One Pan Sour Cream Enchilada Skillet and Spring

It's a beautiful National Day of Prayer, Cinco de Mayo and Spring day here in Colorado.  Birds were chirping quite early this morning and Theo could not wait to get to his sunny patio.  We have a new German Shepard puppy "Zoe", that moved in behind us.  Theo has not decided if he likes her or not but rest assured, he keeps an eye on her every move all day long!!!

Given that Spring has finally arrived here I hope, that means the bugs and bees have all hatched and are making their way through the neighborhood...which is never good!  I know right know they are all huddled together and strategizing how they can torment me for the next five months.  Since all our snow and cold snaps we experienced this season for such a long time, we like to now keep the doors open and get a nice cross breeze going through the house.  Yesterday afternoon my daughter gave one of her horror movie screams that a wasp had entered the house...just love those screams...not!!

To solve this seasonal challenge, I hit my favorite ACE Hardware and invested my hard earned $12.66 (because I had a coupon of course) and purchased the "Magic Mesh".  I know it may seem like a little "back country decor", but I'm pretty excited about it.  It's a win-win for everyone...I get fresh air in the house, Theo can continue to spy on his new girlfriend and my daughter can now save her vocal chords from those awful screams!!

If you're wanting to also spend more time on your patio this evening and less time in the kitchen, this dish is also a win-win!!  One pan and goes together so easy with awesome flavors throughout it.  It's a little on the rich side, so you can just add some diced avocados, tomatoes and green onions, then it will be a "healthier version" I'm sure.

One Pan Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Skillet
Adapted from heatherlikesfood.com

3 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. oregano
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
1 (4 oz.) can chopped black olives
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream
12 corn tortillas, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup colby-jack cheese, grated

Optional Toppings:
hot sauce
avocado, peeled and diced
tomatoes, diced
green onions, diced

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat until melted.  Stir in flour, cook for 1 minute and whisk in chicken broth.  Continue stirring until smooth and thickened, about 2-3 minutes.

Stir chili powder, salt, oregano, green chiles and black olives into the sauce and place chicken breasts into pan.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15-30 minutes (depending on size of chicken breasts) or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from pan, leaving the heat on low and place chicken on a plate to shred into bite-sized pieces.

Stir sour cream into the sauce and return chicken to the pan along with the tortilla pieces.  Stir until combined and top with grated cheese.  Cover pan and cook for 5-10 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

One Year Ago: Lemon Pound Cake with Citrus Glaze
Two Years Ago: Margarita Cupcakes

Portillo's Chopped Salad...Possibilities of Spring

We are finally starting to see the early signs of spring...I hope!!)  These sweet little buds showed up near our driveway last week on all the bushes.  Unfortunately I made the mistake of looking at the weather forecast for this upcoming week...rain and snow.  So, true to Colorado weather, we truly never know what is going to show up.  Oh well, "spring" was nice while it lasted this weekend.

Since we were enjoying our short stint of sunny spring weather, we decided to grill a flatiron steak and enjoy a fresh salad.  Portillo's was one of our favorite road trip dinner stops in California.  The restaurant was about an hour from our house and it was perfect for the last stop before heading home after a long day on the road with family and not wanting to make dinner upon arrival.

It's a super easy and very flavorful salad, full of color and textures.  In my opinion, there's nothing like a great chopped salad. Even though they take more time to prepare, I just love all the small delicious bites. This salad would be perfect to serve if you are hosting an upcoming Easter brunch or even a summer backyard BBQ...when the snow finally melts that is.

Portillo's Copycat Chopped Salad
Serves 10 to 12

Dressing: **
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Salad:
4 cups, cooked, drained and cooled, Ditalini pasta (cook according to package directions)
3 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups red cabbage, chopped
4 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup green onions, finely diced
2 cups cooked chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 4 ounce container Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients (or you can use a salad dressing shaker or blender) and set in refrigerator to fuse. ** I recommend to double the dressing, as it is a very large salad or you can always decrease the salad portion by half also though.

While the dressing is chilling, to assemble the salad, in a very large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients and toss well.  Shake dressing vigorously and drizzle all over the salad and toss again to incorporate.

Enjoy and Keep Those Sunny Spring Thoughts!!

One Year Ago: Luck of The Irish Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: Simply Salmon with Shrimp Tortellini