Nacho Cups

I hesitate to post my silly little Tex-Mex "snack", given that Annette has posted the best Mexican-style recipe in the family already.  In case you missed her recipe for green enchiladas, you should check it out here:

Our Favorite Green Enchiladas

Many in our family joke that we must have Mexican heritage as much as we love to eat Mexican food!  This little "recipe" (We all know it's just nachos in a cup-shaped chip. lol)  I came up with is easy, quick, flexible for your tastes, and of course YUMMY!  You can have it as a snack or add to it to make it part of a quick meal.  Play with it and enjoy!

Nacho Cups

Ingredients:

Tostitos SCOOPS 
Can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
Salsa of your choice
Shredded Mexican Cheese

Of course this is SUPER SIMPLE ~

Line a cookie sheet with foil (I use non-stick.)
Place SCOOPS in a single row.
Put a few beans in each chip.
Drop a bit of salsa over the beans.
Cover with grated cheese.
Bake in a heated oven until cheese has melted.

Voila!

Optional add on toppings:
  
 avocado/guacamole (Our personal FAVE!)
chopped green onion
sliced olives
diced tomato
sour cream 
taco meat  

Like I said - easy, peasy, but sometimes that's just what we need on a busy evening or for a quick kid-friendly lunch!  As always, make them your own and enjoy :)

   
 

Holiday Pinwheels

Hello from Texas on this cold winter day!
We know many of you don't think it ever gets cold here, but we have a FEW cold days.  Colder in some places than others of course - we are a BIG state! :)

I know, I know, I know - the holidays are over, and everyone is trying to get healthy!  But...I took pictures of this awesome appetizer when I was making it the other night for a New Year's Eve party, and I just HAD to share it - it's an appetizer favorite for my husband, my sister, and I.

This is a nod / shout-out to Denise, my dear, sweet friend in Utah.  When our family was stationed there with the Air Force, we enjoyed some good food and good times together.  Thanks for the recipe and the fun, because food is always better when shared with friends and family!

You'll need to gather your ingredients of course:

Holiday Pinwheels

2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 package (1 oz.) Hidden Valley Ranch Original Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
2-3 green onions, minced 
4 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1 jar (4 oz.) diced pimiento
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
1 can (2.25 oz.) sliced black olives

Note:  Missing from this picture is the can of black olives - oops
           And... this jar of pimientos is too large (It's what I had.  I'll use the rest for pimiento cheese :)

1st - Combine your softened cream cheese, the package of Ranch Dressing Mix, and the green onions

Next - divide the mixture among the 4 large tortillas and spread it evenly over entire tortilla.
(It will seem like a lot.)

Drain, rinse (if you wish), and blot dry the black olives, green chiles, and pimientos one at a time.  Sprinkle each over tortillas (Don't worry too much about exact placement - it will all even out in the end - lol)

 

Roll each tortilla tightly (Oh PLEASE don't look at my old-looking hands...)

Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.

Cut rolls into pieces.  The recipe says 1 inch, but I make mine smaller.  Then you feel like you can eat more of them! ;)  Tip:  You will want to wipe your knife off occasionally during this process, because it gets kinda yucky.

THIS is my FAVORITE part of the original recipe that Denise wrote:
*Discard (eat!) ends. 
It makes me smile every time I get the recipe out!!
Do you see that piece in the back?  Yep - that's proof that I followed the directions - LOL!

Serve the spirals facing up on a favorite serving dish or plate.  Keep chilled and covered until ready to serve.

Check out this SEA of YUMMY! (Me playing with my new camera again - HaHa)

There are NEVER any of these left (thank goodness for those "discarded" ends)!

You CAN make these somewhat healthier if you use the low-fat cream cheese.
There are all kinds of healthier ways to do this.  I know that rinsing the canned items helps get rid of some of the sodium.  However, the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Package really is the "secret ingredient" that makes these so extra-special.

Even if you don't want to make these now, Pin them to your favorite Pinterest Recipe Board and keep the idea for later - easy and delicious - an excellent combo!

Blessings to you and yours!  Don't forget to fellowship with friends and family!

Always in Our PJs,
Beth & Annette