Bacon Wrapped Dates

I can almost smell the bacon cooking right now.

THEY. ARE. SO. GOOD. 

Seriously, they are super easy and amazing. Obviously not the healthiest snack or appetizer, but they are worth the splurge once in a while. We made these to go with a seafood paella (another post -- I cleaned and cooked squid! AGH!), and they were a delicious, hot prelude to the main meal. 

They are really simple to make. You'll need dates (I opted for those already pitted), some goat cheese and bacon. You stuff a little of the goat cheese inside the date (you'll have a hole from where you pitted the date or can make one using a paring knife), wrap a 1/3 of a piece of bacon around the date, and cook them on the stove until the bacon crisps up. I suggest cooking them at a lower heat, so that the goat cheese gets all warm and soft, rather than cook the bacon as fast as you can (although, I bet it still tastes pretty good).

We made 10 for the 2 of us, and they were gone within seconds. If you're not a bacon-lover, I imagine you could do something similar with just goat cheese and dates (maybe warming them in the oven instead of atop the stove)? 

We had enough bacon to make two batches of the dates over the course of a week, had bacon leftover for breakfast one morning, and as a topping for baked potatoes yesterday. We still have dates leftover (which I guiltily steal to eat plain a couple times a week) and half a small log of goat cheese remaining to top salads, include in a quiche, etc. So while the ingredients aren't inexpensive, you can:

A) make either several batches of the bacon wrapped dates OR
B) make a large amount for a bigger crowd OR 
C) re-purpose those ingredients for meals later in the week

ENJOY. Big time.