Who doesn’t love bacon? Right? Now combine bacon with one of my favorite blogger contests – the Saucy Mama Blogger Contest – and I couldn’t wait to get started. First comes the hard part of choosing products to sample since they all sound so good. From the variety of mustards, sauces, and marinades I finally narrowed it down to the Saucy Mama® orange habanero wing sauce and Saucy Mama® cracked pepper marinade to work into my dish.
My entry for this year’s contest is a blend of one of my favorite appetizers (bacon wrapped blue cheese stuffed dates) and Turkish apricots to create Saucy Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Apricots.
I mixed the Saucy Mama® cracked pepper marinade (and a bit of green onions and bacon) into some ricotta cheese for a well spiced, creamy stuffing. Once stuffed and wrapped with bacon, the apricots got a coating of Saucy Mama® orange habanero wing sauce for a sweet kick. The Saucy Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Apricots are baked until the bacon is crisp, and the wing sauce has caramelized.
My family loved them so much I don’t know if I could make enough for a party since they fly off the plate so fast. Give them a try and see what I mean!
You can find other Saucy Mama recipes and products on their facebook and pinterest pages
Saucy Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Apricots
14 slices (1 ½ pounds) applewood smoked bacon, divided
4 ounces ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons minced green onions
2 teaspoons Saucy Mama® cracked pepper marinade
24 dried apricots
24 toothpicks
¼ cup Saucy Mama® orange habanero wing sauce
Pre-heat the oven to 375 °F.
Place 2 pieces of bacon in a 12-inch skillet. Pan fry the bacon over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp; cool and crumble.
Mix ricotta cheese, green onion, crumbled bacon, and Saucy Mama® cracked pepper marinade, stirring to combine. Gently pull open the cavity in the dried apricots and place ~1 teaspoon of ricotta in the center of each (i.e. equally divide the ricotta mixture between the apricots). Cut the remaining bacon slices in half, wrap one around each apricot, and secure with a toothpick. Place on a large baking sheet (13 inches x 18 inches), and evenly brush the tops of the wrapped apricots with the Saucy Mama® orange habanero wing sauce. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Remove from the oven, cool slightly, and serve.
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