I suppose it’s possible that if the Chiefs ever made it to the Superbowl, I’d care about the game more. But considering I don’t really care about Chiefs games in general (and, let’s be honest, based on the past 40+ years, this is not a likely scenario), it’s doubtful.

So food and commercials it is.

Last year, I went a little crazy and hosted a Chinese New Year-themed Superbowl party. It was a lot of fun, but I won’t deny that attending a low-key party at someone else’s house this year was way easier!

I took a pot of [award-winning] chili, jalapeno popper dip (we can’t get enough of this; it’s so good!), and mini baked chicken taquitos.

Once again, I found a new recipe to try on Pinterest. (What DID I do before Pinterest?) But after reading through the first taquito recipe I found, I decided to figure out how to bake them instead of fry them. So my recipe is a sorta-kinda combination of Our Best Bites and Mommy, I’m Hungry.

I’m not even sure why I stopped at this recipe in the first place. I don’t normally like taquitos. I suspect it may have been the mention of BACON.

[Dear Weight Watchers leader, Please stop reading now. Come back when I talk about working out.]

But after putting a strangely large amount of thought into this recipe, I decided that MY taquitos were going to be awesome. Mainly because I wasn’t frying them (taquitos always taste more like oil than anything filling to me) and because I was using flour tortillas instead of corn. And because they have bacon.

Mini Baked Chicken Taquitos

2 cups shredded chicken
6 slices of bacon, crumbled
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
Dash (or so) of chili powder, cumin and garlic powder
8 large (10-inch) flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut each tortilla into three or four small circles with a cookie cutter (or plastic cup and paring knife, if you don’t happen to have a large round cookie cutter). The original recipe said to cut three circles; I got four out of mine.

Add seasonings to cream cheese, then combine with chicken and bacon (which you should definitely bake in the oven). Spoon about a teaspoon of filling into each tortilla circle and roll up. Secure with a toothpick and place on lightly sprayed baking sheet. Spray the tops of the taquitos with baking spray and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp.

For a dipping sauce, I combined about 1/2 cup light sour cream, 1/4 cup light mayo and some homemade salsa. I’d love to tell you how much salsa, exactly, but it was really a add a little and see how it looks sort of thing.

Because I had to bag up the taquitos shortly after taking them out of the oven, they were a little soggy when we arrived at our friends’ house. So we popped them back in the oven (at 350 degrees) for a few minutes, and they crisped right back up.

I’m happy to say these cute little taquitos were a big hit at our Superbowl party. Adults and kids alike gobbled them up. (Well, kids and husbands gobbled. Wives nibbled daintily, of course.)

What did you eat during the Superbowl?

Psst. Stay tuned for my Top 10 Favorite Commercials from the 2012 Superbowl tomorrow!

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green, Works for Me Wednesday, I’m Lovin’ It, Foodie Friday and Eat at Home Cooks Ingredient Spotlight.

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