This spicy little meatball recipe is really just a classic case of one thing leading to another..in a delicious way!!

It started out as a Meatball, but needed some kick, so clearly it needed to be stuffed with a Jalapeno..but what’s a Jalapeno without cheese oozing out of it?  So in went the Cheese!  And of course..it needed to be held together…sooooo…DUH, Bacon!!

Just like a normal Jalapeño Popper..that’s um, stuffed inside a cheese-filled, bacon wrapped meatball..that’s right! 🙂

Not only are these super scrumptious, but they’re fun..get your hands involved and grab a popper..yes, pick them up…do it!

What you’ll need for 12-15 Poppers:

1/2 lb Ground Beef

15 Jalapenos

1/2 Block of Mozzarella

1 lb. Bacon..1 slice per Popper

Directions:

**WARNING** Jalapeno Peppers are HOT, don’t touch anything for a LONG time after you’ve handled them! 🙂

Cut the tip off of each Pepper (NOT the stem end)

With a knife, gently scrape out all the seeds and veins.

Stuff each Pepper with some cubed Mozzarella.

Form a Meatball around the bottom of each Pepper, and wrap it in a slice of Bacon.

Place them Meatball-side down, stem side up (because pretty).. into a baking dish and bake them at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, then if the bacon and stems are getting to dark, cover it with foil and continue baking for another 10 or so minutes.  Total time in the Oven is approx. 40-45 minutes.  This could vary depending on your Oven and size of Pepper, Meatballs etc..  Bottom line..don’t serve raw Meatballs..LOL!  🙂

Grab a cold one and dig in!  ~Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Meatballs! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

I know this recipe might sound strange, but..what else  is new around here..right..haha?!  I simply started wondering why we really never see very many (if any) savory cookies around, do we?!  I mean..maybe there’s a reason for that..lol, but maybe, just maybe we can change it!  And what better way to change it than with a single serving, hold-in-your-hand, just for you, two-bite, entire Chicken Enchilada?!!

That’s right..I’m talking about appetizers on steroids, mexican food madness..everything we’ve ever been taught about enchiladas turned completely upside down and minimized in the biggest way ever!  I completely cookie-fied everything we know and love about a giant, hot dish of enchiladas..making them easy to serve, easy to eat..and most of all..easy to LOVE!

Goodbye forks, goodbye embarrassingly large portions that scream you have no self control, and are pretty much crying for help…haha!

Now you can indulge in peace..I mean it’s only a few “cookies” right?  Not only is the WOW factor incredible but the flavors are to die for!  Each Enchilada Cookie has its very own toast and cheesy top and bottom that are lovingly ‘glued’ together by that succulent chicken enchilada filling that we all go bonkers for!  Toped with some Supremo Mexican Crema and crumbled cheeses, a few garnishes to top them off..and BOOM~  a savory cookie masterpiece is born!

~Make a huge batch of these ‘cookies’ ..you will need them!

What you’ll need for a dozen ‘cookies’ (double accordingly for more):

A 3″ round cookie cutter

4-12″ flour tortillas

1 cup cooked chicken breast..I used canned/drained

1 cup chopped green chile

1 cup (1 can) cream of chicken soup..NO water added!

1 cup shredded mexican cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1 egg

salt and pepper..to taste

Sour cream and any other enchilada toppings you like

Directions:

Drain the chicken and the green chile of all it’s liquid (if it’s store bought)

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, chile, egg, soup, mexican cheese, and salt and pepper, gently mix until all blended!  (RESERVE THE SHREDDED CHEDDAR FOR THE TOPPING)

Spread an even, BUT THIN amount of the chicken onto one of the tortillas and top it with another tortilla.  Take the filling all the way to the edges, so each cookie has filling in it!

