Our favorite appetizer to bring to parties now are these pecan stuffed dates wrapped with bacon! I would like to take full credit for the recipe but I got it off of Paula Deen Cooking from the Food Network. These are so delicious! It is like breakfast in your mouth! But...so much more because of the full bodied flavor of the date and pecan. The sweetness of the date is a perfect companion to the salty bacon - the pecan adds good texture. I have baked these in the oven several ways. You can bake at 375 and turn them over until the bacon crisps. I have turned up the heat to 500 and found the cooking time is half but the likelihood of black bacon bits is high. I have also grilled them in an aluminum disposable pan. That really helps with the grease and cleanup but you have to baby sit the grill. But with a beer, or very sueann friendly Mike's Hard Apple, that is not a problem! By the way... Aren't the men suppose to be the grill masters? I guess I got a liberated grill master because I do the grilling.
OH! One time we wanted to eat these appetizers for dinner - just make a nice salad and these...nice "light" meal! But I was out of bacon! So I free bird it and took out some pork, smashed it thin and spread pureed dates and pecans on it. I wrapped the pork, toothpicked them and baked at 350 for 15-20 minutes. FABULOUS! I do recommend adding a little salt to make up for the bacon effect but otherwise bon apatite!
Pecan Stuffed Dates Wrapped with Bacon
Get whole pitted dates, stuff it with a pecan. Set aside. Take all the bacon out of the package and cut into thirds. This should be enough to stretch around the date. You can use tooth picks to fasten but usually the bacon sticks to itself. Put on baking sheet fold side down to keep bacon from unraveling.
