Livin' on the Edge

I never make appetizers. I mean, unless it's for a party or something, but not at home. Just the thought of it sounds dangerous....trays full of calorie-laden morsels, Michael and I unsupervised, and the complete lack of shame-induced "self control" that would otherwise be exercised in the company of friends...this would not end well.

BUT...some friends gave us a bag full of small, sweet peppers and I simply had to find some way to use them. I stood in front of an open refrigerator, scanned its contents, and waited for inspiration. It never came. The only thing I could think of was a "popper" type of appetizer, which I am usually not a fan of at all. But I did have bacon, which is rare for me, and I did have goat cheese, and I began thinking that just maybe I could come up with something decent and not something reminiscent of nasty "bar food". So I figured, what the heck, it's Friday night...and being the party animals that we are, I decided to just go wild!

I wanted to introduce some type of fresh herb into the goat cheese, just to experiment. I ended up using a tiny bit of rosemary; I didn't want it to be overpowering, but wanted to add a little depth to the flavors. I stuffed each pepper with a bit of the rosemary goat cheese and then wrapped each with a small piece of bacon. After wrapping with bacon, I glazed each pepper with a maple glaze and baked them. HELLOOOO FRIDAY NIGHT! This was such a treat! They were spicy, sweet, smoky, earthy, and tangy all at the same time. The peppers, themselves were tender, but not mushy, the goat cheese was creamy, and the bacon was crispy.

If you've got a party coming up any time soon, these would make great appetizers. If not, well...make 'em anyways.

Stuffed Peppers with Rosemary Goat Cheese and Maple Glaze

• 8 small sweet peppers, cut in half and seeds removed


• app. 1/3 cup goat cheese


• app. 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped


• 4 slices good bacon


• 1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup


• 1/4 tsp. paprika


• pinch of cayenne pepper


• 1/2 tsp. water (if needed, depending on consistency of syrup you use)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut each pepper in half, remove seeds, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Combine goat cheese and rosemary in a small bowl. Fill each pepper half with a bit of the goat cheese mixture. Slice each piece of bacon in half, both lengthwise and across the length (this will give you 4 small pieces of bacon per slice of bacon). Wrap each cheese-filled pepper half with a small piece of bacon. In a small bowl, combine last 4 ingredients. Use a pastry brush to brush each pepper half with equal amounts of the glaze. Bake for 45 minutes and then put under the broiler for a minute or two until nicely browned.

This makes 16 pepper halves. You may want to double or triple recipe for a party.