Mud House Year

Really?

I don't know.  I have always avoided spaghetti squash.  I just never thought I would substitute squash for pasta.  Ever!   But, then, for a variety of reasons, I needed to find some new ways of cooking and my awesome sister-in-law, Kathy, had a recipe she said was pretty good.  

So, I gave it a try.   This is funny stuff.  As Kathy said, "Who da thunk that would be inside a squash." (She doesn't always talk like that but the squash really was surprising.)Cut it in half.  It's a sturdy squash so I gave that job to Allen.  Roast it cut side down for 30-40 minutes and then scrape it with a fork.  Voila!  Spaghetti-looking squash.

Here's my adapted version of Kathy's recipe for Spaghetti (Squash) Pie via Pinterest:

Spaghetti (Squash) Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Here's What You Need:

1 spaghetti squash
olive oil 
sea salt
pepper
1/2 lb. 100% grass fed organic ground beef
2 tsp. coconut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried, crushed oregano 
1/2 jar Rao's Pasta Sauce (I actually don't know how much I used.  Enough for a sauce that isn't too runny)
6 oz. ricotta cheese   
1 large egg 
1/2 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Here's What You Do: 

Halve squash lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Brush olive oil on cut side of squash, sprinkle with salt and peppper, and place cut side down on a large cookie sheet and roast in pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on size of squash.

Remove squash from oven and, using a fork, carefully rake stringy squash into strands that look like spaghetti.Brush a pie plate with a little olive oil.  Place spaghetti squash strands in bottom and up sides of a pie plate to form a crust. Set aside.

Brown beef, drain, remove from skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender.   Add garlic and oregano and saute briefly until fragrant.  Return meat to pan and add sauce.  Simmer to reduce liquid.  

Beat egg with a fork and mix with the ricotta cheese.  Add salt and pepper to cheese mixture to taste.Spread the ricotta cheese mixture over the squash.Pour meat sauce over cheese layer and sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.  If it's firm enough you can cut it into wedges.  Mine wasn't but it was really, really good.  I am actually really surprised I liked it so much.  

I doubled the recipe and gave one pie to my daughter and son-in-law who claims I am trying to sneak more vegetables into their diet.  Who? Me?

Anyway, this is good.  I am giving it 4 1/2 Prickly Pear Margaritas.

    

Enjoy!

 

 

Purple Sweet Potato Lasagne

So, by now I imagine many of you have heard of the paleo, primal or ancestral approaches to eating and lifestyle.  It's something that Allen and I have been easing into for awhile.  It probably started with my awareness that gluten caused me to have some weird symptoms including tummy aches and rashes. Once I eliminated the gluten I felt better.  From there, the more I learned, the more the ancestral approach to eating just made sense to me.  There is tons of good information out there and I will include some links at the end of this post.  

Anyway, when I say "easing" into it, I mean we don't do it all the time.  However, every time I slip back into, "Oh, just one bean burrito and a cupcake won't hurt anything," I start to feel crummy again.  The first thing I usually notice is BIG stomach bloat.  If I continue eating grains, beans, and sugar, my stomach hurts all the time.  My joints ache, I have very low energy, and I even experience depression.  

So Allen and I have made a commitment to follow an ancestral approach to eating as strictly as possible for one month.   That IS NOT what this blog is about but I will share some recipes from time to time.   

Purple Sweet Potato Lasagna!  (Recipe adapted from Pinterest.)Any sweet potato will do.  One of the advantages to living where we do, now, is the abundance of wonderful produce.  I found a purple sweet potato!

 Preheat oven to 350F

For the parsnip layer:
1 large parsnip peeled & cubed
1-2 tbsp coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp oregano 
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 - 1/2 cup cream or whole milk
Pinch of sea salt and pepper 
Dash of paprika

For the meat layer:
1lb 100% grass fed beef
1 jar of you favorite pasta sauce. One with no added sugar or other unnecessary stuff. I like Rao.  Or, of course, you can make your own.  

For the vegetable layers:
1 large sweet potatoes, sliced 1/4” thick.  
1 summer squash or zucchini, sliced 1/4" lengthwise

Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
coconut or olive oil for brushing
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper for sprinkling 

Here's What You Will Do:
Bring parsnips to a boil and then simmer until soft & ready to mash – approx. 30 minutes

Heat the coconut/olive oil & sauté the garlic over medium-low heat. Add the oregano and continue to saute until fragrant.  Do not burn the garlic.Drain the parsnips and add to the garlic.Add the cheese, cream or milk, salt, pepper, and paprika and mash or use an immersion blender to puree.

