This was tasty Halloween dinner!

For Halloween dinner we needed something I could make fairly quickly since I hadn't given it much thought and I was supposed to be printing the Peep's homework packet and was instead trolling my new obsession Pintrest- where I stumbled upon this delicious looking dinner-  I am more of a save the-new-recipe-and-think-about-making-it-but-stick-with-tried-and-true-kind of a girl... I know you are shocked given my high level of adventures... kidding- but for some reason the creaminess spoke to me and I had to try it.  SO off to Big Vons the Peep and I ran and an hour later we were having super tasty creamy chicken taquitos!

baked creamy chicken taquitos

Let me say: this is not my photo.  Ours did look that wonderfully.  But we ate them so quickly that there wasn't time for a picture.  This is the photo from the tasty blog that I got the recipe from- and if you make them please let them know if you liked them because I sure did-

But just for your ease here is her recipe and my modifications in ( ) because you know the PaperPeople can't follow instructions...

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Printable Recipe

Yield: 12 taquitos... (somehow we only got 11.  I know you are surprised.)

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa (I wasn't sure what this was supposed to be so I got a can of salas verde from the Mexican aisle at Big Vons)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice, juice from half a lime
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder (I just saw this so I forgot to put it in... )
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced (I was in too much of a hurry to chop garlic- we were trying to get out the door- it WAS Halloween- so I just used garlic salt)
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro (Same with the garlic- didn't want to chop...)
2 Tbsp sliced green onions (Ditto...)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I took raw chicken tenders form the store sprinkeld with garlic salt and canola oil and cooked on the grill pan on the top of the stove.  They were really this and cooked really quickly while I was mixing up the rest of the ingredients.)
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese (I just used a big handful :))
small flour or corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I used foil which I call ALUMINUM FOIL like it says on the box and which Slick calls TIN FOIL and which makes me laugh)

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

[If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.]

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll, about 20 – 30 seconds. (My tortillas were really fresh so I didn't need to do this)

Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can. 

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.  Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole. (We served with all three and with cheesy chips- recipe follows)

**To freeze:  Before baking, chill the taquitos on the baking sheet in the fridge.  Once completely cooled, wrap each taquito individually with plastic wrap.  Place in a labeled freezer bag and freeze.  To bake a frozen taquito [no need to thaw first]: Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes. Source: Adapted from Our Best Bites- and then from Penniesonalatter.com via PaperGirl

Now this is a super easy recipe so don't laugh.  We were at Slick's current favorite Mexican restaurant- Lupita's in Redondo Beach- and were watching the Texas Rangers whip up on the St Louis Cardinals in game 5 of the 2011 World Series- no need to mention how the rest of the series went- and were starving so being the take charge kind of girl I am, I ordered Cheesy Chips.  When they came to the table were skeptical right up until we took the first bite.

Cheesy Chips
Recipe:

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Spread corn chips of your choice in a single layer.  Cover with desired amount of freshly grated jack cheese.  Bake in preheated 450 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly   Serve with sour cream and salsa...  yummmmmmmm.