Baked Chicken Taquitos – Two Ways

One of my friends had a beautiful baby boy (to match her adorable little girl ), and I wanted to bring some dinner so she could avoid cooking dinner when I went to see them.  However, I knew it couldn’t be anything spicy so I made two versions of these – one of us, the “original” recipe, and an altered version for them that I made up based on the original recipe that I took with some homemade mac and cheese!

It thankfully appeared to turn out well, because her two year old apparently loved them so she asked for the recipe.  We demolished our version, so overall I would say this recipe is a keeper.  I particularly love the idea of making some to freeze…if they would ever last long enough to do so!

 Baked Chicken Taquitos – The “Non-Spicy” Version

•  3 oz of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup of chicken, shredded
• 1/2 – 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• 1/4 cup salsa, mild
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
• 1/2 – 1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• Flour tortillas
• Cooking spray
• Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a cooking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients up to the flour tortillas together.  Place a couple tablespoons of the filling about an inch up from the bottom end of a  tortilla,  and roll it up as tightly as possible.

Place the rolled tortillas, seam side down on a baking sheet; you don’t want the taquitos to be touching each other.  Spray the top of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes or until the tops of the tortillas become golden brown.

Baked Chicken Taquitos – The “Original”

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
• Small flour or corn tortillas
• Kosher salt
• Cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic.  Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

At this point, you can refrigerate the mixture if  you’re doing these in advance.

If you’re using corn tortillas, working with a few tortillas at a time.  Heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze:  Before baking, chill the taquitos on the baking sheet in the fridge.  Once completely cooled, wrap each taquito individually with plastic wrap.  Place in a labeled freezer bag and freeze.  To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Our Best Bites; Recipe found at Pennies on a Platter

Dill Dip

I originally had this recipe somewhere around 1997 when my aunt served it at a graduation party for my cousin.  I don’t really have the recipe, but this is an alteration of how I’ve made it (probably 100+ times) since then.

Dill Dip

• 2/3 cup sour cream, reduced-fat works just fine
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise, again reduced-fat works fine
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp. dill weed
• 1 tsp. Beau Monde seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and chill to allow the flavors to meld.

I believe the original recipe came from a Williams-Sonoma catalog.

Rosemary Parmesan Pinwheels

I’ve made this appetizer several times, and I find it tasty and easy to throw together!  It’s probably not the last time these will be served at one our get-togethers.

Rosemary Parmesan Pinwheels

• 1 can (8 ounces) Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
• 1/2 cup cream cheese spread or brick, softened (I used light.)
• 1/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 tsp. fresh rosemary, snipped or 1 tsp. dried Rosemary

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Roll out dough into one rectangle. Press seams to seal.

Place cream cheese in a small bowl. Add Parmesan cheese and rosemary. Mix well to combine.  Spread mixture onto the dough out as close to the edges as possible.

Roll up the dough; pinch edges to seal. Cut crosswise into 24 slices using a serrated knife.  Place slices, cut side down, on a cookie sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to cooling rack. Serve warm.

Makes ~ 24 pinwheels

Source: Pampered Chef

Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

When I was putting together a menu for the party, I wanted a few appetizers that were more than just chips and/or dip related, so I ended up adding these to the southwest egg-rolls and pepperoni bread to help round out the line-up.  I’m glad I did!

I did have one thing I’d change…I would use a flavored/sturdier tortilla.  I find that the refrigerator plain ones I usually buy have a little bit of a softer texture, and I think I would have like the texture and flavor difference of a slightly firmer and flavored tortilla.

Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

• 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat.)
• 1 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1 small rotisserie chicken, skinned and shredded or ~12 oz. cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained
• 1 package tortillas, any flavor (Next time I would use a flavored tortilla versus plain)

Mix cream cheese and Mexican cheese together until well blended. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well.

Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla.  Spread to edges using a spatula or knife.

Roll and cut into slices.  Repeat until you run out of filling!

