Party Skewers

Are you hosting a New Year's party?  Or are you going to one and you don't know what you should bring?  Well these quick and easy little skewers are the perfect party app!

Servings: 10
Serving Size: 2 skewers
Points Plus: 5pp
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: n/a
Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredient List:
1 jar green olives
10 oz. Gouda cheese
10 oz. summer sausage
Toothpicks

Directions:
Dice the cheese and sausage into 1/2 oz. pieces (yes they are a little small, but you just need a taste of each ingredient to make the skewer complete!).  Assemble each skewer by starting with sausage, then Gouda, then topping off with a green olive.  Arrange on a serving platter and you're done!

Tip:
You can easily susbsitute in other items if you aren't a fan of summer sausage or Gouda cheese.  You could sub in salami or prosciutto instead of summer sausage and choose your favorite cheese instead!

XOXO Megan

Tortilla Pinwheels

These are a quick and easy holiday appetizer that will definitely be popular at your holiday party!  A good way to make these look more festive is to use spinach or tomato tortillas instead of plain ones - they you can serve a variety of red and green pinwheels!  My picture below shows plain tortillas, I couldn't find the other varieties at the store.

Servings:  25

Size:  2 pinwheels

Points Plus: 3pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes (Refrigerate overnight or for a few hours before serving)

Cook Time: n/a

Rating:  4 stars – Very Good

Ingredient List:

8 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 less fat (softened)

8 oz. sour cream, light

1 can (4 oz.) green chilies, chopped and drained

1 can (4 oz.) black olives, chopped and drained

1 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

½ cup green onions, chopped

Garlic powder to taste

5 flour tortillas (10 inch)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, chilies, olives, cheddar cheese, garlic powder and stir until well combined – make sure the cream cheese is softened before you start this as it makes it much easier to mix in.  Spread a light coating of the filling mixture onto the tortilla.  Beginning on one side, begin to tightly roll the tortilla into a pinwheel, trying to make it as tight as possible.  This can be a little tricky, but you’ll get the hang of it after a few.  Wrap each tortilla in plastic wrap and refrigerate ideally overnight or a good 2-3 hours should be enough time.  Just before serving, remove the pinwheels from the fridge and slice on a cutting board.  Make sure to cut off the ends (these will be only partially filled anyways).  Use a knife to cut each tortilla into ½ inch pinwheel slices and arrange on a serving tray or platter.  A sharp knife works best since it allows you to cut without smashing the pinwheels too much.

Tip:

Only spread the filling mixture over two-thirds of the tortilla.  As you roll up the tortilla, the filling will overflow to fill the remaining one-third section.  Practice makes perfect!  Your first tortilla might not be your best. :)

XOXO Megan