Set aside the parsnip mixture while you prepare  the other ingredients.

Brown the ground beef & drain excess fat. Add enough pasta sauce to make a thick sauce but not too runny and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Pour a thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of an 8x8  glass baking dish.Place a thick, overlapping layer of the sweet potato slices on on top of the sauce.  Brush sweet potato slices with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Add another layer of meat.

Sprinkle meat sauce lightly with mozzarella cheese, if using.Brush both sides of squash lightly with oil and arrange over meat sauce.  Sprinkle squash with salt and pepper.

Layer parsnips  on top of squash, sprinkle with a little more mozzarella if using.

Sprinkle a little paprika over the top for color!

Bake about 45 minutes until bubbly. 

This was really delicious.  I love the way the sweet potato changed colors throughout the process. Once it was cooked, it was a deep, dark purple - about the color of red wine.

Enjoy!

This one gets 5 Prickly Pear Margaritas!

    

If you would like to know about the ancestral approach, here are a couple of links.  These are the two we find most helpful.

Perfect Health Diet

Mark's Daily Apple

 

Pinterest Wednesday (Oops, it's Thursday!)

I have a confession to make.  I gained 10 pounds over the last few months. YIKES!  I'm having way too much fun baking and blogging.  How do all you awesome food bloggers out there manage to do this without looking like the Michelin Man or the Stay-Puff Marshmallow guy from Ghost Busters?  I haven't been blogging as much lately because I haven't been cooking or eating as much.  Sooooooo, I was very excited when my sister called and asked me if I would bake something for her to take to a dinner party. She had offered to bring dessert to a St. Patrick's gathering but she hadn't factored in that she was moving into her new house that very same day.  She was overwhelmed and I was overjoyed to have a reason to bake something yummy and then send it on its way!
I sent my sister several green suggestions including mint/chocolate cheesecake and whoopie pies with mint filling.  However, she reminded me that she doesn't like mint.  She also didn't go for the leprechaun balls.  I don't know why.  I thought they were hysterical.  We finally settled on little individual Boston Cream Pies.  I explained to her that Boston has long standing deep Irish traditions so these little cakes (pretending to be pies) would be perfect.  I used three different recipes to adapt my own.  First was a recipe from Putzing Around the Kitchen. However, this recipe used an instant vanilla pudding mix and I knew I wanted to make my own pastry cream.  Second was this which provided a great pictorial.  I used their method for cutting the cone shaped centers in the cakes to fill with the cream.   Then there was this great video from Martha Stewart which really filled in some of the blanks regarding technique.   

Here is my adapted recipe:

Individual Boston Cream Pies                                                                   Makes about 15

Begin with the pastry cream because it takes about three hours to chill before filling the cakes.

For the vanilla pastry cream:
4 egg yolks, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
2-1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbls. butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp vanilla (I always add an extra splash of vanilla so you can increase this to 1-1/2 tsp if you like.)

Whisk yolks in medium sized bowl until smooth.

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.

Temper egg yolks by very slowly pouring 1/3 of milk mixture into yolks, whisking constantly. This heats the yolks without scrambling them.  Return egg mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick, 2 to 4 minutes (see the video link above to see what it should look like.)  Pass vanilla cream through a fine sieve into a bowl.   Add butter and mix gently to combine.   Add vanilla and stir until combined.

Press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours, or up to 2 days.

For the cakes:
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup whole milk
6 Tbsp ( 3 oz) butter
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour standard muffin tins.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

Warm milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat while beating eggs and sugar.

Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes.

Gently fold in dry ingredients in small additions (again, check that video for great info on this)

Bring milk and butter to a boil, remove from heat and gently fold  into batter.

Add vanilla.

Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each halfway. Bake cupcakes until light gold, about 15 minutes. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks. Let cool.When cupcakes are completely cool, use a serrated knife to cut cone shapes from the middle of each cupcake. I really love the vanilla cream so I gently removed a little more of the cake from the center then filled them with the cream. Cut the pointy end from the top and place the top on the cream.  

For the chocolate ganache:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chopped and placed into medium sized, heat proof  bowl
1/2 cup heavy creamIn a small saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat, and add to chocolate; stir very gently until smooth.

