Southwest chicken pinwheels

I made this recipe for a fantasy football draft party. I partly made it because we had flour tortillas to use up before they went bad. Pinwheels seemed to be the easy and obvious answer for that.

Southwest chicken pinwheels

Ingredients (serves about 30 pieces):

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles (drained)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
Dash of seasoning salt
Dash of ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
2 green onion stalks (sliced)
5 small flour tortillas

1. Cook the chicken through, then shred it. (I usually use 2 forks to shred chicken, and like to shred it after it's cooked.)
2. Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, Rotel, garlic and spices, cheddar, and green onions in a bowl. Mix in the chicken, too.
3. Spread the mixture onto each tortilla, then tightly roll them up.
4. Wrap each tortilla in plastic wrap, then cool them in the fridge for at least an hour.
5. Once cold, cut the logs into bite-sized portions, and serve cold.

(We had an artisan southwest spice that we added on top, too.)



It's not a spicy dish, regardless of some of the spicy ingredients. The cheese pulls it back to be very mild. It wasn't a grand slam as far as party recipes go, but everyone liked it and had seconds. I got to use up ingredients that would waste away in my fridge otherwise. I'll call it a stand up double.

Bacon and pepper jack roll ups

If you've followed this blog for a while, you know that I like to experiment with crescent rolls and biscuits all the time. Here's my latest.

Bacon and pepper jack rolls up

Ingredients (makes 4 roll ups):

1/2 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
3 bacon rashers, cooked
2 slices pepper jack cheese
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp chives

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Lay out crescent rolls. Break apart pepper jack slices and crumble bacon, and distribute evenly on the wide side of each crescent roll. Roll each crescent roll up, tuck in the ends, place them on a baking sheet, and bake them for 13 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, heat butter until melted.
4. When crescent rolls are done cooking, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Brush each roll with the butter, and immediately sprinkle each one with chives. Serve warm.

Classic guacamole

I made a whole lot of guacamole on Cinco de Mayo, and it turned out really well! Super easy, and delicious. It was for a party, so I made a lot!

Classic guacamole

Ingredients (serves 8-10):
6 avocados
1 tomato
1/2 red onion
5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp cilantro
1 lime
Tortilla chips for dipping

1. Start with a big bowl, and add all ingredients to it as you go. Peel the avocados and remove the pits. Dice the onion and tomato. (I like to remove the wet parts of the tomato.) Mince the garlic gloves and cilantro, and finally, squeeze the juice from the lime.
2. Stir it all with a spoon to crush the avocado and mix everything together. (I used a potato masher to crush the avocado, and it worked great!)

Turkey pepperoni and mozzarella roll ups

Turkey pepperoni and mozzarella roll ups

Ingredients (makes 8 roll ups):

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
40 turkey pepperoni slices
4 mozzarella string cheese sticks
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp pizza seasoning

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Lay out crescent rolls. Cut string cheese sticks in half. Place 5 pieces of turkey pepperoni and 1/2 of a stick of string cheese on the wide end of each crescent, then roll the crescent roll up, tuck in the ends, place them on a baking sheet, and bake them for 13 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, heat butter until melted.
4. When crescent rolls are done cooking, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Brush each roll with the butter, and immediately sprinkle each one with pizza seasoning. Serve warm.

Turkey pepper jack roll ups

A snack for today...

Turkey pepper jack roll ups

Ingredients (makes 8 roll ups):

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
4 slices deli turkey
4 slices pepper jack cheese
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. Lay out crescent rolls. Fold and place 1/2 a slice of deli turkey and 1/2 a slice of pepper jack cheese on the wide end of each crescent, then roll the crescent roll up, tuck in the ends, place them on a baking sheet, and bake them for 13 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, heat butter until melted.
4. When crescent rolls are done cooking, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Brush each roll with the butter, and immediately sprinkle each one with poppy seeds. Serve warm.

Chile con queso

Chile con queso

Ingredients (serves 2-6):
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 cup pale ale (I use Sierra Nevada Pale Ale)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp flour
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 can Original Rotel (drained)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup green onions (sliced)
1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
Tortilla chips

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook 3-4 minutes.
2. Add beer, then 1 cup milk, and bring to a simmer.
3. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk with the flour in a bowl. Then add it the saucepan, and stir while it thickens, about 2 minutes.
4. Add cheese, and stir until it all melts.
5. Add the Rotel, lime juice, salt, chili pepper, and cayenne pepper, and mix in.
6. Serve into bowls, and garnish with green onions and cilantro. Serve with chips.

