Recipe of the Week!

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Matt and I made these little treats after being inspired by a night out at Founding Farmers. We ordered them as an appetizer and decided they could be easily replicated at home. We made ours without almonds, but I recently had some at a Christmas party with almonds, and they were good as well. These are super easy to make, and are a nice addition to any party. It's also something a little different than the usual party food.

Ingredients:
12 pitted dates
12 pieces cream cheese (I cut the cream cut to match the size of the dates)
6 slices bacon, cut crosswise in half
12 almonds (optional)

Directions:
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Stuff 1 piece of cream cheese and 1 almond (optional) into each date, then wrap one piece of bacon around each date. Arrange dates, bacon seam down, on a shallow baking pan.

Bake 5 minutes, then turn dates over with tongs and bake until bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel.