Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Chicken and Ranch Pinwheel Appetizers

I love pretty little appetizers - especially this time of year.  A favorite dinner here is a tapas or small plates night and I love mixing meatless and chicken/pork based appetizers for a great dinner with friends.  During Lent, any recipe I can convert to meatless becomes my new BFF and while this does feature chicken, it can be almost as tasty without it.

I love the look of a classic pinwheel but some of the ones I've had in the past are either too bland or they can taste like health food....which is never a good flavor.  Ever.  Here is a little twist on a classic pinwheel using a few of my favorite flavors: ranch, chicken, and roasted red bell pepper.

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened ($1.00)
1 T. each: parmesan and butter ($.25)
1/2 packet ranch or buttermilk ranch salad dressing mix ($.30)
1 clove garlic, minced ($.05)
1/2 roasted red bell pepper, minced ($.15)
3/4 C. shredded or finely chopped cooked chicken ($.50)
2 packages premade crescent rolls ($2.00)
Ranch dressing for dipping (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients except crescent rolls together until well blended.
Divide mixture in 2 equal parts.
Press seams together on crescent roll dough and spread evenly with mixture.
Roll each rectangle into a tight spiral, and brush the edges with water.  Press seam side to make a tight seal.
Cut into 8-12 slices - place spiral side up on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until crescent rolls are nicely browned. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping, if desired.

Yields: 16-24 appetizers
Cost: $4.25
Cost per pinwheel: $.26