Now, cut out the cookies, as best as you can to get the most out of each tortilla…

Place the cookies onto a parchment lined sheet pan and top them with the shredded cheddar, and any other cheese you might like…

..bake them at 350 degrees for approx. 15 minutes.  Feel free to broil them for a few minutes to really crisp up the cookies and get an incredible golden, cheesy cookie…

Let them cool just a bit before adding on any sour cream and toppings…

Then you can top away..go nuts with the toppings…

Notice the crowd that’s gathered around you like a pack of wild animals..lol

Hurry up and get rid of as many as you can, so you don’t eat all of them…But DO grab at least a few for you!  ~Enjoy! 🙂

The post ~Chicken Enchilada 'Cookies'! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Ohhh sweet Lord!  Help me, for I cannot help myself…haha!  I’ve gone ahead and totally freaked myself out again, because, you know it’s bad when you start questioning your own sanity..lol!  Actually, I should totally be used to it by now..but~~ 🙂

Oh well~ either way here we are together once again with an incredible, show stopping table topper that has a wow factor that in no way equals the effort it took to get it.  But that’s ok, because what I lack in sanity, I totally make up for in unique, simple and incredible flavor, especially with this Enchilada centerpiece!

Layer upon layer of Enchilada goodness is bestowed upon you and your loved ones the minute you escort this masterpiece to the table!  Rich, cheesy and spicy layers of mile-high goodness graces every bite!  The flavors are amazing many times over, there will be an “Oooh” and an “Ahhh” for each and every layer of this one of a kind magnificent mexican meal!

Get the Margaritas ready, because this dish brings the party!

What you’ll need:

A cake or cake-like pan, I used a 6″ wide x6″ deep size, but any tall pan will do, as long as the Tortillas fit snug inside!

Flour tortillas, enough to stack up in your pan and fit inside.

2 large cans of chicken, or feel free to process fresh chicken!  you want about 2 cups!

1 lb Shredded Cheddar..divided

1-large can of cream of chicken soup…or about 2 cups!

1 cup or so of chopped green chile..to taste

1 egg

Sour cream and all your favorite Enchilada toppings!

Directions:

Spray the pan and line it with parchment…set side.

In a large bowl mix the soup, chicken, green chile, half of the cheese and egg to taste…combine well..

Now just start layering, first a tortilla and a scoop of filling, keep each layer of filling thin and portion your scoops so you have enough equal amounts to layer all the way up to the top…

Be sure to gently press each layer down so they become one in the oven.

Top the whole thing with the remaining cheese…

Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 40-50 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and it’s hot all the way through.

Let it cool a bit before removing it from the pan…

Gently place it onto your serving platter, and top it with some sour cream, and any other toppings you’d like…

When you serve it up and listen for those Oooh’s and Ahhh’s!

Listen for your own Oooh’s and Ahhh’s as well!  ~Enjoy! : )

The post ~Enchilada Cake! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Once in a while it’s fun to take what’s normally a big, fattening, deliciously LARGE meal, and turn it into an adorable little, portion controlled 3 biter!

Enchiladas are just perfect for this concept because we all know once you start digging deep into that huge casserole of melty Cheese…get those fat pants on, because you’re done for!  With these Enchilada Biscuits, you can actually stay in pants that have a button..lol!

Each delicious bundle is filled with spicy, cheesy Chicken, nestled in between flaky Biscuit layers!  They puff up and transform into the most simple and succulent Enchiladas EVER!

~Grab a Margarita..and do this! 🙂

What you’ll need for 8 Enchi-biscuits..double accordingly for more:

1 can of Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers biscuits (8 count)

1-12.5 oz. can of Chicken (or you can shred your own fresh Chicken)

1-10 oz. can of Cream of Chicken Soup

1-14.5 oz, can of Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles..drained!

1.5 cups Shredded Cheddar..or a Mexican Blend would be good too.

S&P..to taste

1 can of sliced Black Olives

Sour Cream for garnish..optional!

A muffin/cupcake pan

Directions:

In a medium bowl mix together the Chicken, Diced Tomatoes, Soup, Black Olives (reserving some for garnish), 1 cup of the Cheese, and some S&P to taste…

Pop open the Can of Biscuits and separate them.  Gently peel each Biscuit apart creating 3 pieces.

Place one of the biscuit layers down into the muffin pan and layer on some filling.  repeat until you have used all 3 biscuit layers.  Top with the remaining Cheee..

Bake them at 350 degrees, for approx. 12-15 minutes..or until they’re firm and slightly golden…

Top them with some Sour Cream and olives!  They will look and smell amazing…

As soon as you take them out of the oven..you will have a crowd ready and waiting…

Forks in hand…

Grab a plate for you..first! 🙂  ~Enjoy!