Set aside to cool to room temperature and to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. When glaze has thickened, spoon over filled cakes. Using a small metal spatula, spread glaze to edges of cakes, allowing it to drip down sides. Let glaze set, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Keep cakes refrigerated until ready to serve.  They are better the same day but it's ok to store them in the fridge overnight. It was St. Patrick's Day so once the ganache was set, I sprinkled each little cake with green sugar.  I decorated the serving basket with fresh mint, nasturtiums, and cilantro blooms from my garden.

My sister tells me everyone at the party loved these mini Boston cream pies.   She said they were delicious and a big hit.  She especially liked the vanilla cream. It really is worth the extra effort to make it from scratch.

These are time consuming due to all of the steps involved but worth it.  I'm giving this Pinterest Wednesday recipe 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.

     

 

Pinterest Wednesday

This has been an unexpected cold and snowy winter.  We rarely get snow here in the desert, and if we do, it's just a few wet flakes.   When it does snow, even just a few wet flakes, we get so excited that we run outside and dance and race around like crazy people.  I'm not kidding, I actually have a video of this phenomena and if I can figure out how to download it, I will show you.

However, last Wednesday, we actually got more than just a few wet flakes.  If you are a golf fan, then you already know that the first day of the Accenture Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain was cancelled due to the snow.   Here is a picture of the trees around the golf course.And here is a picture of the Mud House driveway. To understand how rare this is my mother, who has lived here 66 years, says this is the most snow she has ever seen here. 

So it's soup again!  This week I chose Sweet Potato Soup from the Lunch Box Bunch.  If you prefer a vegan version, be sure to check out the Lunch Box Bunch.  If not, here is my adapted recipe:

Sweet Potato Soup with Chipotle and Avocado

2 large sweet potatoes, baked until very soft and peeled
2 or more cups chicken broth to make soup desired consistency
1/2 - 1 cup milk (whatever percent milk fat you prefer) or cream
1/4 teaspoon orange zest (more or less to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 -2 chipotle peppers, chopped,  with a little sauce (more or less to taste)

Garnish:
diced avocado
You can also top the soup with crushed tortilla chips

Place all ingredients into food processor and combine.  Adjust seasonings and add more broth as needed.  Place soup into a pot, reheat, and serve.I've been experimenting with making my own broths and I will share more about that soon!

Enjoy!

This recipe is healthy, fast, easy, delicious and pretty.  I'm giving it 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas!
    

Pinterest Wednesday

This one has been calling my name for awhile.  I have actually already pinned it twice.

It is a salted caramel cream cheese frosting and it comes to us from Blooming on Bainbridge, who actually got it from Kimberly Taylor Images/Life on Blackberry Farm.

It is really deliciously decadent and I imagine it would be most delicious on any kind of cake.  I am still a bit of a novice with caramel, often allowing hot spots to burn the sugar, or cooking the entire batch too long.  In the following recipe I have included some things I do to avoid these mistakes. 

Here is my adapted recipe:

Salted Caramel

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or sea

WARNING:  Cooking with hot sugar is dangerous.  Use care to avoid burns and do not leave cooking sugar,  even for a minute!

1. Combine the sugar, water, and the corn syrup in a large saucepan.  Stir gently to combine, avoid splashing sides of pan, and let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to allow sugars to become uniformly wet.  In the meantime you may prepare the remaining ingredients.
2.  Heat 1/2 cup cream in small saucepan until just simmering, turn off heat and cover pan.   The cream must be warm when it is added later to the hot caramel.
3. Once ready to cook sugar, attach a candy thermometer to pan, making sure tip of thermometer does not touch bottom of pan. 4.  Stir gently with a wooden spoon over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, again avoid splashing sides of pan.
5.  Once sugar has dissolved, stop stirring, dip small heat-proof brush into water and carefully brush any sugar crystals that have formed on the pan. 
6. Watch cooking sugar carefully and as color begins to change, occasionally swirl pan so caramel does not burn.  If necessary, carefully brush down sides of pan with water. 7.  Watch thermometer carefully.  When temperature reaches 370 degrees, remove pan from heat and let stand approximately 30 second.
8.  *** Be careful here *** Pour the warm heavy cream into the mixture. The mixture will bubble up significantly and is very hot.
9.  Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter, lemon juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
10.  Measure 1 cup into a Pyrex measuring cup. Stirring occasionally, allow to cool until thick like molasses and warm to the touch, about 20 minutes. 

