Chicken Enchilada Roll-ups

Sadly I forgot to take a picture of these... but I made them for our annual holiday get together last month. These are SOOOOOO good! I will definitely be making them again the first chance I get. Thanks Macaroni & Cheesecake (originally from Cook Like a Champion).

INGREDIENTS

* 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
* 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 large can chunk white chicken breast, shredded (I baked a few chicken breasts and used those instead... I can't stand canned chicken!)
* 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
* 4 green onions, chopped (omitted)
* 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes (omitted)
* 1 package jalapeno cheddar tortillas (I used jalapeno cilantro flavor)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix cheeses together until well blended.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla.-Spread to edges using a metal spatula.
4. Roll and cut into slices.

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

I made these as an appetizer on Thanksgiving and they were a big hit! These are a nice twist to your typical deviled eggs... plus obviously bacon makes everything just a little bit better! From allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

* 12 eggs
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 4 slices bacon (I just used real bacon pieces from the bag... much easier!)
* 2 tablespoons finely shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 tablespoon mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. (Ummm please heat for longer than 12 minutes... I did my first batch for like 15 minutes and when I peeled my first egg, it was still runny! So I started over and let them sit in the hot water for about 22 minutes instead. Much better. Nobody likes runny hard boiled eggs.)

2. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
3. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.
4. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

This dip was great and tasted JUST like jalapeno poppers! Be sure to make a lot because it will likely get devoured! Recipe from allrecipes.com

Ingredients (serves 32)

* 16 oz cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
* 1 cup mayonnaise (I used light)
* 4 oz can chopped green chilies, drained
* 2 oz canned diced jalapeno peppers, drained
* 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used italian mix)

Directions

1. Stir together cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl until smooth.

2. Stir in green chiles and jalapeno peppers.

3. Pour mixture into a microwave safe serving dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Microwave on high until hot, about 3 minutes.

5. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Note: If you would like to brown the cheese, bake at 375 degrees for ~30 minutes.

Asparagus Roll-Ups

I have to give (most) credit to Molly of MyHappyMeals... I told her today that I had bought some asparagus and asked her what I should do with it. She started telling me about this Rachael Ray recipe using crescents and cheese spread... of course I was instantly intrigued since crescents and cheese are some of my favorite foods! She eventually found Rachael's recipe online and linked me to it... and I knew that I just had to make this for dinner tonight.

This recipe was SO good! I have to admit that this was my first time ever buying asparagus and eating it at home... but this was so yummy that I'm sure I'll be making it over and over again! Enjoy!

PS ~ I halved Rachael's recipe so that I didn't have too much food (since Keith doesn't eat veggies). Halved recipe is below.

Ingredients

* 1 sheet Pillsbury Recipe Creations (crescent sheet without the cuts)

* Appx 3 oz. soft herbed cheese (I used Rondele Pub Cheese: Garlic and Herbs)

* 6-7 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Unroll sheet of dough onto flat surface and spread cheese all over.
3. Cut sheet of dough into 6-7 strips, appx 1"x9"

4. Starting on the diagonal, roll up each of the asparagus spears with a strip of dough in a spiral shape. Make sure to leave a little of the tip at the end of the asparagus sticking out on each end.

5. Transfer dough-wrapped spears to a parchment lined or greased bakign sheet. Bake until golden brown and puffed, appx 12-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Crack Dip (Buffalo Chicken Dip)

This dip is sooooooo sooooooo good. We made it as an app for Thanksgiving. The recipe makes A TON, so we took the leftovers to my husband's family's house and we ended up re-heating it for a late snack while playing poker. Everyone loved it!

Ingredients

* 16 oz cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)

* 12 oz Frank's buffalo sauce

* 8 oz Ranch dressing

* 4 cups cooked, shredded chicken

* 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we used Mexican blend)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese, dressing, and buffalo sauce until well blended. Add shredded chicken and mix well.

3. Spread into a glass baking dish. Top with cheese.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. (After baking, I transferred the dip into a small crockpot to keep it warm.)

5. Serve warm with tortilla chips (scoops!) and celery.

6. Devour! Remember to breathe!!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

I made these as an appetizer for Thanksgiving and they were soooooo freaking good!! Thanks to Pioneer Woman for the recipe!!

Ingredients

* Fresh jalapenos 2-3 inches in size

* Cream cheese (softened)

* Thin, regular bacon, sliced into thirds

Directions

1. Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise.

2. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane (the source of the heat; leave a little if you like things HOT.)

3. Smear softened cream cheese into each jalapeno half.

4. Wrap jalapenos with bacon piece.

5. Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.

6. Bake on pan with a rack at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes (mine took almost 30 min). You don't want the bacon to shrink so much that it starts to squeeze the jalapeno. If after 20 minutes the bacon doesn't look brown enough, turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. These are best when the jalapeno still has a bit of a bite to it.

7. Serve immediately, or they're great at room temperature too.