The post ~Enchilada Biscuits! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

So here’s a little tid-bit about me: I have an itty-bitty identity crisis..yep, I do!  At least when it comes to my culture.  See, I lived in Connecticut until I was 12, and then moved to NM, where I’ve called home for (not telling) years..lol!  😉

Sooo, I feel like the Southwest is in my blood, especially when it comes to the food here!  I LOVE it!  However, I wouldn’t know how to make homemade Tortillas, Red Chile sauce..or Sopapillas if my life depended on it!  I’m just too white..haha!

So when I crave something like Sopapillas at home, I’ve always been S.O.L..until now!  But..my laziness has come through for me yet again!  I grabbed a tube of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (already the perfect Sopapilla shape)..and fried those babies up!  🙂

That’s it..BOOM! ~instant Sopapillas!  Who says laziness doesn’t pay off?! Now anyone can enjoy the hot, crispy, sweet, dripping in honey Sopapilla experience, anytime..anywhere!  These Crescents are almost meant to become Sopapillas, they’re Gor-Jus!

Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of Sopas and you can’t tell the difference..I promise!  Such a great side kick to a fabulous Mexican meal.  Give them a try, and in a matter of minutes, you’ll be dripping in honey and loving it!  🙂

What you’ll need:

1 tube of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Approx. 4 cups of oil for frying

Powdered Sugar/Honey/Cinnamon Sugar..optional

Directions:

In a medium pot, heat up your oil..it should be about 3″ deep, with lots of room for expansion when it gets hot!

Pop open the tube of Crescents..

Have a mini-heart attack when it pops!  😉

Slice them at their perforation to separate

Fry them up one at a time, until they’re golden on both sides.  You can flip them carefully with a fork or some lonely old Chopsticks.

Drain them on some paper towel & let them cool slightly on a rack before you tear into them!  🙂

But..definitely serve them warm, with a drizzle of Honey..

..and some Cinnamon Sugar..oh and some Powdered Sugar too!  Then sink your teeth into the easiest & tastiest Sopapilla ever!  ~Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Crescent Sopapillas! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

Everyday we’re faced with that one question that can either totally excite us or send us into a frenzied panic!  It’s that one question that will test our imagination, creativity and people pleasing powers all at the same time..yep, it’s “What’s for Dinner?”  Finding an answer to that question is usually pretty difficult…until now!

According to the ‘Dinner Police’ a.k.a The Family, dinner must be something that hasn’t been served within the last week, is hot and on the table before anyone can scream that they’re starving to death, and of course, tastes ahh-mazing!

Well, I think I’ve got it, and you’ll even have time & energy to spare!  Not only are these Stuffed Chiles incredibly simple, but the flavor payoff is HUGE! 🙂

These super simple Stuffed Chiles are almost like Chicken Enchiladas met Chile Rellenos and had a love child. A love child that’s wrapped snuggly inside a crispy Bacon blanket..haha!

By looking at these beauties, you’d never guess how simple & easy they are to make!  Your Wednesday evening will feel like a Friday with one serving of these Stuffed, Cheesy, Bacony, Green Chiles!

They’re totally packed with slow roasted Chicken that’s been shredded for the most succulent and juicy flavors ever.  Then the chicken is lovingly mixed into a creamy, slightly spicy & cheesy filling.  After the Chiles are stuffed with the ahh-mazing filling, they proceed to get hugged tightly by super crisp, seasoned & smoky bacon!

Seriously UN. REAL!  🙂

And the best part is..your oven will do all of the work!  So spice up your dinner doldrums and go make these Stuffed Chiles ASAP!!!!  🙂

 What you’ll need for 12 giant Stuffed Chiles:

12 large Green Chile Peppers (Or if you can’t find Green Chiles..any grocery store Pepper/Chile will work)

4 medium Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts (OR one whole cooked rotisserie Chicken form the store)

1lb Bacon

1 container of Cream Cheese

2 Cups..or so, of Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese

3 tbsp. Chile powder

3 tbsp. Oregano

A drizzle of Olive Oil

S&P to taste

Directions:

Heat a large pot of water to boiling.  Add the Chile Peppers and boil them for 4 minutes, remove them from the pot and let them drain & cool on some paper towel.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the Chicken on a baking sheet.  Drizzle it with some Olive Oil and S&P to taste.  Roast the chicken until it’s fully cooked and tender.  This step can be skipped if you use a store bought Roasted Whole Chicken..a terrific time saver!

