Steak fajitas foil packets

dinner last night

it never gets old.... cast iron skillet fajitas with the secret ingredient (shhhhhh grapefruit juice in the marinade). mmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm. worth every second of preparation!

fajitas

oh. my. yummy.

oh. my. yummy!

NEED:

Chicken Breasts--Boneless/Skinless 

Peppers

Onions

poblano peppers (thinly sliced)

Tomatoes 

Jalepeno (optional) 

olive oil

grapefruit juice 

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)

oregeno (i used italian blend) 

garlic powder 

salt (i used kosher) 

chilli powder

cumin 

tortillas 

DO: 

mix together in a big zip lock bag:

olive oil 

grapefruit juice  (about a half a small can full)

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes--2 of them) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)--i used quite a bit

oregeno (i used italian blend)--about 1 T

garlic powder about 1 T

salt (i used kosher) about 1.5 tsp

chilli powder 1-2 T

cumin- 1-2 T 

add chicken to bag and let marinade up to 5 hours--i had an hour so that is what i did

toss the veggies (minus tomatoes) with cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper. let them sit on a board all ready to go 

put tomatoes in a bowl so they are ready to go (1/4 to 1/8 of tomato chunks) 

put some oil in a cup/small bowl so it is ready to go 

preheat grill--turn one side to HOT and put cast iron skillet on this side. turn the other side to med-med high.

grill chicken breasts whole until BARELY cooked through on this side. when chicken has a few minutes to go, quickly dump the oil into the hot skillet and then throw peppers and onions in. Let "blacken" while you cut chicken on the bias. Add chicken to the pepper mixture in the skillet and let the juices all mix. when the veggies are almost to the texture/consistency you want, add the tomatoes and let sear.  the skillet is hot so i put all the mix into a bowl to bring inside.

fajitas

oh. my. yummy.

oh. my. yummy!

NEED:

Chicken Breasts--Boneless/Skinless 

Peppers

Onions

poblano peppers (thinly sliced)

Tomatoes 

Jalepeno (optional) 

olive oil

grapefruit juice 

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)

oregeno (i used italian blend) 

garlic powder 

salt (i used kosher) 

chilli powder

cumin 

tortillas 

DO: 

mix together in a big zip lock bag:

olive oil

grapefruit juice  (about a half a small can full)

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes--2 of them) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)--i used quite a bit

oregeno (i used italian blend)--about 1 T

garlic powder about 1 T

salt (i used kosher) about 1.5 tsp

chilli powder 1-2 T

cumin- 1-2 T 

add chicken to bag and let marinade up to 5 hours--i had an hour so that is what i did

toss the veggies (minus tomatoes) with cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper. let them sit on a board all ready to go 

put tomatoes in a bowl so they are ready to go (1/4 to 1/8 of tomato chunks) 

put some oil in a cup/small bowl so it is ready to go 

preheat grill--turn one side to HOT and put cast iron skillet on this side. turn the other side to med-med high.

grill chicken breasts whole until BARELY cooked through on this side. when chicken has a few minutes to go, quickly dump the oil into the hot skillet and then throw peppers and onions in. Let "blacken" while you cut chicken on the bias. Add chicken to the pepper mixture in the skillet and let the juices all mix. when the veggies are almost to the texture/consistency you want, add the tomatoes and let sear.  the skillet is hot so i put all the mix into a bowl to bring inside.

baked fajitas???

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.
Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until #chicken is cooked through and the #vegetables are done.

menu :)

sunday: make your own :)

monday: pork loin on the grill (pre-marinaded from store), grilled corn on cob and grilled baked potatoes. MMMMMMM

tuesday: warmed sandwiches, strawberries, chips

wednesday: cast iron faijitas, rice and fruit

thursday: 10 year anniversary :) OUT for a date!

friday: grilled chicken, roasted potatoes and broccoli

saturday: open houses.... :)

sunday.....breakfast? father's day huge luncheon?

leftovers

i am a huge leftovers fan for lunch but usually can't stand them for dinner....perhaps consumed way too many as a kiddo :)

however, the tin foil packets were ROCK ON and on purpose. i made leftovers.

monday i had enough "extras" to whip up packets for dinner and to make a HUGE "faijita" flavored packet for tuesday.

tuesday i took the fajita packet and made it into quesadillas. mmmmmmmmmmmm

now those are leftovers i can get into :)

weekly meals

saturday: cast iron grilled chicken fajitas chips and guacamole

sunday: mom day meal--blue cheese burgers, fresh green beans, roasted potatoes/sweet potatoes, fruit salad

monday: tb at a meeting. josh--french toast, bacon and fruit

tuesday--popcorn shrimp and sweet potato/potato fries  and carrots

wednesday: chicken fingers with panko bread crumbs, french bread and salad

thursday: turkey kielbasa, wild rice, fruit

friday: ??

