Chevre Stuffed Dates A fantastic appetizer ...promise

The weekends go by so terribly fast, don’t you think? This past Saturday we did much of our shopping early, partially to beat the heat but also to save some gas by hitting stores and markets in the same area. Shopping isn’t one of our favorite chores but now we are well stocked.

A trip to Jones Country Meats in Climax, Ga. to fill the freezer, a stop at Wine Warehouse in Tallahassee to fill the wine fridge, PAWS and the Tractor Supply store for dog food, a grocery store run and finally gassed up both cars. Done…all in one day.



To celebrate our free day where we can read, nap, take the dogs to the park or whatever we please, we had a very nice dinner and one of our splurge wines. A splurge wine for us is one out of our ordinary rotation.

But I didn’t want to talk about wine – I want to share an amazingly delicious appetizer we scarfed down.



WOW. These are so good you could make a meal out of them! Let cool for a few minutes or you’ll burn your mouth. Yes, that’s hard to do, waiting 5 minutes until they cool but you won’t be sorry.

Here is the recipe - too good not to share!

Chevre Stuffed Dates
From 101 Things to Do with Bacon, Eliza Cross

Ingredients

½ pound sliced bacon
1 pound pitted dates
4 ounces goat cheese (I used Ile de France)
1 bunch fresh basil, leaves washed and stems removed



Method

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut bacon strips in half, set aside. Split dates lengthwise and stuff with a heaping teaspoon of cheese. Press halves together and wrap with a basil leaf and bacon strip.



Secure with a toothpick. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once. Remove from oven and drain on paper towels.



We had a few of these before Doug grilled a rib-eye we’d just purchased from Jones. And the splurge wine. More on that later. I couldn’t wait to share these with you and I do hope you’ll try them one day. Four ingredients, 20 minutes in the oven. Simple stuff. You’re welcome :-)

Coming up will be my contribution to Cook the Books and wine talk. Hope all is well in your world!