Tortilla Roll-up with Spicy Shredded Chicken

Who says a yummy appetizer can't be the main course for dinner?! Not me! I whipped up this party pleaser appetizer last night for dinner and it was delicious! Spicy"ish" chicken and a cream cheese mixture all rolled up in a flour tortilla...Yum! We have left-overs too, which have made a great snack last night and lunch for today!! I grabbed this recipe from a cute "homemade" blog titled, Homemade by Holman. I love the recipes on here, though I haven't gone through them all, but I'm working my way through her blog day by day! This dish can be taken to a party as finger foods, or you can do what we did, and pair with some chips and salsa and have it for dinner! Once again, it's easy to make and will leave you with no regrets! So let's get started!

Ingredients
1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Rotel (drained)
12 oz cream cheese
1 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
6 green onions
6-8 large tortillas

Her recipe starts by saying that you coat the chicken breasts in salt, half of the cumin (1/2 tsp), and one teaspoon of the chili powder! I took the "salt" to be the garlic salt instead of regular salt. I'm not sure if this is what she was meaning, but it tasted great so that's how I'll do it next time I make it! Once you have your pieces of chicken coated, add the chicken to a large skillet with one cup of water (you can add more water if needed), and cook on high/medium until the chicken is cooked through. I continued to turn the chicken so it would cook evenly and I think I left it on the stove about 8-10 minutes.

I love spices!! I love spice cabinets and the way they smell when you open them! Yum!

Spicing up the chicken 

Cooking in the skillet

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the skillet and let it cool slightly before taking two forks, and shredding the chicken!

Shredded chicken

While the chicken is cooling is a good time to get the cream cheese spread mixed together. In a large bowl you're going to mix together, the cream cheese, drained rotel, cheddar cheese, and all the remaining spices with the green onion! Mix together thoroughly!  

Pre-mix spread

Once the spread is mixed together and the chicken is shredded, throw the shredded chicken in with spread and mix everything together. Divide the chicken mix evenly over 6-8 tortillas and spread out thin, making sure the edges of the tortilla remain clear! Roll each tortilla up tightly (not like a burrito...leave the ends open), and cut them into once inch sections. Place them on a serving plate, cover them and place them in a fridge until you're ready to eat! It's easy as a dinner, snack, or party dish...you choose! 

Finished and ready to eat!

I ate one tortilla dipped in salsa, and was satisfied the rest of the evening (until I wanted a snack so I grabbed a couple more from the fridge) lol!! Stay tuned for another Pinterest project in the next couple of days, a wonderful breakfast from Game and Garden, and an update on my reading and photo a day challenge!! In the meantime, I want to wish my mom and huge HAPPY BIRTHDAY today! 

Always having fun in my family! Never a time without laughter and hilarious shenanigans!

Until next time...

~Happy Eating~

Mexican Stuffed Jumbo Pasta Shells

Hola! We made Mexican stuffed shells the other evening and they were so delicious! I'm going to share these flavor packed pasta shells with you because, I like you and because when you eat these scrumptious shells it is like a pinata of "goodie" flavor in your mouth!! You won't want to stop eating and may break out in a little happy dance when you're done!

 

Cook to this and you'll be in the fiesta mood in no time!

So, I found the recipe at The Way To His Heart which is a brilliant title and perfect for us because Dee Jay loves his food (as do I) and one way to his heart is through my cooking! Ya'll are going to laugh (or get tired) of me saying this, but again I used ground venison! Hey, when your man goes off hunting and brings home deer for you, you pretty much are guaranteed to have meat in your freezer for a VERY long time! You can use ground beef or turkey, whichever you prefer. So with all that being said and your music playing in the background like I know it is ;) here is how you make it...

You will start with one pound of ground beef which you will cook and drain. Throw it back into the skillet and add two tablespoons of taco seasoning and one cup of water (I made my own taco seasoning via her website link which I will give you ingredients for below). Stir this all around and then add 4 oz of cream cheese, cover, simmer and let the cheese melt. 

While you have that going go ahead and put 14-16 (I recommend at least 16 because I broke a couple of mine) jumbo pasta shells into boiling water and cook! (NOTE: I did not cook my shells long enough for them to get super soft. I left them a tiny bit harder so they wouldn't fall apart). When your cream cheese mixture is melted in the skillet remove the skillet away from the heat and let this mixture cool completely. 

Now, when your shells are done cooking, go ahead and drain them and lay them out on a cutting board or flat surface where they won't stick! In a 9x13 pan you are going to pour 1 1/2 cups of salsa into the bottom of the pan. Then CAREFULLY stuff each shell with about two teaspoons of the meat/cream cheese mixture. Place the stuffed shell on top of the salsa in the pan open side up. When all the shells are lined up in pretty little rows you are going to pour one cup of taco sauce over the shells and cover the pan with foil.

 

Place in a 350 degree pre-heated oven and cook for 30 minutes. Once your timer has gone off, CAREFULLY remove the foil and sprinkle one cup of cheddar cheese and one cup of monterey jack cheese. Place the pan back in the oven (uncovered this time) and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes more (I think I went with 12 minutes). During the last few minutes go ahead and chop up some green onions, get out some jalapenos, and or black olives (I wish I had the black olives but we didn't) and whatever else you would like to serve it up with. When they are finally out of the oven and cooled down a bit, plop a dollop of sour cream on top and serve it up and garnish it with goodies!! Sit back and enjoy the flavors!! YUM

 ~Happy Eating~

The Way to His Heart Mexican Stuffed Shells

1 lb. ground beef
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce (This is a smooth, tomato based sauce found in the Mexican section)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook your beef and drain. Add seasoning and one cup of water. Add cream cheese then cover the skillet and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend it well and take it off the heat and let it cool completely. 

Cook the pasta-drain and set shells out on a cutting board

Pour salsa on bottom of a 9x13 pan. Stuff each shell with meat mixture and place the shells open side up on top of the salsa. Cover them with taco sauce, cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Add shredded cheese and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Add green onion (and whatever else you like) and sour cream. Serve and ENJOY

TACO SEASONING 

The Way to His Heart 

4 Tbsp Chili Powder
3 Tbsp plus 1tsp paprika
3 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

COMBINE (For one pound of meat you will use two heaping tablespoons of seasoning and one cup of water)!