what do do with a roast chicken

admit it.  how many of you have gone to google today and played pac-man?  hope you have because it brought out the kid in me, standing in front of the machines and putting my whole body into it.  it's fun.  of course i was much better at centipede. 

see these beautiful fiesta prep bowls?  (forgive the light - it was late and the ups guy just delivered them) i won them on a giveaway at trust your style. i adore them!!  can't wait to use them either - the bright color just makes me smile.

i realized this week why i don't make homemade empanadas more often.  they are completely yummy but so time consuming.  next time i think i will make it into a production line with friends or family.  the worst part was cutting out the crust rounds.  i took a short cut and used a store-bought roasted chicken and it made the filling sooooo easy.  but, you could plan ahead and roast a chicken to have on hand.  the recipe was simple and i think very changeable.  one roasted chicken, shredded and i diced it a bit too (three cups).  a couple of cups of shredded sharp cheese, four ounces of cream cheese (softened), a cup of diced red bell pepper, a tablespoon of cumin and salt and pepper to taste.  the recipe also calls for a jalapeno seeded and diced but i couldn't find the one i bought.  so, i drained a can of green chilies as well as i could, tossed those in and then added some chili powder.  i also added some sliced green olives because we love them - but if you're a black olive fan, you could go for that too.  i think the basic recipe allows for some experiements - like ground beef, drained well instead of chicken, maybe even mashed pintos or black beans (slightly mashed?)  i could also see some green onions or finely diced sweet onions (maybe sautee them a bit before adding).  i used pillsbury crust but one of my friends says she uses biscuit rounds. 

hope you're having a great week.  more thoughts later.