saturday: my bday dinner with friends at the melting pot

sunday: grilled steaks/chicken, augratin potato tins, roasted aparagus, marinaded tomato salad,

pure awesomeness for a meal

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i love when my hubby makes ribs! they are fabulous! he started them at 9 am this morning for our 5:30 meal and they were awesome!  in addition, i created a broccoli slaw that was tasty too. (recipe below).

saturday: out for prom and a bday party
sunday: ribs, broccoli slaw, fresh fruit, herbed rolls (recipe below), baked potatoes, and ice cream sundaes
monday: garlic shrimp linguine, bread, broccoli
tuesday: warmed sandwiches, chips and fruit
wednesday--date with josh?
thursday: popcorn shrimp, fries and sweet potato fries, fruit
friday:chicken stir fry, homemade baked egg rolls, rice
saturday: blue cheese burgers
sunday: grilled cast iron skillet fajitas?

herbed rolls
need:
frozen roll dough--thawed (overnight or all day)
melted butter
italian seasoning

do:
cut dough into halves or quarters
dip into hot butter mixed with herbs
layer in a greased bundt cake pan
let raise for 45-60 minutes (covered with a towel)
bake 30-45 minutes 350-375 degrees

broccoli slaw
need:
bag(s) of broccoli slaw
ramen noodles and packet of seasoning
slivered almonds
garlic salt 
butter
red wine vinnegar
apple cider vinnegar
brown sugar
soy sauce
canola oil


brown the crumbled ramen noodles, almonds, garlic salt and sesame seeds in the butter in skillet. cool on paper towel and set aside.

wisk the vinnegars (about 1/4 cup each), brown sugar (1-2 tsp or so), soy sauce (1/4 cup?) and canola oil. toss with broccoli slaw. let sit.

right before serving, toss with the crunchy mix!
ENJOY :) (oh and i added chopped apples to the slaw on my plate...mmmmm)



Grilled cast iron skillet fajitas
NEED:

Chicken Breasts--Boneless/Skinless 

Peppers

Onions

Tomatoes 

Jalepeno (optional) 

olive oil

grapefruit juice 

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)

oregeno (i used italian blend) 

garlic powder 

salt (i used kosher) 

chilli powder

cumin 

tortillas 

DO: 

mix together in a big zip lock bag:

olive oil

grapefruit juice  (about a half a small can full)

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes--2 of them) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)--i used quite a bit

oregeno (i used italian blend)--about 1 T

garlic powder about 1 T

salt (i used kosher) about 1.5 tsp

chilli powder 1-2 T

cumin- 1-2 T 

add chicken to bag and let marinade up to 5 hours--i had an hour so that is what i did

toss the veggies (minus tomatoes) with cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper. let them sit on a board all ready to go 

put tomatoes in a bowl so they are ready to go (1/4 to 1/8 of tomato chunks) 

put some oil in a cup/small bowl so it is ready to go 

preheat grill--turn one side to HOT and put cast iron skillet on this side. turn the other side to med-med high.

grill chicken breasts whole until BARELY cooked through on this side. when chicken has a few minutes to go, quickly dump the oil into the hot skillet and then throw peppers and onions in. Let "blacken" while you cut chicken on the bias. Add chicken to the pepper mixture in the skillet and let the juices all mix. when the veggies are almost to the texture/consistency you want, add the tomatoes and let sear.  the skillet is hot so i put all the mix into a bowl to bring inside.

menu for the week

missed a few "eating nights"   last week due to crazy schedule or need to be out, so a few have been moved to this week :)

today: blue cheese hamburgers, roasted sweet potatoes/potatoes, fresh green beans, strawberries/red grapes
monday: tb appt so spaghetti and bread
tuesday:breaded chicken fingers (recipe below), cous cous (?) or wild rice, roasted asparagus
wednesday: mom b birthday dinner--grilled steaks, bread, fruit slices with fruit dip (recipe below), baked potatoes, steamed broccoli
thursday: awesome cast iron grilled faijitas, black beans, rice (maybe)
friday: grilled pork loin chops, tomato torte, fruit

Roasted Apsaragus
NEED:
fresh asparagus (i prefer the skinniest ones you can find at the store!:) clean and prepare them--easy way is to hold them and snap the "woody" ends off then wash under water)
olive oil
salt
dried herbs (optional)

DO:
pat dry the asparagus
put on baking pan
add olive oil and roll the asparagus around in it you want them to be coated but not too much oil on the pan
sprinkle with salt and herbs

put in a HOT oven 450-500 for 15-20 minutes. roll them occasionally :)

ENJOY



Tomato Torte (my mom in law made it so i do not have the exact recipe...but here is what i think....)
NEED:
big sliced tomatoes (i would remove the seeds and "pat dry" as well)
puff pasty sheets--thawed
olive oil
pepper
teeny bit of grated cheese
salt

DO:
roll out pastry
place tomatoes on pasty--make sure they do NOT touch
drizzle with oil
Bake at 350 until looks done :)
sprinkle teeny bit of cheese and just melt
sprinkle with salt and serve

fruit dip
NEED:
cream cheese
brown sugar
juice (normally i would use oj but mom b can't have it so i am going to get some pear juice from pears....)

