Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas - Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

This my friends is a whole 9 x 13 baking dish of goodness.  Yes it is.  Oven baked chicken fajitas that are so good, they knocked my other recipes from the weekend right off the docket.  How is that for a Monday?  You know what the song says, Monday, Monday, can't trust that day.  That is not always true.  This Monday worked out quite well.  By the way, hope you had a wonderful, restful weekend.

There were 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the fridge that needed to be turned into something.  On my recipe pin board on Pinterest was a recipe for oven baked chicken fajitas that I had been meaning to try for quite some time.  It is from a blog called Life As a Lofthouse@blogspot.com.  I made a few tweaks, but let me tell you this is a super hit!  A winner!  A keeper!  A we will be making these again recipe.  Some recipes I try from Pinterest are winners, others not so much.  Guess you can tell how I feel about this one.  They are as good as restaurant fajitas.

Tex-Mex is my favorite food.  I like Vietnamese, Thai, and Mediterranean a lot, but Tex-Mex is my first choice every time if I get a choice.  You know when you are sitting in a Mexican restaurant and they come out of the kitchen with a sizzling hot pan of fajitas and the smell of the onions and peppers waft through the air and you wish you had ordered that instead of enchiladas?  That's how your house will smell when you make this recipe.  Yeppers.  A winner.

This took only about 45 minutes to prepare which is awesome.  It's quick, easy and deeeeee-licious.
Here is what you need:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I used two cloves garlic minced)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1 large onion sliced (I cut mine in half, then sliced in half moons)
1/2 red bell pepper sliced in thin strips
1/2 green bell pepper sliced in thin strips (my peppers were huge, if yours are small use the whole pepper)
12 small flour tortillas

Toppings (your choice, use what you like)

grated cheese
shredded lettuce
chopped cilantro
salsa/diced fresh tomatoes
sour cream
diced avocados/guacamole
I added hot sauce to mine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

Put chicken strips into dish along with onions, peppers and tomatoes with chilies.  Mix the olive oil and spices in a bowl  Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken/peppers mix in the baking dish.  Toss to coat everything in the dish.

Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  I took ours out at 30 minutes while the peppers were still crunchy. (That's the way I like them) Bake 5 minutes more if you want yours softer.

Heat your tortillas and start filling them up!  Here is a picture of one of our filled tortillas.

Doesn't that look delicious?  So colorful.  Yumalicious!  Makes my mouth water looking at it.  We enjoyed ours with black beans and tortilla chips with queso dip.  Just like a restaurant only better!

This recipe makes a huge pan of fajitas.  It really was way too much for the two of us.  We will be eating left overs tomorrow and maybe Wednesday which is quite okay.  It would be simple to cut this recipe in half and still have plenty to feed 2/3 people.  My calculations say you could easily get 12 or more fajitas from this recipe.

Remember this recipe when the Superbowl comes around.  It's easy and so good.  Everyone will love it.  Remember this recipe when you want something for a crowd, or your family, or just because you want fajitas.  Yeah, Monday definitely won this round.  I love when that happens.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Once I saw a duck walking down the street so I went into Subway and ordered two pieces of bread, and they informed me that they could not do that, like there was some special rule at Subway that two pieces of bread weren't allowed to touch. So the woman asked me what I wanted on the sandwich and I said I do not care it is for a duck, and she was like oh then it's free. I was not aware that ducks eat for free at Subway. It's like give me a chicken fajita sub, but don't worry about ringing it up, it is for a duck.  Mitch Hedberg (Sorry, I couldn't resist this one.  I am still laughing.  donna)

 

Hash Browns, Regular, Smothered, Covered, Chunked, and Diced

It's Friday.  Hooray!  It's dinner time.  Boo!  What should we have?  I didn't want to go to a lot of trouble, but we were hungry.  For what?  It's always my decision somehow.  If I ask Dan what he wants, he always says "What do you want?"  So, I just may as well make a decision.  What do I want?  Something easy, but tasty.  Hmmmmmm.

