Bacon Jalapeño Bites

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods,Inc. All opinions are entirely my own.

It’s finally warm!! I mean the snow seriously didn’t want to leave this year. Living in Kentucky we don’t often have snow into April, but this year we did. I am happy to have these warm temps back again. Now with summer approaching, that always leads to planning family time. School is out and that means everyone wants to play including the parents! We plan holidays and vacation time. But my favorite summer holiday to celebrate is Father’s Day.

It’s a bittersweet holiday for me, I don’t recall celebrating many Father’s Days with my own dad as he passed when I was very young. But, I very much enjoy watching Nathan grow everyday as a Dad. I really want to make him feel so special because he really is a great father. Hannah is at the age now where she wants to celebrate her parents as well. It’s amazing to me to see their relationship grow and I know that no matter what happens in this life, as long as Nathan is here on the earth he will be here for Hannah. What more can a mother ask than for the father of her children to love them as deeply as she does?

Nathan’s palate has broadened over the years thanks to my persistence. He literally only ate corn and chicken breasts when we first started dating almost 20 years ago. He wouldn’t eat pork, steak, chicken with bones, ground beef, and certainly not anything spicy. Well it’s taken what has seemed like a lifetime but he finally eats more than chicken breasts. Lol. But there is one thing that he has come to love over years more than the rest and that is bacon!

Now, I love the smell of cooking bacon. There is no quicker way to put a smile on my face than to wake up to that smell. Something about it is just inviting. Turns out after a bit of persistence and getting the crispness just right, it’s Nathan’s favorite thing as well. With Father’s Day approaching I wanted to celebrate my husband for the amazing dad he is and make something I know he would love. He likes things with a bit of kick and loves all things potatoes and cheese. Hannah and I decided on Bacon Jalapeño Bites. Sounds yum right?!

So we headed to Walmart to find our favorite bacon, Wright® Brand Naturally Smoked Hickory Bacon, and get the rest of our ingredients. The bacon was easily found in the meat section of my Walmart and there were two varieties available:  Naturally Smoked Hickory and Naturally Smoked Applewood. This bacon is thick cut, 100% wood smoked over hickory chips for eight hours and has the best bacon flavor around. You get a pound and a half per package and with the Ibotta app there is a great coupon that saves you $1.50. We love shopping at Walmart for our special occasions. Their low prices allow me to make special occasion meals without breaking my budget.

These Bacon Jalapeño Bites were a huge hit. I sliced them in half, smeared cream cheese and added green onions on top, then placed two tater tots inside each half and wrapped the whole thing in Wright Brand Naturally Smoked Hickory Bacon. I baked it in the oven at 425 degrees F and the bacon crisped, the taters cooked and the jalapeño slightly softened. I deseeded the jalapeños, we like only a little heat, but you could leave them in if you want.