Memorial Day Blueberry Pie

Memorial Day for most people signals the beginning of Summer, and I am no exception.  While most of you celebrated by soaking up the sun, sipping on cold beverages, and eating barbecue, I was sitting inside my tiny apartment. 

Before you feel sorry for me, though, you should know that I only wanted two things to help me celebrate the beginning of summer:

I wanted an air conditioner and I wanted blueberry pie.

I wanted to eat blueberry pie while enjoying my air conditioned apartment.

You can see why staying indoors actually was a celebration.  And anyway, I wasn't inside the whole time. Someone had to go get my air conditioner!

Saturday we went on an excursion south of Boston to Lowe's where I found the most perfect air-conditioner at an even more perfect price.  It was exactly what I needed, and I was in and out of Lowe's in under 30 minutes, which to me, is my kind of hardware store trip.  Since the A/C was the only thing on our list that day, we spent the rest of the afternoon driving up and down the South Shore with the sun-roof open and the windows down, enjoying the salty air and admiring the beaches.  We ended up at the Hingham Shipyards where we leisurely strolled in and out of shops and along the boat docks.  The weather was perfect, so we stopped for an early dinner and drinks at Hingham Beer Works.  It was a really lovely Saturday.

And I got an air conditioner!  So, bonus.

Last night, while enjoying my cool, comfortable apartment, I made appetizers, salad, chicken and potatoes for dinner; my indoor, non-barbecue version of a Memorial day cook-out.  When we finished eating we were both way too stuffed to even think about dessert, but I couldn't get the blueberry pie out of my mind.  It was calling to me.  Plus, I had a list to take care of!  At 10 o'clock I started making my blueberry pie.  I believe K's exact words were, "Are you seriously still cooking?"  What can I say, the air-conditioned air energized me.

Let's make pie!

For the filling, I combined 5 cups of fresh blueberries, some flour, some sugar, half of a stick of butter, a little salt, some lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl.  I mixed it all together then added 13 ounces of blueberry jam and mixed again. 

I used Pillsbury pie crust because I just don't have the patience or strength to worry about my ineptitude at pie crust.  Some day I will learn to make the perfect, buttery, flaky crust, but last night at 10 o'clock was neither the time, nor the place.  I know my strengths, and pie crust ain't one of them.

I rolled out one piece of the dough and laid it in my buttered pie pan, then spooned the filling over the dough.

 Then I carefully placed the other piece of dough on top of the filling and tucked it under the bottom piece.(Pillsbury pie crust comes in two perfectly rolled pieces so all you have to do us unroll them carefully and you're ready to go!)  I poked some holes in the top so the pie wouldn't explode in my oven* then baked for about 45 minutes.

*The pie did not explode per se, but the filling did leak out of the sides of it, making a gooey, sticky mess in my oven.  I'd advise you to put the pie pan on a baking sheet so you don't have to clean a sticky oven, like me.

I let the pie cool overnight and this morning I woke up to a perfectly formed, beautiful blueberry pie.  The inside isn't as firm as I would have liked, and next time I probably will cut back on the amount of jam I use, but the taste was phenomenal.

I got my air conditioner, and I got my blueberry pie.  Memorial day for me was pretty dang awesome.

Here's the recipe!

Blueberry Pie (adapted from Popular Plates Magazine)

1 package Pillsbury pie crust, or if you're a rock star pastry chef, use your favorite pie crust rolled out and divided into two equal parts.  And then please send me your favorite pie crust recipe.  And then please teach me how to make it.  Pretty please.
5 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
1 cup sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
13 ounces of blueberry jam (or less, depending on how you like the consistency of your pie)

Preheat the oven to 425 and generously butter a pie pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the blueberries, flour, butter, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Add the blueberry jam and mix well.

Keep the dough in the refrigerator until the very last second to keep it cold, then take one half of the pie crust and carefully unroll it into your prepared pie pan.  The sides of the crust should go over the pan.  Spoon in the filling, then carefully unroll the other half of the dough and gently place it on top.

