green chile and chipotle tortilla roll ups recipe

You know those amazing recipes from childhood that you just know by heart? The kind that aren't written down anywhere but are etched deeply into your brain? This is one of those.

For as long as I can remember, my mom has made these tortilla roll ups. Some folks call these "pinwheels." They are a fantastic party appetizer. A real crowd pleaser. And they are sooooooo simple and take just a few ingredients.

I of course couldn't leave well enough alone, though, so I added a special spicy ingredient.

THE GOODS:

• 10 soft taco size tortillas
• 8 oz block light cream cheese at room temperature
• 8 oz light sour cream
• 4 oz can diced green chiles
• 1/2 tsp diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (optional)
• Salsa for serving

MAKE THE FILLING: In a bowl or mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sour cream. It's really important for the cream cheese to be at room temperature or this recipe will be a disaster. That's only a slight overstatement.

Then add your can of undrained green chiles. They give this such amazing flavor. Don't worry, it's not spicy (yet).

Since I was making this for a crowd (that included children) I did half the mixture with just the green chiles and to the other half I added a 1/2 tsp diced chipotle peppers. This stuff is HOT, so use a little bit, test it, and then add more if you want. It's the kind of heat that builds, so be careful.

If these were just for me, by the way, I would have added at least a tablespoon of the stuff. I walk on the wild side.

Also, I was super jazzed to find chipotles in a jar. My grocery store usually only has a can. I only ever need a little of this at a time, so I wind up throwing most of it out because I have anxiety that it's going bad. The jar goes a long way to ease my anxiety. It's the little things.

ROLL EM UP: Take your tortilla and spread a few tablespoons of filling. Put a lot of it on one side, and less on the opposite side. You can see below I filled up the left and have less on the right.

Just roll it up snugly. Not too tight, lest we squish out all of that delicious filling. 

I just realized I'm not wearing my wedding ring in this photo. For all of the single men that follow this blog (ha!) sorry to disappoint, but I am in fact taken.

Ta da! Resist the urge to eat it right now. It'll be tough. I'll pray for you.

Once you've rolled all 10, marvel at your ability to portion out this filling just right. And if you didn't get it just right, nobody has to know. It'll be our little secret.

I've been known to eat the filling out of the bowl with a spoon. It's my prerogative.

Chill these in the fridge for at least a couple of hours. It not only tastes better cold, but it makes them much easier to cut in the next step.

CUT AND SERVE: Use a serrated knife and cut the rolls into fifths. Sometimes the filling doesn't really make it all the way to the end pieces, so I've been known to trim down the ends (and eat them) when necessary.

I used some card stock to make a handy guide to the heat level of these tasty snacks. Otherwise you end up standing over the food table all night saying "The pink ones are the hot ones. I know it's hard to tell which are pink. It's this one. No, not those. Oh, never mind."

Please pretend that bowl has salsa in it. You should serve these with salsa. I grabbed this quick photo before heading to the party. I brought my camera and had great intentions of taking a photo at the party with happy party people eating this snack. But I forgot. Such is life.

Here's the short version for the folks who are running late to the party and need the recipe on the quick.

THE GOODS:

• 10 soft taco size tortillas
• 8 oz block light cream cheese at room temperature
• 8 oz light sour cream
• 4 oz can diced green chiles
• 1/2 tsp diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (optional)
• Salsa for serving

HOW TO:

1. Beat sour cream and cream cheese in a stand mixer using paddle attachment. Stir in chiles and chipotle peppers.
2. Spread 3-4 tbsp of filling on each tortilla, heavily covering one side and lightly covering the other.
3. Chill for 3 or more hours. Slice and serve with salsa.

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