Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp

3 seconds before getting in my belly.

My favorite dinner, my husband makes this for me for my birthday.  Originally we used pepper-jack cheese.  This year, I have found that nightshade vegetables have been causing arthritis in my joints.  I stopped eating them and it has completely gone away (I also don't eat very many carbs at all, so it could be a combination). This year, we used smoked mozzarella, and holy moly, they were even better!!! These are very easy.

TIP: read recipe through before starting.

How it looks before baking, from my birthday perspective

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp

30-40 large peeled and deveined medium to large shrimp with tails on

bacon, thicker sliced works best - about 2 lbs or 15 slices

smoked mozzarella, we usually buy 2 blocks to make sure we have enough

baking pan

toothpicks

Cut your bacon in half or more.. depending on the size of your shrimp. You want the bacon to wrap around it as shown above but be a little longer since it will shrink a bit when we pre-cook it.  Place bacon on baking pan and put into a cold oven.  Turn oven on 425˚F and bake the bacon halfway through. You want it to be browned a little but not yet crispy. Remove from oven and let cool until you can touch it.  Don't let it cool so much that it hardens. Place pan on the side, you will re-use it with the grease on it.

While bacon is in oven, cut cheese into small squares. When bacon is cooled enough to touch, wrap each piece around the shrimp and place cheese square on top, securing with a toothpick all the way through. Turn oven back on and heat back up to 400˚F. Place shrimp back on cookie sheet, with the grease from baking the bacon still on the sheet. This will prevent it from sticking. Bake until shrimp is cooked through, bacon is crisp and cheese is melted.  Eat when still hot!