Jalapeno Poppers of Freedom

Jalapeno poppers. >swoon< I loves them. And now, they loves me back because they're everything freeeeeeee!

My dear little sister, Pooka (aka Serenity), made these jalapeno poppers last year and they were finger lickin' good. I mean, summer is already hot, right? So adding a little incineration to your stomach, mouth, hands and nose (I scratched an itch with jalapeno fingers) really doesn't matter. Besides, it's a great excuse to drink copious amounts of sweet tea, which has become my fun drink of choice (never ever say something like, "they can pry coke from my cold dead fingers," the powers that be have an ironic sense of humor).

The original recipe called for cheese in the center of the jalapenos, wrapped in bacon and then topped with barbeque sauce. Since the American food industry seems so in love with stashing corn in every product known to man, and some that aren't known ( O_o) I went on a search for the most luscious barbeque sauce recipe available that began with fresh tomatoes. While I was in the store it occurred to me that mango usually appears in fresh sauce recipes. So I made sure to grab one. Oh happy day!

For the filling I boiled a potato and mashed it, mixing in some fresh herbs and garlic that I had diced and sauteed in a tiny bit of bacon grease (oh hush! I eat healthy.....mostly). You really want to wear gloves while de seeding your jalapenos. My thumbs are still burning from yesterday. :P

I filled the jalapenos with mashed potato, wrapped them in a (very expensive) organic, uncured, unadulterated bacon strip and topped it with the most luscious sauce ever. Baked in a 300/325ish oven until the bacon was crispy. Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmm. If you're quiet you can almost hear your stomach whisper, "thank you!"