Jalapeno Popper Bites because life is better with fried cheese.

 We don't eat a big meal in the evening. We've turned into those old people who eat a big lunch, take a nap, then have an Adult Libation and A Nibble in the evening. Sometimes the nibbles are a simple as potato chips, or a wee bowl of peanuts. We sleep better that way. Capt has a favorite nibble, one that takes a little effort but not so much that I dislike fixing them (that's Southern for "preparing them") (they aren't actually broken). These are ripe for messing with, changing up the seasonings to suit personal tastes, and also for fixing (excuse me...Preparing) a whole bunch ahead of time then just fixing (ahem...) however many or few you want in the moment.  I generally double the recipe, freeze most of them, and pull out however many Capt requires for his Evening Repast. These probably would be fantastic for some sort of sports party (I don't do those) or cookout thing. Anyway, here they are, Capt's favorite nibble:

Fried Jalapeno Popper Bites (double if you want to) (also, alternatives in parenthesis)

Ingredients

Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3 jalapenos, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon (or 1/2 teaspoon Dark and Smoky Flatiron Pepper)
• 2 Tbsp Sriracha sauce (or some other hot sauce)

Coating

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour (gluten free is fine)
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (also GF)
• 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs (also GF)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons water

Oil for frying

• Combine the filling ingredients until well mixed. I do it in a stand mixer with a paddle. 
• Using a small cookie scoop (like a tiny ice cream scoop, about 2 tablespoon size), scoop the mix onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and stick them in the freezer until solid- 2 or 3 hours.
• Mix the coating stuff together in a bowl, except for the eggs and water.
• Mix the eggs and water together in another bowl.
• Heat several inches of oil- something neutral like canola or vegetable- to 350F. 
• While the oil is heating, roll the cold cheese balls in the egg mix, then coat with the bread crumb mix, and set on a plate.
• When the oil is hot, fry 6-8 at a time until golden brown- roughly 3-4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and serve warm with Ranch dressing (Capt likes to mix some Flat Iron 4 pepper blend red pepper flakes into the dressing, or gets the Jalapeno Ranch made by Lighthouse)

I make up a double batch of the cheese balls, scoop them out, and freeze them. They all go into a big ziploc bag in the freezer, and I'll fix however many we want (like 6-8) at a time. The coating blend can also be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer. 

Our jalapenos come out of the garden. I reckon, if you're so inclined, you could use a milder pepper like a poblano, or a hotter one like a serrano or even a Hairy Chested Fool type like a habanero.  The first couple of times I put in bacon, but then we had some guests who needed it Halal (like Kosher but for Muslims) so no bacon. I used a bit of smoked pepper blend from Flat Iron Pepper Co. and it gave a lovely hint of smoke and I liked it even better than with the bacon...primarily because I didn't have to fix (prepare) any to go into it, but the flavor was lovely.

An Unpaid Endorsement for Flat Iron Pepper Company: Y'all. They have all sorts of combinations of peppers for all sorts of different applications even one called I Can't Feel My Face that is just the thing to give to your smart-ass son who thinks there's no such thing as a pepper too hot for him. We got some of that, opened it cautiously and sniffed from a distance and both of us our faces went numb. Just the thing. We have most (if not all) of their blends and yes. They're amazing. Some are too hot for my delicate feminine constitution, but they also have milder versions of some of them and those are really good. The flavor blends are kind of like....I don't know....a fine coffee blend or anything else improved by a bit of this and a touch of that. Don't get me wrong, they tend to be hot and if you're someone who can't handle the heat of a jalapeno you might be careful and stick with the Hatch Valley Green and the BBQ rub and use them sparingly. That said...y'all. So good.