Working around the edges, take the top piece of the dough and fold it under the bottom piece, but not around the edge of the pan.  Then take a fork and make little fork marks all along the edge of the crust, because you want your pie to be pretty.  Poke holes in the top of the crust so the pie won't explode.

Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 40 more minutes. 

Remove pie from the oven and let cool completely before serving.

Hope you all had a great long weekend, and enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Poached Egg

Everywhere I turn there seems to be asparagus recipes.  Asparagus salad, roasted asparagus, shaved asparagus... it's definitely spring time in Blog Land.

I decided to join the fun and try my hand at a recipe that called for roasted asparagus with lemon and Parmesan cheese with a poached egg on top.  You all know how I feel about eggs and with all the hoopla about asparagus lately, I figured I better get in the loop.

Then Thursday came around, and I got out my asparagus and started trimming.  I went to the refrigerator to get the Parmesan cheese and I noticed just a few pieces of leftover bacon.  It looked really lonely.  So I changed my mind.

And hey!  Eggs and bacon were M.F.E.O. (name that movie)

So I did!  I wrapped that asparagus in that bacon and roasted it for a while, then I used a method for fool-proof poached eggs and within 20 minutes I had a delicious dinner. 

The asparagus couldn't be easier.

I lined a baking sheet with foil and then sprayed it with cooking spray. 

I trimmed the tough ends off of the asparagus by holding each end and bending it until it naturally snapped somewhere near the end.

Then I grouped the asparagus in threes and wrapped each group with one piece of bacon. 

I made sure that the seams of the bacon were down so that it didn't come undone.

And then I roasted this in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes and, that's it!

While the asparagus was cooking I made myself a very simple tomato salad by slicing up some tomatoes, topping with torn basil, salt, and pepper, then shaving a little Parmesan cheese on top.  I finished by drizzling some extra virgin olive oil over everything.

Yum.

And, by the time I finished the salad, the asparagus was ready!

The bacon is salty so I didn't need to season the asparagus with salt and I added a little black pepper to the whole dish right before serving.

I arranged three bundles of asparagus on a plate and added a poached egg. 

Which brings me to this question: Do poached eggs scare you? 

The scared me.

That is, until I found this method of making a perfectly oozy, yummy, poached egg in... wait for it... the microwave!

Add about 1/2 cup of water into a microwave safe mug, then crack an egg into the water.  Microwave on high for about 1 minute until the whites are set, then remove the egg from the mug carefully with a slotted spoon.  You now have a perfectly poached egg.  Pat yourself on the back.  I certainly did.



This dish was all of my favorite things: easy, quick, and beautiful.  Oh, and eggs.  And bacon.  And asparagus.

For those of you that don't want to eat a dinner that is essentially side dishes, ditch the egg and pair this with a nice steak, Roasted Chicken, or even Lemon Risotto.  Just promise me you'll try it with the egg once.  It's worth it.

Oh, and the movie?  Sleepless in Seattle!

"M-F-E-O?

Made For Each Other... It's cute.  Like a little clue.  So he can't write, big deal."

Here's the recipe:

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus with Poached Egg (Serves 2 as a meal, 4 as a side dish)

1 lb asparagus, washed and trimmed

5-6 slices of bacon, depending on how much asparagus you get

1 egg per person

Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil, then spray with cooking spray.

Wash and trim asparagus by holding each end and bending until it naturally snaps.  Place asparagus in groups of three if the asparagus spears are really thick, groups of 4 if they are thin.  Take a slice of bacon and wrap each bundle and place on the baking sheet, seam side down.  Cook for 20 minutes, until asparagus is tender and bacon is cooked.

When the asparagus has about 2 minutes left, fill a microwave safe mug with 1/2 cup of water and crack an egg into it being careful not to break the yolk.  Microwave on high for about 1 minute to 1 minute and 15 seconds, until the whites are set. 

Place a couple of bundles of asparagus on a plate, then top with poached egg.  Crack some black pepper on top.

Say "yum."

Enjoy!