Asiago garlic knots

Asiago garlic knots

Ingredients (makes 5 knots):

1 small tube Pillsbury Grands Jr biscuits
Cooking spray
1/8 cup canola oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 dashes oregano
Dash of black pepper
3 tbsp asiago cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Top a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
2. Roll and stretch each biscuit into a long rope, then tie into a knot. Place on the baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes until golden.
3. In a bowl, mix oil, garlic, oregano, pepper, and asiago together.
4. When the biscuits have finished cooking, brush them generously with the mixture, and serve hot.

Brie and apple sandwich with garlic fries

Today's delicious dinner!

Brie and apple sandwich

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp rosemary
4 oz brie cheese
1/2 red apple
4 slices sourdough bread

1. In a bowl, combine butter, thyme, and rosemary. Slice the apple, and brie.
2. Sandwich the apple and brie between 2 slices of bread.
3. Over medium-heat, add 1/4 of the butter mixture to a skillet. Heat sandwiches one side at a time, adding butter mixture when flipping. Cover the skillet to help the cheese melt. Once the cheese melts and bread is toasted, remove from the skillet, slice, and serve.

In addition to the sandwiches, I used up the rest of the potato from this morning to make fries for the side.

Garlic fries

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 potato
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp parsley
Dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut potato into batons.
2. Cook potatoes with minced garlic in oil over medium-heat in a skillet until golden.
3. Place potatoes on a baking dish. Add a dash of salt, and finely chopped parsley. Heat for 10 minutes, then flip and heat for 10 more.

Ham and turkey club sandwich with sweet chili cheese dip and crackers

Today's lunch!

Ham and turkey club sandwich

Ingredients (serves 2):

4 slices wheat bread
1 tbsp mayonnaise
6 slices deli ham
4 slices cheddar cheese
6 slices deli turkey
8 slices turkey bacon
4 leaves lettuce

1. Cook bacon on a skillet until desired crispness, turning often. Toast bread slices.
2. Build sandwich from the bottom up: Bread, mayonnaise, ham, cheese, turkey, bacon, cheese, lettuce, bread.
3. Cut into quarters.

Sweet chili cheese dip

Ingredients:

2 tbsp plain cream cheese
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
Crackers

1. Spoon cream cheese into a small bowl.
2. Top with sweet chili sauce.
3. Serve with crackers.

Santa Fe tortellini with cheesy biscuits

Tonight's dinner!

Santa Fe tortellini

Ingredients (serves 2):

3 oz cheese tortellini
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 diced white onion
1/3 diced red bell pepper
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/3 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
1/8 cup crushed tortilla chips
Cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Boil water, and cook tortellini until tender, about 12 minutes, and drain. Meanwhile, add 1/2 tbsp olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Set vegetable mixture aside.
2. Change the heat to low heat, and using the same skillet, add 1/2 tbsp olive oil and flour, stirring constantly. Add milk, chicken broth, and cumin. Stir until smooth. Add vegetable mixture, tortellini, and 1/2 cup cheese to the skillet and stir.
4. Spray a Pyrex dish with cooking spray and add all of the pasta mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.
5. Add 1/4 cup cheese and tortilla chips on top, bake for 5 more minutes, and enjoy!



For a side, I made cheesy biscuits.

Cheesy biscuits

Ingredients (makes 5 biscuits):

Cooking spray
1 small container of Pillsbury Grands Jr biscuits
5/8 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tsp olive oil
Dash of salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pop open the biscuits, and flatten each one.
2. Add 1/8 cup mozzarella cheese to the center of each biscuit, then fold the biscuits up to seal all of the cheese in.
3. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray, and place the biscuits seam-side down.
3. Pour some olive oil in a small bowl with a dash of salt. Brush the top of the biscuits with the mixture.
4. Sprinkle the top of the biscuits with Italian seasoning and parmesan.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the biscuits are golden and firm.