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?

Brie en Croute, is there any other way to enjoy Brie?

Treat your Super Bowl guests well next Sunday. Serve them this elegant dish, and they'll be cheering for the Broncos in cultured tones.

This is SO EASY (but don't tell your friends - make them think you've been slaving over a hot stove all day, like in those Rice Krispie Treats commercials!)

Brie en Croute

Ingredients:

Puff pastry (use the other half of the package you bought for last week's mini pies)
One round of Brie, either 1 pound or ½ pound, depending on how many people you’re serving
Flaked parsley
One egg beaten with one tablespoon water

Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature for 30 minutes. Unfold one of the pastry sheets, and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut off the corners to make a circle, and roll out until it’s about twice as big around as your cheese.

Sprinkle parsley in the center of your circle, and then lay your cheese on top of the parsley.

Fold the edges of the pastry into the center of the cheese, pressing to seal.

Turn the pastry/cheese bundle over and place on a cookie sheet lined with baking parchment. Brush with egg wash. If you wish, you can cut decorative shapes out of the remaining pastry and stick onto the round, and brush with the egg wash again.


Bake for 20 minutes at 400°, or until golden brown. Cut open the top, and serve with crackers.

Some of you may remember this recipe - I shared it during the Seekerville New Year's Bash. But it's just as good now as it was then!

And you don't have to have a party to enjoy this. Take it to a church dinner, or a brunch with friends.

Heck, make one for just you. Isn't there something you need to celebrate?

And before you go, I have another video for you. This guy makes me chuckle :)

Crunchy Cereal Mix and Broncos Football

Sorry, everyone. Christmas has temporarily been preempted.

Why?

FOOTBALL!!!!!

Peyton Manning and the Broncos clinched the division title Sunday afternoon, AND Peyton Manning broke the NFL record for the number of touchdown passes thrown in a season!

CLICK HERE to watch Peyton Manning throw all 51 touchdown passes from this season - and be sure to notice what this classy guy says about the record.

It was an exciting game on Sunday afternoon...but even though Christmas was forgotten for about three hours and fifteen minutes, the Christmas baking went on.

I opted to make a batch of cereal mix - aka "Chex Mix" - while I watched the game. That way, if I really got caught up in watching Knowshon Moreno make another stellar run with the ball, the mix would still turn out fine.

This recipe is one for frazzled, distracted, or otherwise-employed cooks.

Easy-peasy! Even if you have to stop to watch Eric Decker catch another Peyton-pass.

Jan's Christmas Cereal Mix

Ingredients:

2 boxes of cereal, approximately 14 oz. each
    I use Great Value corn and rice cereal, but you can use your choice - just nothing presweetened
3 cups pretzels
1 cup mixed nuts
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Preheat your oven to 250°. Dump the cereals, pretzels and nuts into the largest pan you own. I use my roaster.

Melt the butter in a pan on top of your stove (or you can nuke it in your microwave). Once it's completely melted, stir in the rest of the ingredients (garlic and onion powders, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce).

Pour the liquid over your cereal mix and stir, stir, stir.

Put the mix in your oven. Wait 15 minutes (and catch some more of the game - did Peyton Manning just throw another pass to Julius Thomas?). 

After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven. Stir, stir, stir again. Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes. 

Go watch Matt Prater kick a field goal. (Did you know Matt Prater holds the NFL field goal record? 64 yards!!!!)

Do this four times (or five - you might lose track when the Broncos score another touchdown).

After a total of an hour or so, take the pan out of the oven and let the mix cool - stirring a few times during the cooling process.

Store the cooled mix in bags, containers, or covered bowls...and out of reach of the boys!

One of the great things about this mix is that you can make it with any combination of ingredients.

Don't like nuts? Leave them out!

Are you a Cheerios fan? Add them in!

Dried Cranberries? They're a great addition - after the cooking process!

What's your favorite way to make this time-tested treat?

And don't forget to watch the Broncos play the Oakland Raiders next week! 

You can even snooze through the game like Wynter does..... 

Cheesy Pull-Apart Party Bread

Jan here, not quite able to believe that it's August already!

Around here, that means four things:

1) School starts soon, which means the tourist season is winding down.

2) VBS is over for the year! We had a great week last week, but I'm ready to get back to writing :)

3) This is Rally Week - the 73rd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Let's talk about Rally Week for a minute before we go on to #4.

It should really be written RALLY WEEK!!!!!

It's an absolutely CRAZY time of year. I've lived in a lot of different places, but nothing - - nothing - - compares to the Sturgis Rally.

In case you're not familiar with this RALLY I'm talking about, here's a short video that will introduce you: 2012 Sturgis Rally

Last year, the Rally had an estimated attendance of 500,000. All those people lived, ate, slept, partied and biked within 30 miles of my house.

Between 50,000 and 60,000 of them visited Mt. Rushmore each day. There were 43 marriage licenses issued (compared to 197 in 2000 - the 60th Rally), nearly 500 arrests with 451 people jailed, 351 emergency room visits (in Sturgis - many go straight to Rapid City), and 9 Rally related traffic deaths.

And yes, the notorious gangs show up. But so do the police. There hasn't been too much gang related violence in recent years.

Some people complain about the noise, dangerous traffic and (ahem) optional clothing for the female attendees (although that's been restricted to Sturgis in recent years) (and body paint is a big seller, I hear....), but most of us enjoy the craziness for ten days because of all the benefits. Rally Week pays the bills.

And then, next week, they all go home.

And that brings us to #4: FOOTBALL!

I wasn't a football fan until we moved here. Oh, I liked to watch the Super Bowl when I was younger, but football wasn't a big deal. Then this guy came along:

Tim Tebow is so much fun to watch, isn't he? And even though he's wearing a different color jersey these days, I watch him when I can.

But then last year Denver signed on Peyton Manning. I never get tired of watching this guy play.

Last year I realized the reason why I love watching this team play so much - it's leadership. The same reason why I like to watch Gibbs on NCIS. The same reason why I love John Wayne movies. The same reason why I got teary-eyed when my sons earned their Boy Scout Eagle ranks.

We don't see much leadership anymore. People think they don't need leaders, I guess. But we do. And that's why I love a good football game.

But when you watch football, you've got to have snacks, right? And the football pre-season starts THIS WEEK! The Bronco's first pre-season game is against the 49'ers on Thursday, August 8!

I tried this munchie to get ready for the big day:

Cheesy Pull-Apart Party Bread

Ingredients:

1 round loaf unsliced Sourdough Bread

8-12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese 

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Cut the bread crosswise into 1-inch slices - but not all the way through. Stop about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the loaf. Repeat the cuts in the opposites direction.

Cut the cheese into 1/4" slices and stick them into the cuts in the bread. You can also use shredded cheese, but make sure the cheese gets all the way down to the bottom.

In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, sliced green onions, and garlic powder. Drizzle this over the bread.

Wrap the loaf in foil - I put two pieces of foil together to make a square large enough to wrap the loaf in. Place it on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Pull the top of the foil apart and away from the loaf and bake it for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.

Remove the loaf from the foil, put it on a plate, and enjoy! I had my share for Sunday night supper, and oh! was it good! All cheesy - oniony - melty!

And, of course, what Monday would be complete without a gratuitous puppy picture or two? Thatcher is 18 weeks old now, and learning tons of stuff at puppy preschool.

Before you go, though, be sure to tell us what your favorite game-day treat is!