Recipe found at Delicious Meliscious

The Birthday/Halloween Party Extravaganza

This year the weekend following Corrie’s birthday was “Halloween weekend”.  So, since we have been doing so much travel, and Corrie requested to stay home for his birthday, I held a combination birthday/Halloween party at our house.

So, although it’s a little late for Halloween recipes, most of these are either not Halloween themed or could be adapted to any holiday!  Here’s what’s on tap for the next couple posts with the exception of the ones already featured here before!

Appetizers

• Rosemary Parmesan Pinwheels
• Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups
• Baked Southwest Eggrolls
• Pepperoni Bread
• Veggies and Dill Dip
• And a few explanations needed like chips and salsa and assorted cheeses with crackers

Desserts

• Candy Corn Cupcakes
• Grasshopper Cupcakes (The birthday boy’s request.)
• Halloween Bark
• Oreo Truffles
• Cutout Cookies

Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

We had friends coming to visit, and since they were arriving between lunch and dinner, I wanted to have a light snack available in case they were hungry!  Corrie and I definitely enjoyed these.  They were an easy appetizer to put together, and they will certainly make a repeat appearance…probably at a birthday/Halloween party for Corrie later in the month in fact!

Also, I think the idea lends itself to a number of variations.  These are vegetarian, but you could easily add chicken or do a beef or pork filling, or go the pizza-themed route.  Options!  I love options.  Generally, I need to know what all of them are before I can make a decision.

Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (get as much water out as possible!)
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except for the the egg roll wrappers until blended.  On your work surface, place an egg roll wrapper so that one corner is facing towards you (like a diamond shape).  Put a full ¼ cup of the filling in the center.  Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center like a burrito!  Then lightly brush a little bit of water or beaten egg on the remaining free corner and finish rolling to seal.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, and put the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down.  Spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking.

Serve warm with salsa.

Source: Found at Annie’s Eats; adapted from Ezra Pound Cake

Addicting Pepperoni Bread

Don’t even try to act like you weren’t warned.  Growing up my two favorite pepperoni breads came from La Puma bakery and one from a local bakery that Heinen’s (ah, momentary sigh of sadness for not having have access to Heinen’s…okay…done) sold.  I love pepperoni bread, but only with cheese in it (DUH!).   So, I decided to make up my own according to my tastes.  Although I’m sure this would be even more delicious with homemade dough, we had no trouble mowing through these two loafs in an embarrassingly short amount of time.

I didn’t measure, but here are a few estimates…obviously increasing the cheese amounts will only serve to make this MORE DELICIOUS!

Pepperoni Bread

• 3 1/2 cups Mozzerella Cheese, shredded and divided
• 3/4 cup Asiago Cheese, shredded and divided
• 3/4 cup of Parmesan, grated and divided + 1/4 cup, reserved
• 8-10 oz. of Sandwich Pepperoni (I found it near the deli, so that’s what I used!)
• 2 loaves Frozen bread/pizza dough or homemade
• Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder, divided
• 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning, divided

Defrost bread dough following manufacturer’s instructions.  (All cooking times and temperatures I’m going to refer to the original manufacturers’ recipes or to your bread dough recipe, because no two brands/recipes are exactly the same.)

Preheat over per bread dough manufacturer’s instructions.  Line baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Roll out dough into a large rectangle.  Then, lightly brush the dough with olive oil, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides.  Sprinkle dough with half of the garlic powder and half of the italian seasoning (or as much as you want).  Then lay the pepperoni down so that each piece slightly overlaps.  Cover evenly with mozzerella, asiago, and parmesan.  Roll up dough, and pinch the seams to seal.

Place seamside down on the baking dish, and repeat for the second loaf.  Brush the top of each loaf with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with reserved parmesan cheese.

Bake according to bread dough instructions until golden brown and delicious!

Pizza Bites

When we had friends come to visit (YAY!), I wanted to have something for us to snack on before dinner.  The great thing about this appetizer is that you could change the filling based on whatever you like or have on hand!  I didn’t make any changes to this recipe, so the original is below, although I think I might try stuffing even more toppings in them next time.