Do you know what was on my mind?  Waffle House fried potatoes!  Have you ever eaten at a Waffle House?  We stop there often when traveling because the food is consistent, inexpensive and you can be in and out in nothing flat - not lots of waiting like there is at so many sit down restaurants.  They cook the food right in front of you, and they serve breakfast 24/7.  Yum.

Now,  you know,  I have never met a potato I didn't like.  Seriously.  But, there is only one thing better than fried potatoes and that is fried potatoes with onions.  The Waffle House goes a little further with their hash brown potatoes.  This is how they list it on their menu.  You can get them: Regular, Large or Triple,  All the Way, or:

smothered - sauteed onions
covered - melted cheese
chunked - grilled hickory smoked ham
diced - grilled tomatoes
peppered - jalapeno peppers (or you could use bell peppers)
capped - grilled mushrooms
topped - Bert's chili
country - sausage gravy

When you place your order, they yell to the person on the grill:  "one order regular, smothered, covered, chunked and diced" if that's the way you order them.  That is the way I fixed them tonight!
Can I tell you how good they were?  Well, I will.  They were amazingly good - and easy to fix.  It took me a total of 20 minutes to have this wonderful dinner on the table.

You could put any toppings you like on hash brown potatoes.  Yes, anything your little heart desires.  Here is how I made these for our dinner tonight.

First, I chopped a medium onion, diced about 10 cherry tomatoes (they're hard to see in the red bowl), diced some deli ham, and grated about 1/3 block of cheddar cheese.  Whatever you are going to add, have it prepared beforehand, because the cooking part goes pretty quickly.

I used 1/2 a bag (about 15 ounces) of frozen hash brown potatoes.  I try to keep frozen hash browns in the freezer at all times.  They are great when you want a meal in a hurry.  No peeling and chopping, which is what I usually do.

Using a large skillet, put in a good amount of vegetable oil and let it get really hot, until it starts to ripple.  I would say 1/4 cup, depending on how many potatoes you are going to fry.  Start with 1/4 cup, you can always add more if needed.  Add the potatoes and spread out in the skillet.  Add the onions at this time because they take the longest to cook.  If you are going to use chopped bell pepper, add it also.  These two items take the longest to cook.

Let the potatoes brown on the bottom before you stir.  Once they start to brown, stir them so that you bring the brown potatoes to the top and the uncooked potatoes are on the bottom.  Stir as needed with a spatula so that you scrape all that brown goodness off the bottom of the pan.  You know that crispy, crunch part?  mmmmmm  When the onions become translucent and the potatoes are getting good and brown, add the ham and tomatoes.  Stir thoroughly so they will get good and hot.  Salt and pepper to taste.  The last think to add is the cheese.  Sprinkle it over the top and let it melt.  Remove the pan from the stove and you are ready to serve!

You now have Regular, smothered, covered, chunked and diced potatoes.  This is a complete meal and we have left overs for breakfast.  I simply added some fresh fruit and a nice piece of buttered toast.  Just like the Waffle House only better because we didn't have to leave the house.   If you don't want meat, don't add it.  Add any ingredients you think would be tasty.  I would use red bell pepper, but they don't agree with Dan.  Needless to say, we didn't miss them.

Anytime you need a quick and scrumptious meal, think about trying a meal like this.  You could add eggs on the side if you wanted and make a complete breakfast for dinner.  These potatoes would also be great for breakfast or brunch.  They are so easy to make and so good to eat.  Yum. Yum. Yum.

Next time you want a fast, easy, tasty meal, give these a try.  You will make them again.  Yes, you will.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

You can fix this meal faster than you can drive to a fast food restaurant and go through the drive through.  Fixing food at home does not have to be a chore.  It can be quick and delicious.

Zucchini Cranberry Bread or Muffins

Oh, the post holiday catch up as I like to call it.  Restocking the pantry, doing grocery shopping and other necessary errands.  It is nice to be back in a routine, don't you think?  Today was beautiful and sunny with a temperature that was not too cold.  A light coat and scarf was all that was needed to enjoy the out of doors.  I was SO glad to see the sun.