Salted Caramel Frosting

2 sticks butter at room temperature
8 ounces of cream cheese
3-4 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 
1 cup salted caramel (recipe above)1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
2. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar into the butter/cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
3. Add 1 cup of the salted caramel and  1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, beat to combine.
4. Add additional powdered sugar until the frosting is the sweetness and consistency you desire. 

Notes:

When I first tasted the caramel before adding it to the frosting it tasted too strong and salty.  Once mixed into the frosting it was perfect.   

I used all of the caramel and the full 4 cups of powdered sugar in the final frosting.

This is a good one. I'm giving it 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.

    

 

Pinterest Wednesday

It's cold at the Mud House.  Really cold.  I'm not kidding.This is a rare occurrence and we are freezing.  Those of us who live in the desert aren't prepared to live with such low temperatures.  We are not happy and we complain about it.  A lot.   Fortunately it's not as hard on us as it is on the giant old prickly pears.  

So sad.  The paddles freeze and they become too heavy for the plant to hold so they fall off.  If you've been reading the Mud House Year Blog, you know how important these cactus are to me. Read more about them and find some great recipes here, and here, and here, and here, and here.

For Pinterest Wednesday, the obvious choice was soup.  I selected a split pea soup recipe which you can find here.  However, as soon as I realized the recipe called for a tablespoon of olive oil, but then never added it during the preparation, I struck out on my own.  Here is my recipe:
Mud House Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped, plus leafy tops
1 large yellow onion 
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 32-ounce cans low sodium chicken broth
2 pounds green split peas
1 ham hock
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, optional (depending on the size of your ham hock you  may not need additional salt)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper, optional
Water to add as needed during cooking 
Tabasco or other pepper sauce to add before serving, optional

Here's How:Heat oil in large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, and onion and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.Add garlic, 1 teaspoon thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon marjoram. Continue to cook and stir occasionally for 5 more minutes.
Add chicken broth, peas, and ham hock.  I got this ham hock/shank from our local butcher.  It is actually much bigger than the hocks you find in the grocery stores.  If you use a large shank like this, you may want to omit the additional kosher salt. 
Add celery tops, cover, and simmer on very low heat for one hour.  Stir frequently and check broth level to prevent scorching.  Add additional broth or water as needed. 
After an hour, discard celery tops and add additional 1 teaspoon of thyme, half a teaspoon of marjoram, salt (if using), back pepper, and crushed red pepper, if using.   Remove ham hock and let cool.  Simmer for another hour, stirring and adding broth or water as needed.While simmering and once hock has cooled, pull tender meat from bone, discarding tough connective tissue and fat, and add to soup.
Serve with hot sauce of your choice.  This is my current favorite. YUM! Note: If you prefer a creamier soup, cook an additional half hour or so and then use an immersion blender to blend peas and vegetable until smooth.

I didn't follow the Pinterest recipe so I can't rate it.  However,  My recipe was delicious so I'm giving it 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas!
    

 

 

 

 

Pinterest Wednesday

Kiss PiesThis is one of those recipes that looks like such a good idea but it is much better in theory than in reality.  I was so excited to find it on Pinterest because I had leftover pie crusts in the freezer from Thanksgiving and I thought this would be a perfect way to use them AND make some goodies for Christmas Eve.   These little pies were easy - just two main ingredients!  They were fun to make and really cute...before I baked them.
After they were baked, they didn't look as cute and I'm afraid they tasted like pie crust, just pie crust.
I really wanted these to be wonderful.  I even tried a second batch using more sugar...
and some crushed peppermint.
I even tried different flavors of kisses
but, alas,  they just tasted too pie crusty.

If you are a fan of pie crusts you might really like these.  You can find the recipe at Picky Palate.   I'm giving these only 2/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.  They were easy and fun to make but, as my daughter said, "Mom, they are not that great."
 

