Chicken Fajitas {My Way}

 

I love me some chicken fajitas!  About a month ago, my husband and I discovered our preferred way to have guacamole, and it, along with this fajita seasoning makes these chicken fajitas beyond fabulous! I'm addicted to say the least. We had these on the menu for 3 weeks in a row before I decided to back off a little and make them every other week for a little more variety!  :)

Seriously, the fajita seasoning really gives the chicken and peppers the perfect flavor!  Served on top of a flour tortillas piled with cheddar cheese, green onions, fresh cilantro, sour cream and a dollop (or two, or three) of guacamole these are just it! I'm writing this right before bed and I'm tempted to go make them now! The picture is making me salivate!  

Okay, I'll stop, if you promise to try them! I just know you'll love them too!

P.S. If you haven't planned your Cinco de Mayo meal check out these other recipes for some ideas of what to make. 

Sides/Appetizers

Restaurant Style Salsa
Guacamole {Easy Squeezy & Tasty}

Fresh Salsa 

Mexican Creamed Corn

Main Dish

Taco Salad

Super Nachos

Chicken Fajitas (this post)  (with this Fajita Seasoning)

Taco Soup

Dessert

Tres Leches Cake

Flan

Seasonings 

Taco Seasoning

Fajita Seasoning

Chicken Fajitas {My Way}
Printable Version
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts
½ medium yellow onion, sliced in half moons
½ green pepper, sliced in long strips
½ red pepper, sliced in long strips
2-3 tablespoons fajita seasoning (see recipe on this blog)
2 tablespoons olive oil, separated

Directions:
In a large non-stick skillet add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Over medium-high heat cook onion 1-2 minutes until partially translucent. Add red and green peppers and continue to cook 5-8 minutes until onions and peppers are bite tender.  Remove onion/pepper mixture from skillet and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and place chicken breast(s) in skillet, cover and cook on medium (or medium-low) until partially cooked on one side, flip and partially cook on the other side.  Remove chicken from pan and place on a cutting board. Cut chicken into strips and place back in the pan and cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. 

Add the peppers back to the pan with the chicken. Add ⅓ cup water and 2-3 tablespoons of fajita seasoning to taste. Let simmer 1-2 minutes until thick and seasoning is evenly distributed. 

Serve fajita mix inside of warm tortillas with cheese, green onion, cilantro, guacamole, and sour cream. 

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Lu, from this blog! :)

Fajita Seasoning Mix

 

I've mentioned before in my post about our homemade taco seasoning that we outlawed buying packaged taco seasoning......this is now true for fajita seasoning too!  We like it so much more then the packets you find in the grocery store, and the best thing is that I always have all these seasonings on hand. I usually make a few batches of this recipe and keep it in a storage contained in the cupboard with the rest of my spices.  

It's a cinch to whip up even if you don't have some sitting in the cupboard ready to use.   It literally only takes a few minutes. 

I hope you enjoy this flavor with your fajitas as much as we do!  

Stay tuned this week for my favorite way to make chicken fajitas! They go great with homemade guacamole!   Happy Cinco de Mayo this weekend!


Fajita Seasoning Mix
Printable Version
Yield: about 10 teaspoons
Ingredients: 
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin

Directions:
Combine the above ingredients in a small bowl or container and use as needed in recipes that call for fajita seasoning.

Recipe Source:  lightly adapted from food.com

{Easy Squeezy} Guacamole

I just started liking guacamole in the last few months. I think the reason why is that I've almost always had store bought guacamole, which can be absolutely disgusting.  I was reading the ingredient label on a package of guacamole made by one of our local grocers produce department. There was about 30 ingredients, a lot of which were junk.  I could taste all the junk, and that's why I even looked at the ingredients. 

Anyhow, enough of my blabbing, I am a guacamole snob!

So after years of not being too fond of avocados and thus, guacamole, I've come out of this funk after making my own homemade version that is fresh and tasty (oh, and easy squeezy)!

What I love about this recipe is it is simple, 6 ingredients, and it's really fast!  The best part is the taste (it better be, right?), I absolutely love the lime juice, it give it the perfect kick that keeps me coming back for more.    