My goal and motto for this year is to "simplify".  Yes.  It's time to pare down some more, lead a kinder, gentler life.   Why do we all have so much "stuff"?  When we moved here two years ago this month (where does the time go?) we got rid of so much "stuff."  Many, many trips to the Goodwill and Salvation Army, things given to those who could use them, even putting things out on the curb for people to take.  And where are we now?  Full to overflowing again.  How does this happen?  So, it's time to simplify, pare down, share what we have, organize and get rid of the unnecessary.  This is a process that we must stay on top of!  It is not only necessary, but quite enjoyable.

One of my chores yesterday was to clean out all the left overs and odd things that accumulate in the refrigerator.  You know that stuff I'm talking about right?  You have to get rid of the old, to make room for the new in your life.  In the drawer was one lonely, huge zucchini.  It was perfectly good and I wanted to use it in some way.  So, I decided to make some wonderful zucchini cranberry bread.  This is an easy recipe and is soooooo good.

Did you know that zucchini is really a fruit?  We tend to use it in savory dishes most of the time and think of it as a vegetable.  It's not.  It is delicious grilled, sauteed or steamed.  There are so many uses for zucchini and it is super nutritious.  Zucchini also makes a super sweet, delicious bread.

To add to the flavor, I added some dried cranberries.  Do you like cranberries?  I happen to love them - that combination of tart and sweetness from the berries is very appealing and yummy to me.  Did you know that cranberries are white until they ripen?  Most people know they grow in acidic bogs in the Northern part of our country and they are harvested by flooding the bogs which causes the fruit to float to the top so they can be captured.  But, did you know they are considered one of the super fruits?  Yes they are, absolutely full of anti oxidants.  Even better.  The more color something has, the better it is for you.

Cranberries are mostly associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they are available all through cool weather and dried cranberries are available year round.  They are a wonderful snack and can be an alternative to raisins.  If you don't like them, you don't have to add them to the bread.

Here is what you need to make this bread.

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2.5 tsp cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini  (I used a box grater, grated very fine)
1 cup vegetable oil
1 TBSP vanilla (yes, a tablespoon)
1 cup cranberries - if using fresh, chop the cranberries - I used dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Mix all the ingredients using a whisk or spoon.  Try not to over mix or bread could be tough.
Grease and flour 2 9x5 loaf pans or spray two muffin tins with cooking spray.

Fill each loaf pan 3/4 full.  Same for muffin tins if making muffins.

Bake bread for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If making muffins, bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center muffin comes out clean.

This bread is easy to make and is extra good with a cup of coffee or hot tea.  Even the grandsons ate it (just don't tell them it has zucchini in it).  After working at the homeless shelter, I feel bad about throwing any usable food away knowing there are so many people who are "food insecure".   So, if you find yourself with one large zucchini and don't know what to do with it, try this recipe.  It is worth the time and effort!  Better yet, share a loaf with a friend, family member or neighbor.  They will love you for it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Our life is frittered away by detail… Simplify, simplify.

Henry Thoreau

 

Fresh Blueberry Muffins - Yum, Yum

Happy New Year!!  Here's hoping 2013 is going to be an auspicious and fabulous year for one and all. We waved goodbye to 2012 and never looked back.   Everyone survived the end of the Mayan calendar (hooray) and we headed right on in to 2013 with a big smile on our face.  Can you see me brushing my shoulders off, waving goodbye as I forge ahead into the new year?  Here is hoping you can and will do the same.  Bye Bye 2012.  It was nice knowing you.

Now, the holidays are over and the gloom of January sets in.  Gray days.  Cold weather.  I'm really not a fan, but did you know that January is national soup month?  Yippeeeeee!  Who doesn't love soup?  I could eat it every day - seriously - even in hot weather.  Soup is delicious and nutritious.  You can get lots of veggies in one pot and that means you don't have tons of pots and pans to clean up after the meal.  If you make the batch big enough, there are left overs (sometimes for days) and soup tastes better as it melds and meshes all the flavors together.  Soup can also be frozen to enjoy at a later time.  Mmmmm, mmmm, mm.

