CREAM CHEESE AND CHICKEN TAQUITOS

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

6 ounces ounces cream cheese, softened

⅓ cups sour cream

½ cups salsa

1½ cups colby jack cheese

1 cup chopped baby spinach, stems removed

12 - 6 inch corn tortillas

vegetable or canola oil, for frying

Instructions:

Heat ½" oil in a sauce pan on medium heat.

In a large bowl mix together the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, co-jack and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once oil is hot enough (place hand over pan, above oil, to feel heat), add a few tablespoons of chicken/cream cheese mixture to the center of a tortilla and spread out. Roll up and set seam side down in oil using tongs. Cook until golden brown on both sides.

Repeat until all the tortillas are filled, rolled and fried.

Set on paper towels to drain.

Serve warm and ENJOY!

Chicken Enchilada Crescent Braid

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup enchilada sauce

1 cup cooked shredded chicken

2 TBSPS diced green chiles

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cumin

seamless crescent dough

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and enchilada sauce until fully blended. Then add in the shredded chicken, green chiles, frozen, corn, chili powder, salt, and cumin.

Spread the crescent roll dough out on a silicon mat or parchment paper and place that on a baking pan. Leaving three inches in the middle, make cuts down the side of the dough an inch apart on both sides.

Spread the chicken mixture down the middle of the dough. Take a strip of dough from one side and fold it over the middle mixture. Then take a strip from the other side and fold it over the middle. Continue down the dough, alternating sides until it is completely folded over.

Pinch the ends of the dough to keep the filling inside while it bakes.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes so that the top is nice and golden brown.

Let stand about 10 minutes before cutting in to it.

Empanadas de Chorizo (Chorizo Empanadas)

Makes 12 empanadas

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 stalks scallion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro
5 Argentine-style chorizo sausages, chopped
ground black pepper to taste
finely chopped parsley, to taste
12 puff pastry-style empanada discs (from your grocer's freezer)
beaten egg, for brushing

Directions:

Heat the oil in a skillet, and sauté the onion, scallion, cilantro, and bell pepper until tender. Add the chorizo, cook fully, and season with black pepper. Remove from the heat, and once the mixture is cool, add the parsley. Fill the empanada discs with a heaping tablespoon of filling, and firmly seal them shut by crimping the edge with a fork. Place the empanadas on a greased baking sheet, and brush the tops with beaten egg. Bake in an oven preheated to 375ºF for 20 minutes.

Slow Cooker Mexican Style Meat

1 (4 pound) chuck roast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups diced green chile pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 (5 ounce) bottle hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Trim the roast of any excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the beef in the hot skillet, and brown it quickly on all sides.Transfer the roast to a slow cooker and top it with the chopped onion. Season with chile peppers, chili powder, cayenne pepper, hot pepper sauce, and garlic powder. Add enough water to cover 1/3 of the roast.Cover, and cook on High for 6 hours, checking to make sure there is always at least a small amount of liquid in the bottom of the cooker. Reduce heat to Low, and continue cooking for 2 to 4 hours, or until meat is totally tender and falls apart.Transfer the roast to a bowl and shred it using two forks (reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid, if desired). Serve in tacos or burritos (see Cook's Note).

• Cook's Notes:
• If using the meat for burritos: shred the meat and add it to a frying pan with 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.
• To freeze the meat, transfer it to a freezer-proof container and add reserved 2 cups of cooking liquid. Freeze up to 6 months; thaw in refrigerator or microwave.
• This recipe also works for pork and chicken. If you're using chicken, remove the skin before cooking and reduce the cooking time to 4 hours on High or 8 hours on Low. Remove the bones and shred the meat after cooking.