Taco Pinwheels — The Kind of Easy You Earn After a Hundred and Fifty Tamales

Christmas week. Kai, Danielle, and Tommy arrived Tuesday afternoon. Luna and Cole came Wednesday. River and Lucia drove down Thursday morning. Lily, Ben, Ada, Quoy at noon. Caleb and Miriam by one. Miriam's sons — David and Marcus — came at three from Dallas and OKC, separately, in their own cars. The house was at sixteen people by mid-afternoon Thursday. Tommy ran. Tommy is five and a half. Tommy has gotten taller since June. Kai's hair is grayer. Danielle's smile is exactly the same.

Christmas Eve dinner was tamales again. Rosa's recipe again. Terry directed from her chair again. Hannah and Lily and I assembled. Miriam joined us — she had her own tamale traditions from her family in Stilwell, slightly different masa technique, slightly different filling — and we made a hybrid batch this year. Some Rosa-style. Some Miriam-style. Some a fusion. A hundred and fifty tamales. We steamed in three pots. We ate. Terry watched. She said: more cooks. I said: yes. She said: more food. I said: yes.

Christmas morning. The cedar tree on the porch lit up. The presents under it. The tradition of opening one at a time, going around the room. Tommy at five tore through his presents fast and then slowed because the slowing was Christmas, the careful unwrapping, the watching of the others. He gave me a present he had wrapped himself in green paper. It was a drawing he had done of the property — the workshop and the house and the smoker. He had labeled them in Cherokee with help from Kai. He said: I make for Pawpaw. I cried. I cry every Christmas now. I have given up on not crying.

Christmas dinner: turkey from Adam Pigeon's farm, smoked by me; venison ribs; bean bread; mashed potatoes; green beans; bean-bread dressing; persimmon pudding from Hannah's recipe; Miriam's empanadas; David's contribution of pozole rojo from his Dallas neighborhood; Marcus's fry bread, which was good, and Terry said it was good, and Miriam was delighted that her son could fry bread for Terry Whitehawk. Sixteen people. The table extended into the living room. The fire pit went late. Tommy fell asleep on Kai's shoulder. Quoy taught Tommy three new Cherokee words before bed. The fire was the fire. Caleb stayed all the way through. He whispered to me at one point: a week from today. I said: you'll do fine.

We made a hundred and fifty tamales that Christmas Eve, and I would do it again without hesitation — but somewhere between the third steaming pot and the sixteen-person dinner the next day, I found myself thinking about what I’d make if I needed to feed that same room on a Tuesday in January, no ceremony, just hunger and family still lingering. These taco pinwheels are that answer. They carry the same spirit Miriam brought to our masa — a little bit of her tradition folding into ours — and they’re the kind of thing you can roll out on the counter while someone’s still telling a story and Tommy’s still running.

Taco Pinwheels

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling) | Servings: 24 pinwheels

Ingredients

• 4 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup canned corn, drained
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, diced (optional)
• 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup salsa, for serving

Instructions

1. Mix the filling. In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning until smooth and well combined.
2. Fold in the mix-ins. Stir in the shredded cheese, black beans, corn, jalapeños (if using), and green onions until evenly distributed.
3. Spread and roll. Lay each tortilla flat on a clean surface. Divide the filling evenly among the four tortillas, spreading it in a thin, even layer all the way to the edges.
4. Roll tight. Roll each tortilla up firmly into a log shape. Wrap each roll tightly in plastic wrap, twisting the ends to seal.
5. Chill. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight) so the rolls hold their shape when sliced.
6. Slice and serve. Unwrap each roll and use a sharp knife to cut into 1-inch rounds, discarding the uneven ends. Arrange cut-side up on a platter and serve with salsa for dipping.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 95 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg