-wrapped classic. These smokies might already make an appearance at your family’s festivities, but if not, add them to your shopping list. Sweet, smoky and bite-size, they’re the perfect Christmas snack, and they might smooth over some less-than-inspired gifts. Spend With Pennies posted this version on their blog, but others even add maple syrup
ZESTY BACON-WRAPPED SHRIMP: Here is another great appetizer choice that can serve as a warmup before the main course. Like many of these recipes, we chose to post one of the basic ones knowing that you can personalize it with as many sauces and spices as you will like. McCormick’s version of this dish includes just three ingredients. We don’t know about you, but this time of year, we will take extra simple – especially if it’s extra tasty.
APRICOT-GLAZED BACON-WRAPPED CAJUN PORK TENDERLOIN: If you’ve been waiting for a very impressive main dish, here it is. Sweet, spicy, salty and savory, this tenderloin is a meat dish savvy enough to replace even the most traditional holiday ham, if you’re up for a change. ClosetCooking (named for the chef’s tiny kitchen) nailed it, with their spin on a pork tenderloin.
BACON-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS: This is our last wrapped dish of the day. We just wanted to throw this in here as proof that bacon makes everything better – even vegetables! If you scour the Internet long enough, you’ll find similar recipes for green beans, zucchinis and even carrots. This version came from the Keto Connection, which specializes in low-carb choices.
Happy wrapping, and happier holidays!