This recipe is a shout out to my buddy Katie who turned me on to these adorable mini tricolored peppers. At a recent stay at her house, we ate these peppers with scrambled in eggs for breakfast, for an extra crunch in a wrap for lunch, and as a grilled side dish with salmon for dinner. I fell head over heels for these little buggers! Upon my return home, I immediately bought a bag of peppers and started putting the mini guys in everything. Only problem, there were so many! Seeing as there are only two of us at home right now, I had a lot of peppers to use! Hence, this recipe was born. My husband and I were heading off to watch a Blackhawks game at a friend’s house so I decided to bring along this newly created appetizer to see how it would be received….they got two thumbs up!! So, Katie, next time you are serving margaritas by the pool please serve these Petite Pepper Poppers too…they would make a great pair!!

Begin by slicing each pepper from stem to bottom and scape out the seeds and any large ribs you can get at. Wash out and place on a towel to dry off. Meanwhile, put the goat cheese in a small bowl and bring to room temperature. If using plain goat cheese, you may want to spice it up with fresh herbs — think thyme, parsley, garlic to name just a few options. Just make sure if you add your own spices to finely mince the herbs. Next, crumble the bacon into the cheese and stir to blend well. Now the fun part — using your hands (tried a spoon — didn’t work) stuff each pepper with the cheese mixture and place in a Pyrex dish. Drizzle each pepper with a little olive oil and bake at 375º for 15-20 minutes (until peppers are softened). Place on serving platter and sprinkle with chopped chives.

Serve with a napkin as these poppers are a little juicy!!

Ingredients:
12 mini peppers, 4 of each color
1 log goat cheese (herbed or plain)
3 pieces bacon, cooked very crispy
Olive oil
Chives for garnish, finely chopped

Makes 12 Petite Pepper Poppers