Saturday
May 18, 2024 
Christmas is fast approaching, so it’s time to think about a party time favorite: appetizers.
When I am asked to bring food to a party it’s usually dessert because my friends and family know it’s something I do well. But a recent request to bring an appetizer sent me back to my cookbooks.
Truth be told, when I am a host, I am more interested in the main meal and dessert, so I pretty much just offer cheese and crackers or crudite and dip to start. Both are good and well received, but I like appetizers that other people make, so I decided to do some research to see what I could find.
After learning that appetizers have been around since ancient Greek and Roman times and were perfected by the French, I decided that maybe I should be paying more attention to this popular form of finger food.
Among the French, of course, they are called hors d’oeuvres, which translates as “outside of the main meal.”
Americans love appetizers; they are on many restaurant menus, and a starter to share whets the appetite for the main meal.
They can pretty much be anything you like, from chicken wings to tiny hotdogs wrapped in biscuit dough to bruschetta and deviled eggs.
My search brought me to pinwheels, also known as roll-ups, which are soft fillings spread across tortillas, rolled up and sliced. They can be as simple as cream cheese or as complex as chopped turkey mixed with cream cheese and dried cranberries. Dessert pinwheels can include Nutella hazelnut cream, chopped strawberries or thin slices of banana.
I found a lot of recipes that include ranch dressing mixed with cream cheese, but this recipe from inspiredbycharm.com appealed to me because it has Christmas colors:
2 packages (16 ounces total) cream cheese, softened
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 jar (4 ounces) pimentos, drained and patted dry
1 jar (4 ounces) green chilis, drained and patted dry
1 can (2.25 ounces) sliced black olives, drained and roughly chopped
2 green onions, chopped
¼ cup chopped yellow pepper plus a piece cut into a star shape
¾ cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
4 12-inch green flour tortillas
10 to 12 cherry tomatoes
Salsa for serving
1. In a large bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and the ranch dressing mix until evenly combined.
2. Then add the pimentos, green chilis, black olives, green onions, yellow pepper, and cheddar cheese. Stir gently until they are evenly distributed in the cream cheese.
3. Divide the cream cheese mixture on the four tortillas. Then, using a spatula, spread the mixture on each tortilla in an even layer. Keep the mixture a half-inch from the edge.
4. Roll up the tortillas. Set them on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until firm. Then using a serrated knife, cut the tortillas into half-inch slices.
5. Stack in layers to form a “tree.” Garnish with cherry tomato “ornaments” and a yellow pepper “star.” Serve with salsa.
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