Pinterest Wednesday (This one's for Conner)

Quinoa Mac & Cheese
This will be the last Pinterst Wednesday from Nashville and I'm finally a little more comfortable cooking in my kitchenette.   I decided to try another reasonably healthy recipe to counterbalance all the pralines and pork bellies!  I adapted this recipe for Quinoa Mac & Cheese from Around the Table:  Loving Food in RI & Beyond. Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

• 1  cup quinoa (measured before cooking), cooked per package directions
• 2 tsp butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chicken broth. divided
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped broccoli (you can use any vegtables you want or leave vegies out completely)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• good dash of ground pepper
• dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
• Toppings - more cheese, sprinkle of nutmeg (optional- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Coat 8x8 inch dish (or 4 individual ramekins) with cooking spray or butter.
Saute mushrooms and broccoli separately  - each in 1 tsp butter and 1/4 cup broth. Combine salt, spices, egg, milk, and cheese in large bowl and mix well. Add cooked quinoa, mushrooms, broccoli and any remaining liquid from cooked vegetables.  Mix well. Transfer to prepared baking dish.  Top with cheese and sprinkle with nutmeg.
Cook 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.  My Nashville friend who is a diehard mac & cheese purist really liked this dish.  I was shocked!  She actually ate two huge portions.  I thought it was pretty good and I will definitely make it again.  It isn't mac & cheese but it is so much healthier!

I'm giving it 4/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas because it's good and healthy, but it's not mac & cheese.
   

Next week I will be back in the Mud House kitchen getting ready for Christmas!

 

Pinterest Wednesday

Now that the last scraps of turkey are gone, my thoughts turn to something easy and light.  This recipe comes to us from Plain Chicken and it's billed as "Better Than Augusta Egg Salad."  I've never been to Augusta so I will just have to take Plain Chicken's word for it.   I figured a plain chicken would know a thing or two about eggs, so I decided to give it a go.   I know, I know egg salad is usually a summer thing and it is almost December.  The temperatures here at the Mud House are still in the 70s so, as usual, the lines between the seasons are a bit blurry.  I added my own little southwestern twist with the addition of some splashes of Tabasco, avocado, and grilled bread.

Better Than Augusta Egg Salad
6 hard-cooked eggs, diced
1/2 c diced celery
2 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp pepper

(I added Tabasco and some sliced avocado.)

To cook the eggs:
Place the eggs in a single layer in a heavy saucepan and cover with cold water by at least one inch. Add a teaspoon of salt. Leaving the pot uncovered, turn the heat to high. As soon as the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and cover. After 10 minutes, remove the cover and run cold water over eggs for 1 minute. 

To peel, gently tap each egg against the counter, turning to make a crackle pattern. Start peeling at the broad end, where there is an air pocket.
To make the egg salad: Combine all ingredients and chill.

I sliced and generously buttered both sides of some sourdough bread and grilled it.

I thought the egg salad was a little "meh."  Kind of bland.  I like a bit more kick!  But, that's just me.  It also needed a little more mayonnaise and a touch of mustard.   The best thing about this recipe is learning how to cook a good hard boiled egg.  Not only did the eggs peel perfectly, they were light, not rubbery.   

I'm giving this one 3/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas.
   

 

Pinterest Wednesday

I'm busy cooking a bunch of pies, brining 2 turkeys, and generally getting ready for 20 family members to spend Thanksgiving here with us at the Mud House.  This will be a quick post!  

This week's Pinterest Wednesday is a combination of two different pins I saved to my boards.  One is from Tracey's Culinary Adventures and one is from Gooseberry Patch.  I used Tracey's recipe for the cheese ball.  The only change I made was adding a few drops of Tabasco to the cheese mixture. Once I formed it into a ball, I patted it with a little smoked paprika and added the little stem on top.I'm saving it for Thanksgiving but I tasted a bit and it is yummy!  

Bacon-Jalapeño Cheese Ball

6 slices bacon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 jalapeños (ribs and seeds removed), finely chopped and divided
crackers (for serving)

Cook the bacon in a large skillet set over medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Allow to cool slightly, then crumble and divide in half.

While the bacon is cooking, preheat oven to 350 F. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, parsley, garlic, cumin, cayenne, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, half of the minced jalapeños, and half of the crumbled bacon until well combined. Season the mixture to taste with salt.

On a large plate, stir the toasted pecans, remaining minced jalapeños and remaining half of the crumbled bacon together until evenly distributed. Shape the cream cheese mixture into a ball (the mixture will be sticky, I found it easiest to shape if I just barely wet my hands first). Roll the ball in the pecan mixture until coated on all sides.

Cover the ball and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

 

This one gets 5/5 Prickly Pear Margaritas because it is delicious and so cute!

    

Enjoy!