Fettuccine with Prosciutto and Orange

Yes, I said prosciutto and orange.
Brace yourselves.

I recently mentioned that I bought (and fell in love with) the May issue of Bon Appetit.  It is chock full of fabulous Italian recipes, from simple yet delicious pastas to sinful desserts.  While flipping through, I earmarked almost every other page for recipes that I wanted to try.

This is one of those recipes.

I couldn't really get this recipe out of my head.  It sounded strange and exciting and I knew I had to have it.  I will tell you this: orange cream sauce changed my life.

I started by boiling some heavily salted water and tearing about 8 slices of prosciutto into about 1 inch pieces.

I think prosciutto is so pretty.

I also zested an orange.

I think that's pretty too.



When the water was boiling, I melted 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.

Then I added the prosciutto and cooked until slightly browned.

Meanwhile, I added linguine to the salted boiling water and cooked until about 2 minutes from al dente.  I reserved 1/4 cup of pasta water and added it to the prosciutto.  Then I added some light cream, orange juice, and orange zest and boiled until slightly thick.



I seasoned with black pepper at this point, but left the salt until the end because the prosciutto is pretty salty.

I added the drained, undercooked pasta to the skillet, and with tongs I tossed for about 2 minutes until the pasta had finished cooking, absorbed most of the liquid, and was completely coated with the sauce. 

Once the pasta had done it's work in the skillet, I removed it from the heat and added 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter and tossed to combine.  I served in a bowl with a little more grated Parmesan on top and some chopped fresh thyme.

Oh man was this good.  It was satisfying and rich but not too heavy.  The orange really brightens the sauce and I wondered why on earth I hadn't thought of this before.

This opened my eyes to a whole new world of future pasta creations with different citrus.  Lemon Pasta is one of my favorite dishes so it makes sense I would love other citrus variations. 

And prosciutto is quickly becoming one of my favorite ingredients.

Citrus + pasta + salty cured meat = True Love 4 Ever

Here's the recipe!

Fettuccine with Prosciutto and Orange (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Kosher Salt for pasta water

12 ounce package of Fettuccine

3 Tablespoons butter, divided

about 8 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1 inch pieces

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1/2 cup light cream (you could use heavy cream too, but I didn't miss it)

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme

Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt well.   Add fettuccine and cook until about 2 minutes until al dente.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water and then drain.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.  Add the torn prosciutto and cook until slightly browned, about 4 minutes.  Add reserved pasta water, cream, orange juice, orange zest and black pepper.  Bring to a boil and add undercooked pasta.  Toss with tongs for about 3 minutes, until the pasta is cooked and coated completely with the sauce.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter and toss together.  Taste for seasonings and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Serve in a bowl with chopped fresh thyme on top.

Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Sole

I think lemon and garlic are one of the world's best combinations.  Kind of like peanut butter and chocolate.  Or coffee and chocolate.  Or caramel and chocolate. 

Does anyone have some chocolate?

Anyway.

I made this dish for lunch a couple of weeks ago and paired it with a simple green salad.  The simplicity and ease of this dish made it perfect for a quick lunch at home, but it was so delicious and elegant, even, that I felt like I was eating something I would order in some lovely, idyllic french bistro on the Left Bank in Paris.

I like things that remind me of idyllic french bistros in Paris.  Who doesn't?

I bought two filets of Sole, about 1/3 pound.  This wasn't Dover sole, because Dover sole needs to be from Dover, England and is thus very pricey.  This was just plain ol' sole, which is probably actually flounder. 

What I'm saying to you is, any flat fish will do. 

First I seasoned each side of the sole lightly with salt and pepper then chopped a few cloves of garlic and zested a lemon.

While I was chopping, I melted some butter in a skillet over medium heat.

When the butter was starting to foam a bit, I added the garlic and lemon zest and cooked for about 2 minutes.

Then I squeezed half a lemon's juice into the pan.

I placed the sole filets in the garlic, lemon and butter and cooked on one side for about 4 minutes, then flipped and cooked the other side for only about 2.  Sole is thin, and doesn't need to be cooked long. 

