Bacon Bites with Horseradish Dip

Valentine's morning my mom calls me to let me know she needs a few things to take to a birthday lunch today and wanted me to whip something up. 

Bacon Bites take only a few minutes to put together but pack a big punch in taste. These are not the most heart healthy items, but a small indulgence now and then is OK. This recipe was adapted from a Bacon Crisp Recipe from years ago.

Ingredients:

1 pound of center cut bacon cut in half

3/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 sleeve of crackers you will need enough crackers for each slice of bacon ( I have used the oval townhouse crackers above but also have made them with rectangle waverly crackers)

Pickled jalapenos - one for each cracker( optional if you don't like spice)

For the Horseradish dip:

1 - 8 ounces container of sour cream

3-5 tablespoons of prepared horseradish (adjust to your taste)

1/2 tablespoon of fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

combine all dip ingredients and chill until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To prepare cut the pound of bacon in half to have two equal pieces per slice of bacon. place a wire rack over a baking sheet and lay the slices of bacon of the wire rack. If using the pickled jalapenos place on slice on each piece of bacon.Mix the two cheese together in a bowl and then place a large pinch of cheese on top of the jalapeno or the bacon if not using the pepper. Lay one cracker on top of the cheese and then pull the bacon up over the cracker and place seam side down. Sprinkle any remaining cheese over the bacon bites.  Place the Bacon Bites in the oven and back for 15 minutes and then using tongs carefully turn the bites over and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the bacon has crisped. Remove from oven and serve with the dip. The bites will be slightly soft when first removed from the oven but as they cool they will crisp up. 

If you don't use the jalapeno in the bacon bite but still want a spicy option, divide the horseradish dip into two bowls and in one bowl add 1 tablespoon of green chilies or diced jalapenos. For those who don't like horseradish serve with a ranch dip.

If there are any left overs they are good cold but do heat up well in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute.