chicken empanadas.

I can never tell if photos of food look appetizing or just like piles of disgusting. Either way, here was dinner last night. Paula Deen's chicken empanadas. Con quac and black beans y cerveza. Tried to get out of our little taco pie, salmon, or baked chicken routine. Dinner at the Johnson house is those three on repeat - mixed with different sides. But not last night!!!!

Yum! Paula says it's Intermediate level cooking - so here ya go if anyone wants to give it a go.

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken

1 package shredded Colby and Mont. Jack cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 tbs. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 package refrigerated pie crusts

Preheat oven to 400. Combine chicken and next 7 ingreds. (Make sure your cream cheese is softened - your combining process will be much easier) Roll out pie crust dough and cut out 3-inch rounds (with cookie cutter or kitchen glass in my case). Makes 12-15 circles. Fill with chicken mixture. Fold over dough and press edges, use fork to seal. Bake for 15 minutes!

The only improvement for next time would be, for me, to make the pie crust circles much thinner, for a crispier outside!