While the fish was cooking, I prepared a bed of spinach leaves and drizzled a tiny bit of olive oil over them, then seasoned with salt and pepper.  When the fish was finished, I placed the filets on top of the spinach and finished with the other half of the lemon's juice and the rest of the pan juices, also known as buttery, lemony, garlicky heaven.

This dish was light (tasting), refreshing, and so delicious.  And I'll say it again, I think it looks elegant!  It felt special eating this for lunch, which I think had something to do with the fact that it wasn't my typical pasta leftovers or turkey sandwich. 

The whole meal came together in about 15 minutes, and that's with chopping, prepping, and plating.  It's a fast and easy meal that looks and tastes anything but fast and easy.

Whether you eat this for lunch or dinner, I promise you'll enjoy.  And if you want to picture yourself in a idyllic french bistro, go right ahead.  I'll meet you there.

Here's the recipe:

Lemon Garlic Sole (serves one)

1/3 pound Sole or other flat fish
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
Spinach
1 teaspoon olive oil

Season sole lightly with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Mince 2 cloves of garlic and zest 1 lemon, while 2 tablespoons of butter is melting in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the butter is melted and a little foamy, add the garlic and lemon zest.  Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the juice of 1/2 of the lemon.

Add the sole to the skillet and cook on one side for about 4 minutes, before flipping and cooking the other side for about 2 minutes.

While the sole is cooking, arrange a plate with spinach leaves and drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the spinach.  Season with salt and pepper.

When the fish is finished cooking, plate it on top of the spinach.  Squeeze the rest of the juice from the lemon and top with remaining pan juices. 

Enjoy!

Two Recipes New Look!

Isn't it adorable? 

Isn't it lovely?

I mean... the P is a whisk...

My little brother's talented girlfriend (and my talented friend) combined my amateur Paint skills with her expert design and created that, my new banner and new look.  I really love it.

And she's pretty cute too.  Just saying.

Hope you like it! 

(The P is a whisk! Hello!)

Pasta Al Pomodoro A La Bon Appetit

It's been a rough week.  

Sunday night my 90 year old Granddaddy was taken to the hospital.  He stayed there until Tuesday afternoon when he came home to be where he's most comfortable.  I got on a plane to Texas early Wednesday morning to spend the rest of the week with family and with him.  The time spent here has been indescribable and I will never forget these days with him.

When I got here on Wednesday, naturally my first question was, "What can I do?"

My mom replied, "Food.  You're in charge of food."

Food?  Perfect.  I can do that.

I made a menu like I do at home, and hit the grocery store.  So far I've made Creamy Baked Chicken Taquitos with refried beans and Tomatillo Dip.  I'm making Pulled Pork tonight and burgers and fries tomorrow. 

Last night, however, I tried something new.  This pasta dish is something I've been wanting to try for a while after reading other food bloggers attempts and rave-reviews.  I bought the May issue of Bon Appetit magazine at Boston Logan Airport at 7:00 am Wednesday morning, and it's been burning a hole in my brain since.  The magazine advertises it as the "simplest, silkiest sauce you've ever made."  Um, OK!  I'm in.

Pasta al Pomodoro is spaghetti with tomato sauce.  But it sounds better in Italian.  It just does.

This simple and silky sauce starts with olive oil, garlic, and onion, as most good things do.  I sauteed these over medium heat for about 12 minutes until the garlic was fragrant and the onions were soft.

While these were making the house smell divine, mom pureed a 28 ounce can of whole San Marzano tomatoes in a food processor and added it to the onions and garlic.

This simmered on low heat for 20 minutes while the sauce thickened slightly and the tomatoes got acquainted with the garlic and onions.

When the sauce had simmered long enough, I removed the pan from the heat and added a couple of big sprigs of fresh basil.  I let this sit for about 15 minutes while we brought a pot of water to boil and cooked the linguine.