DO:
whip it all together :)
Enjoy!

chicken fingers
NEED:
chicken breasts--bnlss/sknls
bread crumbs with seasoning (i am going to mix italian with panko and herbs)
melted butter or egg whites (beat a little)
DO:
pound out the chicken and cut into "fingers"
dip in the butter or egg white
dredge in the crumbs
put on a greased baking sheet
bake 350 degrees until done (30 minutes?)
enjoy :)

Grilled cast iron skillet fajitas
NEED:

Chicken Breasts--Boneless/Skinless 

Peppers

Onions

Tomatoes 

Jalepeno (optional) 

olive oil

grapefruit juice 

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)

oregeno (i used italian blend) 

garlic powder 

salt (i used kosher) 

chilli powder

cumin 

tortillas 

DO: 

mix together in a big zip lock bag:

olive oil

grapefruit juice  (about a half a small can full)

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes--2 of them) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)--i used quite a bit

oregeno (i used italian blend)--about 1 T

garlic powder about 1 T

salt (i used kosher) about 1.5 tsp

chilli powder 1-2 T

cumin- 1-2 T 

add chicken to bag and let marinade up to 5 hours--i had an hour so that is what i did

toss the veggies (minus tomatoes) with cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper. let them sit on a board all ready to go 

put tomatoes in a bowl so they are ready to go (1/4 to 1/8 of tomato chunks) 

put some oil in a cup/small bowl so it is ready to go 

preheat grill--turn one side to HOT and put cast iron skillet on this side. turn the other side to med-med high.

grill chicken breasts whole until BARELY cooked through on this side. when chicken has a few minutes to go, quickly dump the oil into the hot skillet and then throw peppers and onions in. Let "blacken" while you cut chicken on the bias. Add chicken to the pepper mixture in the skillet and let the juices all mix. when the veggies are almost to the texture/consistency you want, add the tomatoes and let sear.  the skillet is hot so i put all the mix into a bowl to bring inside.

Cast Iron Grilled Fajitas=Amazing

i had an awesome and spur of the moment visit from my cousin allison and her boyfriend jim yesterday--that is a side blog--they happened to be in the area so they stopped by.  we had a wonderful time visiting. turns out, jim (who i have known since i was a small child) and i have more in common than i knew! we both LOVE food and love to cook....might even call us foodies! he gave me this awesome recipe...and of course i tweaked it a bit. Enjoy! 

**disclaimer....i do not measure :) just go with the flow and it will be yummy!

NEED: 

Chicken Breasts--Boneless/Skinless 

Peppers

Onions

Tomatoes 

Jalepeno (optional) 

olive oil

grapefruit juice 

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)

oregeno (i used italian blend) 

garlic powder 

salt (i used kosher) 

chilli powder

cumin 

tortillas 

DO: 

mix together in a big zip lock bag:

olive oil

grapefruit juice  (about a half a small can full)

lime juice (i squeezed fresh limes--2 of them) 

black pepper (fresh ground is best)--i used quite a bit

oregeno (i used italian blend)--about 1 T

garlic powder about 1 T

salt (i used kosher) about 1.5 tsp

chilli powder 1-2 T

cumin- 1-2 T 

add chicken to bag and let marinade up to 5 hours--i had an hour so that is what i did

toss the veggies (minus tomatoes) with cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper. let them sit on a board all ready to go 

put tomatoes in a bowl so they are ready to go (1/4 to 1/8 of tomato chunks) 

put some oil in a cup/small bowl so it is ready to go 

preheat grill--turn one side to HOT and put cast iron skillet on this side. turn the other side to med-med high.

grill chicken breasts whole until BARELY cooked through on this side. when chicken has a few minutes to go, quickly dump the oil into the hot skillet and then throw peppers and onions in. Let "blacken" while you cut chicken on the bias. Add chicken to the pepper mixture in the skillet and let the juices all mix. when the veggies are almost to the texture/consistency you want, add the tomatoes and let sear.  the skillet is hot so i put all the mix into a bowl to bring inside.

while all this is happening--i recommend having your spouse "toast" the tortillas in a hot ungreased skillet for 5-10 seconds on each side and keeping them warm in the oven. 

i served with cheese and sour cream on the side.

you know it was good when jack told me it was good chicken....look at that clean plate. and luke devoured his  before giving me the thumbs up :)

SO TASTY! the grapefruit juice was a super tasty addition! bon apetit!