We love this on tacos, taco salad, fajitas, burritos, or simply with tortilla chips.  Stay tuned this week for my favorite fajita seasoning recipe and chicken fajita recipe in honor of Cinco de Mayo!   

{Easy Squeezy} Guacamole

PRINTABLE VERSION {CLICK HERE}

Ingredients:

---

2 medium avocados, peeled and pitted

½ fresh lime, juiced (more to taste, if desired)

⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

⅛ teaspoon onion powder

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste) or ⅛ teaspoon taco seasoning

⅛ teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

---

In a small bowl add avocados and mash with a fork to the desired consistency. I like my guacamole pretty smooth.

Add juice from half a lime, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and garlic salt. Mix to incorporate.

Serve with tortilla chips, or have on tacos, taco salad, fajitas, or in 7-layer bean dip, etc.

Recipe Source: Lu, from this site! :)  

Original photo (updated other pictures 4/6/16)

It's fun to see how my food photography has changed.  

 

Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes

 

Leesh got me a cookbook for my birthday. It's the new Pioneer Woman cookbook, and it's chock full of pictures (I love cookbooks with pictures!), lots of step-by-step pictures. I love it!  I seriously can't look at it when I'm hungry though because I start salivating and then I want to eat it all right then! I love when I can see what a recipe is supposed to look like when it's done. I have lots of other cookbooks that have a few pictures in the whole book, and I really only make the recipes when I see a picture, is that weird? Or are you like me too?  

Anyhow, this recipe jumped out at me when I first opened it!  Lemon Blueberry Pancakes. Wow! Just the title was enough to get me reading what the recipe entailed.

What I love about these pancakes is that they are: light, fluffy, lemony, and full of flavor, and oh, yes we can't forget those fresh blueberries, they really top it off.  I was skeptical  if the lemon taste would really go good with maple syrup!  But it goes together well. I was glad I didn't have to whip up a special syrup or jam.  These are simple, tasty and will be regularly appearing for our weekend breakfasts!  

In case you aren't sure, I LOVE THESE PANCAKES!

I hope you'll love them too!

 

 

Lemon Blueberry Pancakes

Printable Version
Ingredients:
1 ½  cups + 1 tablespoon All-Purpose flour (or use cake flour for an extra light and fluffy pancake)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ cups evaporated milk (can add more if it’s too thick)
1 whole large lemon (juice and zest, separated)
1 egg
1 ½  teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 heaping cup blueberries
Butter and maple syrup for topping

Directions:
Heat skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.

In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

In another bowl, mix evaporated milk, juice of 1 large lemon (add more if the lemon isn't very juicy), and lemon zest. Let this mixture sit for five minutes (it will kind of curdle and look more like buttermilk), then add the egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix to incorporate.

Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredient mixture. Mix gently trying not to over mix. Add more evaporated milk if the mixture is overly thick. Gently stir in the blueberries.

Grease the heated skillet or griddle with a coat of butter. Drop the batter by ¼ cup measures and cook on both sides until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Recipe Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from my Frontier Cookbook

Oven-Fried Parmesan Chicken

This recipe comes from my mom (which she got from her Better-Homes and Garden Cookbook), it's a keeper for sure! You can use any kind of chicken cut you'd like, but we love it with drumsticks. The chicken is dipped in an egg/milk mixture and then into a seasoned mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and then baked! Ummmm! This is a great way to make an ordinary piece of chicken have some real flavor!

It's simple and easy to make, so I don't have much else to say, besides, enjoy!

Oven-Fried Parmesan Chicken
Printable Version
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup milk
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese (real or powdered)
¾ cup dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
5 pounds chicken pieces, skinned (breast halves, thighs, or drumsticks)
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted (optional)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease two large baking pans, such as 9x13 casserole dish. In a small bowl, combine egg and milk. In a shallow dish, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, oregano, paprika, and pepper.

Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture and then into crumb mixture and coat evenly. Arrange the chicken pieces in baking dishes, making sure the pieces don’t touch. Drizzle chicken pieces with melted butter (optional).