When the pasta was just about finished, I removed the basil from the sauce and heated it to a boil.  I added 1/2 cup of reserved starchy pasta water and then drained my pasta when it had about 2 minutes left to cook and added it to the sauce.

I used tongs to toss and toss the pasta.  The pasta finished cooking in the sauce and soaked up all the liquid.  The result?  Every single strand of pasta was perfectly coated in tomato sauce.   I removed the pasta from the heat and added about 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese and 2 tablespoons of cold, cubed butter and tossed to combine.  The cheese helped thicken the pasta and the butter is what makes this silky just like the cover promised.

We served this pasta with grilled Italian sausage and Caesar Salad with homemade dressing and croutons.  By the way, have you made that Caesar dressing?  If not, I want you to go to your kitchen and make it right this very second.  I'm serious.

This pasta sauce was everything Bon Appetit promised it would be.  It was simple.  It was silky.  And, although they didn't advertise this, it was comforting.  It's amazing how the littlest things can bring comfort in a stressful and sad situation.  Cooking for my family has given me a sense of control in a time when none of us has any.  So, we cook.  We do dishes.  We run errands and water the plants.  We do these little things because these little things are what we can do.  And for the things we can't change?  Well, we talk and pray and laugh and cry.  Really, we stick together.

I think you should make this pasta for people you love, then give them a big hug because at the risk of sounding like a cheesy Hallmark card, it really is the little moments that matter.

Here's the recipe:

Pasta al Pomodoro (adapted from Bon Appetit)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, minced as finely as possible

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

28 ounce can of whole San Marzano Tomatoes, pureed in a food processor or blender

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

3 large fresh basil leaves

1 lb spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 5-7 more minutes.  Stir until onion is soft and garlic is fragrant.  Add red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute more.  

Add pureed tomatoes and season with salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes on low heat.  Sauce should thicken and flavors should meld.  After 20 minutes, remove from heat and add basil sprigs and set aside.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until about 2 minutes before tender. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water and drain pasta.  

Discard basil from sauce and heat skillet over high heat.  Stir in reserved pasta water and bring to boil.  Add drained pasta and cook, tossing with tongs until sauce coats pasta and pasta is al dente, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and add 2 tablespoons cubed cold butter and 1/2 cup grated cheese.  Toss until cheese and butter melts.

Serve in bowls with more cheese and chopped basil for garnish.  

Enjoy!

Simple Sugar Cookies

Yesterday I wanted a cookie.  I really wanted a sugar cookie.  A sugar cookie.  As in, one.  So I made sugar cookies and ended up with 3 dozen.  I gave some to my neighbor, and some to my friend, and more to the boy, and I still have more sugar cookies than I ever wanted, which is both good and bad because they are delicious but I really don't need to eat 12 sugar cookies for lunch. 

I'll have to find more people to throw sugar cookies at....

Do you want one sugar cookie today? 

Of course you do. 

Here's the recipe

Simple Sugar Cookies

1 1/4 cups white sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 cup butter

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

*You could add 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar, but I don't like my sugar cookies to be crispy so I left it out.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking pan with parchment paper or foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.

Cream together sugar and butter, then beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract.

Add the baking soda and then the flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well each time. 

Form the dough into a ball or cylinder and refrigerate for an hour.  When the dough has thoroughly chilled, spoon walnut-sized balls of dough onto your baking sheet, and sprinkle each one with a little sugar.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the tops start to crack a little.  Remove from the heat immediately.

These cookies were soft and chewy on the inside with a little crunch on the outside.  You could also pre-roll the dough and freeze them for future use.  I decided I'd save myself the temptation and bake them all now.

Go have one sugar cookie.  You deserve it.  Then give the rest away to neighbors, friends, significant others, or strangers on the street, because they deserve it too.

Baked Chicken Taquitos with Chipotle and Tomatillo Dipping Sauces

That's a long title.  It should be called "EAT THIS NOW" but while that does give pretty explicit instructions, it might be a little vague. 

But really, EAT THIS NOW. 

