Redemption Song

On the flip side of yesterday's cookie fiasco, I also brought a dish to the cookie bake to share with lunch (and later on at Bunco) that received rave reviews: Black Forest Ham Pinwheels from the recent Taste of Home Holidays issue. [And apparently, as the on-line version says, recycled from a Country Woman magazine by the same publisher.] I have to say that I've never gone wrong with a Taste of Home recipe.

I doubled the recipe and made them as listed (except I used maple sugar-cured ham instead of "Black Forest ham," which I expect is available at bigger chain markets). The Black Forest brand of ham probably gives them sufficient smokiness which these lacked. The recipe made 12 rolled 10" tortillas for slicing into dozens of pinwheels and I likely could have spread the cream cheese a bit thinner and made upwards of 15 rolled tortillas (depends on how much you like your cream cheese, which also acts as a binder for the pinwheels). This recipe would also be good with smoked turkey and dried cranberries or, forget the tortillas, just slather the cream cheese mixture on a bagel. Another good feature of the pinwheel concept is that it is ideal for making ahead for parties, wrapping and slicing later, and something different to add for lunchboxes (but thank goodness for our children's excellent hot lunch program!).

But I ask you, with all of the recipes on-line (free and clearly culled from the magazines or at sites where people post them) why is it that I still buy so many food-related magazines and cookbooks? Well, that's probably another blog's worth of rumination -- or years spent in a self-help group for food and recipe addicts. I won't even mention how many boxes of clippings that I have to go through and toss or file! Speaking of cookbooks, I promise a blog soon on recent cookbook gifts from Christmas -- these I am enjoying, with relish!

NOTE: Image © Taste of Home