Let the chicken cool and then shred it up using two forks.

Take each cooled Chile pepper and carefully make a slit from the top of the pepper almost to the bottom point.  Remove seeds (rinsing them under cold water works great)

Add the Chile Powder & Oregano into a pie plate or shallow dish..mix well to combine..and set aside.

In a large bowl add the Shredded Chicken, Cream Cheese and Pepper Jack Cheese..combine well!

Take each prepared Chile and stuff it with 2-3 tbsp. of the Chicken/cheese mixture, depending on the size of the pepper.

Wrap the pepper with the Bacon, and roll it in the Chile Powder/Oregano mixture.

Place the pepper stuffing side up, onto the prepared baking rack.  Making sure to tuck the bacon ends under the Chile to bake.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees..or until the Bacon is crispy and the Pepper is tender!

Serve these while they’re warm, crispy & melty!

Now, dig into a delicious bacon wrapped, cheesy, spicy taste of NM!!  ~Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chiles! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

And..once again, my ‘Sassy Southwest Senorita’ alter ego, makes an appearance with yet another version of a Jalapeno Popper..lol!  What can I say…I like it spicy!  I’m convinced that I could survive on a deserted island with just Jalapeno Poppers, and a few itty bitty other things, like~eh hem..Chocolate & Chocolate! 🙂

These are the perfect little snacks to spice up any occasion!  They’re the easiest poppers I’ve ever made (and I’ve made LOTS), they’re also the most unique, and definitely up there with the very best I’ve ever had!

The crispy crunchy crust is the perfect little snuggie for the slightly spicy Pepper & super Cheesy filling!  As a bonus, you can customize these and stuff them with anything you can imagine!

And just to seal the delicious deal, go ahead and plunge them deep into a pool of Ranch dressing..Oh yeahhh! 🙂

*Leftovers?  Simply reheat them in the oven and they’re good as new!

What you’ll need:

Canola or Peanut Oil for frying..not shown

Large egg-roll wrappers (1 per each Popper)

One egg..to seal the edges

String Cheese (One stick per Popper

Fresh Jalapenos (One per each Popper)

Ranch Dressing..for dipping!

The quantity is up to you..but make TONS!!  🙂

Directions:

Side Note:  In hindsight I’d have par-cooked the Jalapeno somehow before stuffing & frying them.  Either a partial char over a flame, or even a quick blanch in boiling water, just to take the rawness out of them.  They were still d-lish, but I’d prefer the finished product to have a little softer Pepper inside!  🙂

If you choose to par-cook your Peppers..do that now however you’d like.  Then skip to stuffing them with the Cheese!

Cut off both ends of each Jalapeno & slice them in down the center in half, creating 2 pieces.  *JALAPENOS ARE H.O.T.~~act accordingly!  😉

Remove all the “stuff” from the insides of the Jalapeno halves..making sure to get all those seeds out!

Add a stick of String Cheese in between those 2 pieces of the Jalapeno, putting it back “together” with the cheese inside

 In a small bowl, mix the egg-wash (1 egg beaten with a splash of water)

Lay out a egg-roll wrapper and brush all of the edges with the egg-wash

Roll up the cheese filled pepper inside the wrapper..at a diagonal, just like an egg roll..making sure to fold in the sides good and tight!

In a large pot, add about 3″ of oil, and get it good and hot!

Carefully drop in a couple of Poppers and roll them around in the oil, until they’re evenly crispy and golden!  Put those old take-out chopsticks to use..they’re PERFECT for Pepper Popper rolling! 🙂

Drain them on some paper towel

Serve them nice & warm, so they’re ooey gooey D-lish!