Pizza Bites

• ½ batch pizza dough (enough for 1 pizza)
• 4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 20-24 pieces)
• Sliced pepperoni
• Olive oil
• Italian seasoning
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan.

Divide the pizza dough into 20-24 roughly equal sized pieces.  Take one of the dough pieces, top with a cube of cheese and a slice or two of pepperoni.  Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed.  Place seam-side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil.  Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.  Serve warm, with dipping sauce as desired.

Source: Annie’s Eats inspired by Chaos in the Kitchen

National Championship Layer Dip

This dip is perfect for parties and has been my “go-to” item that I take with me to people’s houses for football viewing.    Football is pretty much the primary sport across the state of Ohio, so growing up in Cleveland, between the Browns (heartbreak), Ohio State, and various high school; it’s kind of a big deal!  I’m 99% sure I first made this dip to take with me to my now in-laws house to watch the 2002 National Championship game (GO BUCKS!), and since my husband is a BIG fan, and I think it’s pretty darn tasty it’s stuck around since then.

This dip was made out of the “layers” I liked in the various Mexican inspired layer dips you can find anywhere.  It consists of, starting from the bottom: Guacamole, Sour Cream with Taco Seasoning, Salsa, Green Peppers, and Cheese.  YUM!!!!  You could adapt it to add in anything else you like; for example, I’ve made it with half black olives for my mom, refried beans for my brother…I think you get the idea.

Taco Layer Dip

This dip can be made with several variations with whatever you have on hand.  I’ve used store-bought guacamole, avocados and a guacamole seasoning packet, or made my own.  The same goes for the salsa where I’ve used store-bought, jarred, or made my own.  One note is that you don’t want the salsa to be too runny as most of the “fresh” salsas are, so make sure to drain off the liquid before you add it.  If you had other color bell peppers on hand you could certainly substitute them for the green pepper.  Also, for the cheese, you can use a Mexican shredded blend or some combination of what you have on hand.

• Guacamole – I’ll post a homemade recipe soon.
• 1 – 8 oz. container of sour cream
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• Salsa
• 3/4 of a green pepper, diced and blotted dry
• 1 1/2 c.  Mexican cheese, shredded

Evenly spread the guacamole in your serving dish.  Combine until the sour cream and taco seasoning together until well-blended and spread over the guacamole layer. Then layer the salsa on top of sour cream layer and spread the green peppers in an even layer over the salsa.  Cover the top with cheese.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Garlic Bread, A Cookout, And A New Server

We had talked about having a cookout with our trivia TN friends for quite some time, and last Saturday we finally had liftoff.  It was perfect timing, because our new bar server was delivered on Monday, so it was a perfect chance to break it in.  Obviously I’m super excited about having a organization/serving piece…two of my favorite things; I think I’ve already established that I’m a weird bird.  Next time I’ll get a picture of it.

Anyways,  in typical fashion I made too much of everything, I mean really, waaaaaaaaaaay too much food like enough for 18 people instead of 6…whoops?

Since it came together last minute I just made simple things like pasta salad, potato salad, and homemade garlic bread for sides.  My signature “star” layer dip to munch on; I always seem to make it in one of my star Chantal dishes, and Snickers cheesecake for dessert.

I think the boys enjoyed it since they’ve started planning next one, so good times were had by all.  Since we had steak and chicken, I thought garlic bread would pair nicely; however, I usually think a number of the frozen ones have so much butter they’re not crunchy, more like you can wring the butter out of them so I decided to make my own.

Super simple, and I don’t really know how much I used of anything as I ended up making two batches, but here’s an approximate guess.

Garlic Bread (updated 10/10/09 with a new, preferred cooking method!)

• 1 loaf of French bread/baguette
• 8 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.    Split the bread in half horizontally.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and spread evenly.  Place the bread on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.  If you want any further browning, you can use your broiler.