(Oh, by the way... I'm pregnant with our third boy! Due in late August.)
This has been a busy week and I hadn't even thought of a potluck dish to bring to the Derby party last night. So I opened the fridge to review options for a side on the fly.
Staring back at me: dried dates, raw pecans & a half a pack of bacon. After only two experiments, perfection! We ate all the samples before the afternoon was over, so hubby hit the grocery store and picked up more ingredients. One of the great things about this treat is that you can make as few or as many as you want without excessive cleanup.
When we got home from the party last night, my 5 year old realized he was too busy playing that he didn't eat a bacon wrapped date! Major melt down before bed... so together we made them for a mid-morning snack today.
Assembly line makes the process quick. Husbands and kids and help!
Prep your ingredients first. Might as well count out each, including toothpicks, since your bacon hands will contaminate anything you touch.
INGREDIENTS
- dried dates
- raw pecan halves
- bacon
PREP
- slice dates up the middle (stick paring knife tip in the end of each date and cut only one side)
- break pecan halves in half lengthwise
- cut bacon slices into quarters lengthwise
- line baking dish with tin foil, place some sort of rack on top to allow drainage
- wooden toothpicks
- 350°
ASSEMBLE
- place pecan quarter inside date, close
- wrap 1/4 slice of bacon around date, cover the open side of the date with middle of bacon
- slide wooden toothpick through ends of bacon to secure
- arrange on baking rack with open bacon side down
Cook :15 then keep an eye on them. Length of time depends on type of bacon used. We used thick sliced, maple bacon this morning and it took :25 to cook 14 of them.