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink (170 degree F for breasts; 180 degrees F for thighs and drumsticks). There is no need to turn chicken pieces during baking.

Suggestions for what to serve with this:
-Baked Potato
-Rice Pilaf
-Roll & Salad
-Steamed Broccoli

Recipe Source: Diana K. via Better Homes & Gardens

Broccoli, Grape, & Pasta Salad

Being a pasta salad lover, when I saw this recipe on Pinterest it immediately made it on my dinners-to-try board. I just got around to trying it this week. Yum. I love it when I actually make/do something I see on Pinterest. It makes me feel so accomplished, even though I've wasted more time on there than I care to say. I love broccoli salad, and I love pasta salad. So, for me, this was a match made in heaven. The hubs doesn't love raw broccoli, or nuts, or grapes in his salad, so I was being selfish and kind of just making this for me, but it turns out he did like it! He even had seconds of this salad. I love the sweetness of this dressing with the crumbled bacon. It just works for me. Anyway, with the warmer weather we've been having here in Oklahoma lately, we paired this salad with some salmon and it was the perfect springtime supper! I think I'll see it popping up lots in our summer menu as well.

Pin It

Broccoli, Grape, & Pasta Salad
Printable Version
Ingredients: 


1 cup chopped pecans
8 ounces farfalle (bow-tie) pasta (next time I’ll use the mini bow-ties)
1 pound fresh broccoli 
¾ cup mayonnaise 
⅓ cup sugar 
⅓ cup diced red onion
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt 
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved 
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled (or bacon bits)


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. You could also used sunflower nuts, or slivered almonds...whatever floats your boat. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and immediately rinse in cold water. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems.Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans into salad just before serving.


Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Southern Living via Pinterest
(P.S. go check out the original picture--it looks way better!)

Pin It

Brazilian Feijoada {Black Bean & Meat Stew}

Feijoada (pronounced fezsh-wah-da) is a stew of beans and meat that is served in a Brazilian cuisine. This particular recipe comes some some of our friends, Danny & Marie. Danny is from Brazil and kindly shared this recipe with us. We were privileged to try it made by his wife, and now we're hooked! Often times when I ask Steven what he'd like on the menu, this dish is one he'll request.

It's amazing to me what flavor this dish has, the ingredient list isn't too complex, and the flavor is amazing. Cooked in a crock-pot, this dish is one of those easy, throw together meals that will please any crowd or company!

I am no professed Brazilian cook, but this Feijoada and Pão de Queijo (a Brazilian cheese puff bread) are two dishes that have been incorporated into our family menu that will stay forever! I will be posting hot to make Pão de Queijo in a few weeks, so stay tuned!

If you haven't tried Brazilian food, this is a great recipe to start with! And in the words of Danny, "Enjoy this manna from heaven (Brazil)!!!"

Brazilian Feijoada {Black Bean & Meat Stew}
(pronounced fezsh-wah-da)
Printable Version

1 pound dried black beans
1 pound diced ham (fully cooked)
1-2 pounds total 100% beef polish sausage, fully cooked (Hillshire Farms is a good brand)
½-1 yellow onion, diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Rinse and sort beans. Soak beans in water, covering beans by 1-2 inches, overnight in 6 quart crock-pot. In the morning mix everything except the sausage, into the crock pot with water enough to cover ingredients by 2-3 inches. Cook on low for 4-5 hrs, adding water if needed. Slice sausage and to crock-pot, and cook for another 4-5 hrs. The longer it cooks, the softer and tastier it will be.

Remove bay leaves. If desired, thicken sauce by mashing or blending ½ cup of the beans, then add back into mixture. Serve Feijoada on top of rice. For the ultimate experience, heavily sprinkle the Feijoada with manioc flour (manioc flour is made from a South American root. The best source for manioc flour is a Latin American market/store. It may also be labeled tapioca flour, polvilho, yucca, or cassava flour. Manioc flour is gluten free.)

Recipe Source: Danny & Marie P., some of our dear friends

This is the original photo, new photos updated 4/6/16

It's fun to see how my food photography changes along the way.