Monday, January 18, 2016

Chipotle Cheese Roll Ups

The Cloud Peak Wilderness Area, Big Horn Mountains,
Wyoming
Sometimes I feel like Bilbo Baggins, longing to see mountains again.

It's the middle of winter here in the Black Hills of South Dakota, but a winter with a sense of humor. We've had lovely days in the 40's during the week, and I start thinking of a trip up into the Hills on Saturday...but then a cold front with snow blows in, and by Saturday no one is driving anywhere that they don't have to.

And then the next week it happens all over again!

So I'm getting a little bit of cabin fever, and longing for sights like this one.

But there are a few bright spots to make the winter go by. For one thing, in a few weeks we'll be knee-deep in cowboys!


Big ones and little ones all come to the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo. Always a fun time!

And then, of course, there's football. There were some great playoff games over the weekend, and next weekend promises to be just as exciting!

I can say that because my team won this weekend (Go Broncos!).  :)

So it's time for game-day snacks.

This recipe is a blend of ideas I found on line - -

Chipotle Cheese Roll Ups

The filling is the key part of this recipe!
ingredients:


8 oz cream cheese, softened
2-4 Tablespoons chipotle-ranch salad dressing
2 teaspoons dried minced onions
1 can Chicken Breast, shredded
1 cup shredded cheese - taco blend, cheddar, colby-jack, or whatever sounds good to you
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano

Mix all of the ingredients together until you get a fairly smooth cheesy/chickeny concoction.


The ingredients I used makes a fairly mild spicy filling. If you want a little more heat, add some chili powder, or a can of green chilies, or whatever sounds good to you! I have one son who would dice up a jalapeno pepper and add it in.

Spread the filling on a flour tortilla, about 3/8" thick.


Notice that I laid the tortilla on top of a piece of plastic wrap before spreading the filling on. You'll thank me for this tip in a minute.


Roll up the tortilla, and then roll the tortilla in the plastic wrap.

(See? You're thanking me now!)

Refrigerate the rolls for at least an hour, then unwrap the rolls, slice and enjoy!


Another variation I'd like to try is to use puff pastry sheets or Pillsbury Crescent Rounds instead of tortillas, and then slice and bake them.  According to a recipe I saw on Pinterest, you would bake them for 12-15 minutes at 375°.

Another great use for this filling is as a spread for crackers or celery. Delicious!

So, let's chat. Are you ready for Superbowl 50? Or do you ignore the whole football thing?

22 comments:

  1. Funny, I was just moaning about football take over the world while I made breakfast this morning. :-) Seriously, how long does this go on for? I thought the big important game was the Rose Bowl? But the footballers are still playing while the hockey is at its peak and pretty soon baseball will start hogging airtime as well. What's a figure skating fan to do? If only they gave that much coverage to that sport! Though Canadian Nationals is due to start soon and they better not bump coverage of that in favour of football or hockey. Bah!

    I may not add chicken to mine roll-up, but what a clever idea of refrigerating and then slicing. So elegant! I could do that with different veggie fillings -- egg salad or chickpea salad or...well tons of possibilities. So thanks for the tip.

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    1. You're so right about football taking over the world! And then there's college football, which is a slightly different animal than pro-football.

      The big games for college football are the bowl games - somewhere in that cupboard full of "bowls", a winning team fights its way to the top.

      In the NFL (National Football League), though, you have a season of games that lasts through the fall, then the play-offs start, culminating in the Super Bowl in early February.

      So yes, football every day and every way...until February.

      But I'm sure you noticed that figure skating coverage increases when we get close to the winter Olympics. This year is definitely an off year for skating. :(

      And what a great idea to substitute chick peas or eggs for the chicken! The egg salad might be a little loose to work in the roll-up, but the chick peas would provide just the right texture.

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    2. Kav, I feel that way about hockey. Those poor players can't have more than a month of downtime in a year. Eesh.

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    3. Thanks for that football 101 -- now I understand, though I'm still miffed. :-) And yes, the powers that be always seem keener to cover figure skating more right before the Olympics. I'll take whatever I can get this year though.