Dip them in plenty of Ranch

Take a heavenly bite

Repeat & Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Fried Jalapeno Poppers! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

How much fun is it to take a main course and turn it into an easy to eat fun party food/appetizer?  I just love doing that, it makes appetizers so much more fun, and it can also make dinner much more fun as well!  Especially when it’s typically an ooey gooey cheesy pan of enchiladas, that would under normal circumstances, require a plate & a fork..at the very least!  Well..good-bye dirty dishes, now you can pop an adorable swirly Enchilada Pinwheel in your mouth without even needing to sit down.  🙂

Heck, with this fun technique, you’ll hardly even need manners in order to enjoy all the greatness of hot & spicy Chicken Enchiladas!  You can have an Enchilada Pinwheel in one hand and a Margarita in the other!  Sound good?  Well, I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.  Here it comes…Yep, it’s the edges!  The glorious Sainted crispy edges!  One of the perks of transforming a typical pan of enchiladas into Pinwheels means that we all get 360* crispy edges, and that doesn’t even include the totally tasty toasty bottoms…hehe!

When you crunch through the golden tortilla into the tender cheese filled spicy center, you’ll want to gobble up the entire platter!  These are to die for delicious, and a total conversation starter!    Give them a try the next time it’s your turn to entertain..you’ll be a Pinwheel Wizard..LOL!  🙂

What you’ll need for approx. 30 Pinwheels:

3 Grande Tortillas

1/4 Cup Red Enchilada Sauce (optional)

1-12.5 oz can of Chicken

1 Cup Chopped Green Chile

6 oz Cream Cheese

1 Jalapeno

2 Cups Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

2 tbsp. Garlic Powder

S&P to taste

An oven safe round baking dish

Directions:

In a food processor (or with your muscles) combine the Cream Cheese, Jalapeno, Green Chile, Chicken, Garlic powder, S&P until well blended

.

Add that mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the cheese, (but reserve 1/4 a cup for sprinkling)

Spread the filling onto a tortilla, leaving about a 1″ border around the edge and roll her up!

Drizzle the bottom of the baking dish with some of the Red Chile Sauce, this will give the pinwheels an amazing bottom crust!

Slice the roll into 1/2″ slices and place them sliced side up into your baking dish.  Make all the pinwheels nice and snug until the dish is full.

Sprinkle the pinwheels with the reserved shredded cheese..

Drizzle the top with some of the Red Chile Sauce, before it goes into the oven.  It adds excellent color & flavor to the finished Pinwheels, and makes them look GOR-JUS!

Bake them at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, or until they’re golden and bubbly!  Pull apart yourself a warm, cheesy Enchilada Pinwheel and savor a crispy, spicy main course meal all in one bite!  ~Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Enchilada Pinwheels! first appeared on Oh Bite It.

T.G.I.F!!  What are you making for dinner tonight? 🙂 

Sometimes all it takes to make a classic recipe fun again is simply jazzing up the presentation!  We all know that there’s not much anyone can do to improve chicken enchiladas..especially the Blue Corn variety!  However, sometimes it’s fun to change things up! 

Actually, I came across my sad and lonely Bundt pan, all covered in dust and could almost hear it speak to me.. “Why do you ignore me”, it asked, “don’t you think I’m cute?  I have a better personality than those flat pans that you play with all the time!”   Yep, that’s what I heard!  So it was really out of guilt that this method came to be!  Oh well..Mr. Bundt is happy with me again, I totally did him proud!  🙂

And it was a dinner show stopper for sure!  Not only is this fun to prepare and to look at, but somehow the layers are a little more creamy, and the amount of crispy edges are doubled..a total WIN! 

Not to mention that the “flip-out” turns your meal into nothing short of a dinner show.  If all goes well..you’ll get a round of applause! And, If it doesn’t go well, no one really cares..lol!  🙂

What you’ll need:

A lonely Bundt pan

2 cans of chicken

2 cans of Cream of Mushroom OR Cream of Chicken Soup

1 package of Blue corn tortillas…white corn will work too

1 container of frozen green Chile..defrosted and drained

4 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the Chicken, Soup and Green Chile

Layer the bottom of the pan with an even layer of the tortillas

Then top that with some chicken mix

Top that with some cheese and add another layer of tortillas, repeat the layers until you reach the top

Fold over all the tortilla edges and top it with cheese.

Bake it at 350 for about 30-40 minutes, or until all the cheese is golden and melty!

Let it cool slightly, gather everyone around and flip it out onto a platter!  Add some sour cream to the center and sprinlke it with cheese & lettuce..feel free to add whatever toppings you like!  Slice a nice big wedge & dig in!!  ~Enjoy!  🙂

The post ~Blue Corn Bundt Enchiladas! first appeared on Oh Bite It.