As the weather gets colder here in Iowa, I begin to count how many more dinners I’ll be cooking here before our annual Snow Bird exodus. With all of our short road trips and overnights still to come, I was shocked to see I only have about 18-20 dinners left to cook here in the Frigid North! (Actually…not frigid at all right now…It was almost 80 degrees here today! But we all know that will change in a heartbeat.)
Many people love to play video games, but I love to play “What can I make with what’s in the frig?”
We are headed to Indy tomorrow for some granddaughter facetime and Hawkeye football this weekend…so I wanted to see what I could make for dinner tonight that would use up lots of odds and ends.
So I started with these ingredients…
Left over cooked chicken breast, tortilla shells, sour cream, onion, garlic, chicken bouillon, Mexican cheese, 4 oz. cream cheese…
I sauteed the onions and garlic and dumped in the cream cheese…
I added the diced chicken breast and chicken bouillon powder…
I added about 1/3 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of water…
And a handful of the Mexican shredded cheese…
I threw in a handful of chopped parsley…
I dug through the veggie drawer and found some colored mini peppers and diced and added them…
Then I found some kalamata olives., I diced them and added them to the mixture…
I put some of the chicken mixture on a tortilla and added a sprinkle of cheese…
I rolled up each tortilla and laid them (seam side down) in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. And I added another sprinkle of cheese.
I was afraid the tortillas might get too dry, so I splashed on some left over heavy cream…and I covered the pan with tin foil I had sprayed with cooking spray to keep it from sticking to the top of the tortillas…
I baked the dish at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes…
And here they are! (I sprinkled the tops with a little chili powder for color.)
After I pulled them out of the oven, I shredded some Romaine lettuce on top, and added a dollop of sour cream and some delicious guacamole left over from last Saturday’s tailgate lunch. (Thanks Tracy H!) I had also roasted some fresh broccoli and onions, and I heated up a can of refried beans to round out the meal…
My hubby is used to my meals and he rarely makes comments anymore…but tonight he said these enchiladas were “really good”…and coming from him that’s a huge compliment!
One was enough for each of us…so these leftovers might actually make the trip to Indy tomorrow. And knowing our family there…I don’t think they will go to waste!
Like I’ve said before…”Waste not…Want not!”
Now…excuse me while I pack my Hawkeye gear!
ROAD TRIP!
Yummmmm!! I made as shown except didn’t have black olives In the house, but I did have Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce in the fridge so drizzled that over the top before baking. This “old” Lone Tree, IA girl, now living in Chicago, will be making these again soon!! I just discovered your website a couple of months ago, love it!! Grew up on a farm there in the 50’s-60’s and spent many hours In Kalona with my dad, especially at the sale barn. Now when I get back I love to make a trip there to several of the stores in Kalona and Stringtown. Wow, has I.C. changed, was just there in Feb. for a funeral in LT.
Welcome Elaine! I’m sorry it has taken me SO LONG to reply…but after spending our snowbird months in Fort Lauderdale we are now in the Outer Banks of North Carolina! Our family just bought a beach house here! We are preparing it to be available for folks to rent later this Spring! I’m so glad you liked the recipe and I hope you’ll keep following our adventures…wherever we are!! And for the time being be sure to follow me on my Meemaw Eats Facebook page where I’m sharing bits and pieces of our project here in North Carolina!
XOXO
Meemaw