Move over, Martha

It's no secret that Sam is the most picky eater in the galaxy. The boy weighs only 7 pounds more than his 2 year old brother. Sam will be 5 in June. He will gag and vomit when forced to try new foods. He generally will not even lick or sniff them. But, I guess everyone is a sucker for Costco samples. Last Friday we stopped by for a few free snacks, and lo and behold, Sam ATE A TAQUITO! Yeah, so what, they aren't the healthiest thing in the world. I bought a box. He ate them. This is huge. He's now been eating them almost daily. So, I thought it would be good if I could get him to eat homemade ones that might be slightly better for him. So, if you're stumped about what to make for dinner tomorrow, let me suggest baked creamy chicken taquitos with creamy lime-cilantro ranch dressing for dipping.
I wasn't overly impressed with the dressing; I was expecting more flavor from the salsa and cilantro. But Paul thought it was good especially with the taquitos, which I thought were fantastic. It's a keeper. I think I would double the recipe if I intended to feed a family. Sam did eat one, even though he said they definitely weren't his favorite. He even spotted the "green stuff" (cilantro and green onions) and ate it anyway. This is major progress, folks. Then he asked for a taquito from the box and wouldn't eat any more of mine. Oh well.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe by OurBestBites.com


1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray


Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
ignore directions on the packet
1C mayo
1/2 C milk
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

This is tough folks. Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

And since Martha does more than just cook, I've also been busy on several crafty projects as of late. Earlier in the week, I accidentally found myself at Goodwill. I had just dropped Sam off at school and wanted to run by Wilson's 5 and 10 (which really could be a blog post in and of itself), but was a few minutes early. Neither Goodwill nor Wilson's had opened, yet the parking lot was slammed with folks anticipating that special something that could only be found at Goodwill. It was like Black Friday! I found myself being beckoned inside and I had a brief thought that maybe I too could join the ranks of fashion blogger....;-);-) Actually, I had a plan for the wall of the book nook, and I thought that perhaps I might get lucky at Goodwill and score some cheap frames. Amazingly enough, I did! I almost passed them by. Actually, I did pass them by at first. I thought they weren't exactly what I was looking for, definitely not the color. So, I walked away, only to turn back after figuring I'd never get frames that large, including mats, for that cheap, in a set of 4. Just as I was approaching them again, another girl snatched one up! Thankfully, she must have had the same hesitation I originally had, and as soon as she put it down, I snatched them all up. I wish I had taken before and after pics, but I didn't. It was a set of 4 blue, beachy prints. Then I also found a childrens' book that was pretty close to what I was looking for. So, for $14, the wall of the book nook is complete.



And as for my trip inside Wilson's, well....I never saw the individual that I heard from across the store shout, in the most country accent imagineable, "leave Charlie Sheen, Mylie Cyrus, and Lindsay Lohan alone!"