      And Mindy, there is something very wrong when hockey playoffs are still going on in June. They have to streamline the process some how.

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  2. Jan, I always look forward to the Super Bowl, no matter who's playing (hoping the Broncos make it this year). Why? Because it's an opportunity for a party. Or at least party food. Oh, and I also look forward to the commercials. The only time I EVER like commercials.

    I can't wait to try this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BTW, I think this has been a strange winter everywhere. We have yet to any wintry precip, and even if we did, the warm temps we've had would prevent anything from sticking/freezing. Perhaps it's a reprieve after last year's inundation of epic snow storms last year. ;)

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    2. Weather definitely goes in cycles! We're having enough snow that I don't think we're in danger of a drought year, and the temps this weekend were COLD! It's 10° at 9:00 am, and this is the warm up to mild temperatures mid-week.

      And I love those Super Bowl commercials. Especially the Budweiser ones - although they don't tempt me to drink their product. :)

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  3. Hi Jan, gorgeous view of Cloud Peak Wilderness area. And the cowboy is precious.

    The insides of your roll up sounds like the chicken wing dip we made last month. so yummy and its always fun to find another way to serve it. Very handy. I'm going to a Mama Mia pajama party tonight and think I'll make these.

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  4. Reading your comments about football. I love the Superbowl because it is the BEST time to go shopping. NO ONE is on the highway nor in the stores.

    Its also a good time to write if you don't have to shop. No one bothers you. chuckle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right, Sandra. No one is out and about during the Super Bowl!

      At home it's a bit different, though. I'm the only one in the family who likes football, so writing time would be impossible. :)

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    2. Sandra shops during the Super Bowl????

      And misses the crazy, and the superbowl FOOD???? It's all about the food and the cute dog and horse commercials, isn't it???? :)

      Super Bowl menus are so fun, but I do wish it was on Saturday. Doing it on Sunday messes up so many productive Mondays for folks!

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  5. We always watch the game! And we used to have a party ever year, but then our kids and our friends' kid got involved in youth group--which included a Super Bowl party. So our party at home fizzled. But I'll be watching with hubby this year.

    I love the sound of this spread! I'd love it with celery. Or would heat the tortilla in a skillet to melt the cheese.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was supposed to say EVERY year. :)

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    2. I've never had a Super Bowl party, but one church we went to had a party and chili cook-off every year.

      These days, I have my needle work and a snack, and enjoy the game. The rest of the family shows up to watch a commercial once in a while!

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  6. Ah, yes, playoff time. It means extra reading/writing time for me because hubby cannot handle anyone in the room with him while he's watching his Patriots.

    I don't have to cook anything either. Game Day snacks? Not a chance. The only things he nibbles on while there's a game on are his nails. Not really, but definitely NO food until the game is over.

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  7. Oh, and we're getting the cold today. We had snow yesterday. Temps are in the 20s, but when it's been in the 50s all along (and 70 on Christmas) 20 feels much colder than it normally would in January because we've had no time for our bodies to adjust.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Cate, no! Tell me it isn't so! Your hubby is a Patriots fan???

      Sigh. I guess we can still be friends, right? LOL!

      But your hubby doesn't munch during the game? That is definitely a healthy habit!

      Enjoy getting acclimated to the winter weather. :/

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  8. I think I would love this on the crescents. There's something so FANCY about those tubes of crescents, LOL! And I bet the family would love this, too, Jan.

    I believe I meant to come out there and see this rodeo/cowboy gathering, didn't I? And they had rodeo at Madison Square Garden this past weekend.... and trucked in an acre of dirt for the floor!!!!!

    AMAZING!

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    Replies
    1. Right? I saw that and sort of wished I'd gone. Too late.

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    2. They trucked dirt in to Madison Square Garden. Phenomenal. Dirt.

      You have to come here one of these years, Ruthy. Cowboys, cowboys, cowboys! And a ton of western culture thrown in.

      I bought cowboy boots for myself last year. This year I'm thinking about a coat my hubby has had his eye on for the last three years... (don't tell him, though!)

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