King Ranch Casserole in a Skillet #Recipe @PegCochran

King Ranch casserole is a wonderful dish to bring to a large potluck--it makes enough to feed a crowd.  But what if you don't want to make enough to feed 12 people?  King Ranch in a skillet is the answer!  This makes a generous four servings.  It's quick and easy to put together and this is a "lightened up" version of the original so you can indulge without guilt!

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers or 1 red and 1 green, diced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped  
3 cloves garlic, minced  
1/2 tablespoon ground chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour  
1 cup unsalted chicken broth or water
2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese at room temperature
1 1/2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken breast — approximately 1 medium breast   
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained or 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 small can green chilies
3 (6-inch) corn tortillas torn into rough pieces
2/3 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese — divided 

Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot and add the bell peppers onion, and jalapeño. 

Cook, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 to 9 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt and stir constantly. Continue cooking and stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, still stirring, until they are thoroughly coated.

Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Stir and cook until the mixture is somewhat thickened, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.

Break the cream cheese into the skillet and stir until melted. Gently stir in the chicken, diced tomatoes, torn tortillas, and half of the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

 If desired, place under the broiler to melt the cheese on top.

Optional toppings include: sour cream, diced avocado, chopped cilantro.   

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Amazon review: "Murder, She Encountered by Peg Cochran is a terrific quasi-cozy mystery and a terrific read for anyone who likes WWII era fiction. One of the outstanding things about this book, which doesn't always happen, is that the author kept us solidly in 1939 New York between speech patterns, history happening in real time, and social history as it was happening....This was an excellent mystery and museum piece, both. I highly recommend it."

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New York City, 1939. A rising star at the Daily Trumpet, Elizabeth “Biz” Adams has been sent to the World’s Fair—billed as the “World of Tomorrow,” a look toward a brighter future even as the drumbeats of war grow louder—to cover a robbery. What she stumbles upon instead is a dead woman, dumped into the Aquacade’s pool with a nylon stocking wrapped around her neck.

Elizabeth snaps a photo as the police arrest Joey Dorman, a gentle young hot dog vendor who made no secret of his obsession with the murder victim. Even though she’s thrilled that her photo makes the front page, the fear and confusion evident on Joey’s face are haunting. So Elizabeth vows to prove his innocence—or his guilt—with her partner at the Daily Trumpet, Ralph Kaminsky. Meanwhile, her romance with Detective Sal Marino is heating up, and Elizabeth is more determined than ever to follow her heart.

But when Kaminsky’s efforts to expose the real killer land him in the hospital, Elizabeth is forced to continue the investigation on her own. And as she tries to narrow down the long list of suspects, she discovers a dark secret running through the Fair—a secret some would kill to protect.