Last Thursday was Cinco De Mayo and I had to work late so I didn't get to celebrate as I would have liked (read: margaritas).  To make up for this, on Friday I decided to buy some Corona and make chicken tacos and have a post-Cinco De Mayo celebration I so cleverly named Seis De Mayo. 

I'm both bilingual and a wordsmith, I know. 

My taco plan lasted up until I found this recipe.  It wasn't even a question, rather more of a revelation: I was always going to make these taquitos.  These taquitos and I were made for each other. 

Ree over at The Pioneer Woman does a Wednesday post called Web Deliciousness in which she featured this taquito recipe from Pink Parsley who originally adapted it from Pennies on a Platter who originally adapted it from Our Best Bites.  The fact that so many bloggers have raved about this recipe is a testament to how fantastic it is.  It's fantastic. 

Let's make taquitos! 

For the creamy chicken filling, I started by baking three seasoned chicken breasts in a foil packet for about 30 minutes.  This method of cooking chicken, also from Pink Parsley, is fool proof.  The chicken came out moist, flavorful, and perfect for shredding, which is what I did.

While the chicken was baking, I made a creamy chipotle dipping sauce to go with the taquitos.  I combined Sour Cream, Mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, minced chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, the actual adobo sauce, salt, black pepper, cayenne and paprika.

I mixed that all up and let it refrigerate for about an hour so the flavors got acquainted.

Meanwhile, the chicken came out of the oven and I shredded it with a fork and set aside.

Then, in a larger bowl, I combined softened cream cheese, tomatillo salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder and the chicken then stirred to combine. 

Then I added a handful of cilantro then grated cheddar and pepper jack cheese. 

Again I stirred to combine.  Everything gets all creamy and delicious.  This would be amazing on a sandwich just like this.  It's like Mexican chicken salad.  Yum.

To make the taquitos I took some corn tortillas, added some chicken mixture to the first 1/3 of the tortilla, then rolled very tightly.

But then I realized that my corn tortillas were stale and weren't rolling well at all, so instead I used flour tortillas, which I had bought for the tacos that got rejected once this recipe came into my life.  Flour tortilla taquitos are the bomb.

I rolled all the taquitos up and placed on a baking sheet that had been sprayed with cooking spray.  I also sprayed the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkled a little bit of Kosher salt on top and baked them in the oven for about 20 minutes.

I don't have a picture of this.  Use your imagination.

Then I made an avocado and tomatillo salsa dip which combined two avocados, mashed, with about 1/4 cup of tomatillo salsa, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Easy.

We ate our taquitos with dipping sauces for a meal, and we were stuffed afterward.  However, if you wanted to make this a more balanced meal, some beans or rice or both would be great on the side.  This would also be a great party appetizer as you can make most of it before hand (except for the avocado dip, which needs to be made right before eating because it will turn brown).  You can also freeze the pre-made taquitos and pop them in the oven whenever you feel like it! 

Personally I don't see how anyone could have the will power not to eat these immediately. 

Here's the recipe!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/3 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup tomatillo salsa
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese
flour or corn tortillas
cooking spray
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Combine softened cream cheese, tomatillo salsa, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Stir to combine then add the shredded chicken, then the cilantro and then the cheese.  Combine well.

Heat tortillas in a microwave to soften them, then place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture 1/3 away form the edge of the first tortilla.  Roll tightly and place seam side down on the baking sheet.  Repeat for the remaining tortillas until there is no more chicken mixture left.  I got an even dozen out of this recipe.

Spray the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and the ends start to brown.

Creamy Chipotle Dip

2 chipotle chilies in adobo, minced
2 teaspoons of adobo sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less if you are sensitive to spice)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Stir all ingredients together and taste for seasonings.  Let sit in refrigerator, covered, for at least an hour so the flavors meld.

Avocado Tomatillo Dip

2 avocados
1/4 cup tomatillo salsa
salt
pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Mash avocado and mix with the tomatillo salsa and seasonings.  Taste for seasoning, adjusting as needed.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!