Bacon Wrapped Dates

This weekend was a marathon, not a sprint....

What movie is that from?

We had three family events in less than 48 hours, and it was a blast.

Saturday, my parents inviting my in-laws over for a send off since they are leaving Maryland in less than 2 weeks and moving down to Sarasota FL.  

My mom tasked me with making an appetizer.  

She was making a dip and asked me to make something else- that had to be gluten free due to Joe's Dads allergy.  

So I decided to make Bacon Wrapped Dates stuffed with Blue Cheese.

I chose this recipe because I could put it together the night before which took all of 10 minutes and then just bring them over to my parents and stick in the oven to bake.  

Very easy.

So here is the recipe:

 1 pound sliced bacon- cut in half

1 pound pitted dates

You can purchase these at Costco- you want the large ones.  

4 ounces blue cheese

I went with a mild blue so it would not be offensive. 

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). 

Slice dates in half, and open them up. Pinch off pieces of blue cheese, and place them into the center of the dates. Close the halves of the dates, and wrap a half-slice of bacon around the outside. Secure each one with a toothpick. 

 Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bacon is crisp. Turn dates over after the first 20 minutes for even cooking.

I did step 2 the night before and then just put them in the fridge until cooking time.  

Most excellent

There was not a single one left!!