During the "post Christmas let down", some of the family came down with the grippe, the creepy crud.  You know, the scratchy throat, hacking cough, runny nose misery.  Kids, parents, Pawpaw and Uncle Ty.  So Grandma whipped up a batch of home made chicken noodle soup, also know as Jewish penicillin.  Yes, science has found that chicken broth has medicinal value in relieving congestion.
(www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/10/001018075252.htm).  You can find a recipe for home made noodle soup on my blog post of September 17.  We just finished up the last of this batch for dinner tonight.  It is just perfect for these miserable January days.

To go along with the chicken noodle soup, I made a batch of fresh blueberry muffins.  Super.  Delicious.  Blueberries are known as one of the super foods high in antioxidants and are also really good for our immune system.  It's beneficial that they taste really good too.

Here is what you need to make these muffins:

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 - 2 cups fresh blueberries (dust with flour so they won't sink in the muffin batter)
1.5 tsp vanilla

Topping:  cinnamon sugar (2 Tbsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. sugar)

preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Cream the softened butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time.  Mix thoroughly.

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar mixture until thoroughly combined.  Add the milk and vanilla.  Add the flour dusted blueberries.  (don't skip this step, it keeps the blueberries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins).

Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.  Fill each cup 2/3 full.  Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.  Bake 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center muffin come out clean.

Let me tell you, these hit the spot with that home made chicken noodle soup.  They would also be delicious to serve for breakfast or brunch, or as an afternoon snack.  If you have a muffin monster at your house, give these a try.  It's a great way to start the new year.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

If you reduce stress, eat a healthier brain diet [singling out foods like spinach,blueberries and salmon], get aerobic activity each day, that is going to protect your brain and possibly lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease or at least delay the outset,

~ Gary Small

Cheesecake Filled Strawberries - Fabulous for New Year's Eve

Do you love cheesecake?   Strawberries?  Cheesecake with strawberry topping?  Then here is the perfect recipe for you that is SO much easier than baking a cheesecake.  Really, these are so simple and absolutely divine.  These would be perfect for New Year's Eve or a football Sunday or for dessert or just because.

Our youngest son has spent the last year living in California.  He made these one night for a backyard movie night and said they disappeared almost instantly.  I suggested he make some for Christmas Eve and let me tell you - they are as good as he said, maybe even better.

These cheesecake filled strawberries are really easy to make and here is what you need.


About 28 strawberries (we used 2 boxes)
1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
4 TBSP powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cut the tops off the strawberries, wash and dry them,  and hollow them out with a pairing knife.  

To make the filling, beat the softened cream cheese with a mixer until smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Mix until well incorporated.  Take a small zip lock bag and make a small cut to remove the corner.  We used a piping tip in the bag, but you don't have too.  It just makes it a little fancier.  Fill the bag with the cheesecake filling and pipe some filling int each strawberry.  Do your very best not to eat them all while you are making them.  That, my friend, will be a challenge!

Serve.

That's it.  How much easier is that than making a cheesecake?  You can also crush some graham crackers and dip the filled berries if you want.  We didn't want.  Your choice.

Not only are these beautiful to look at, they are amazingly delicious and easy to make.  What could be better?  Easy.  Delicious.  Beautiful.  Everyone will think you slaved for hours and hours making these.  Just don't give away the secret that you didn't.

While looking on Pinterest, I saw several variations on this theme and the one idea I might try next time is to dip the berries in chocolate after you fill them.  Chocolate covered cheesecake filled strawberries?  Oh my, oh my, oh my.  That would be somewhat like gastronomical heaven I think.

New Year's Eve is just around the corner and you might really want to consider these.  They are fruit after all and everyone needs fruit.  Right?  And, some cheesecake.  Right?  And, maybe some chocolate.  Right?  In these you get all three in one delicious bite.

Give these a try.  You are going to be SO glad you did and if you have to eat gluten free, these are right up your alley.  Just make sure your vanilla is gluten free.  Make.  Eat.  Enjoy.   It will make ringing in the New Year that much more enjoyable.  Thanks Tyler!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

It's time to ring out the old and ring in the new.   May we increase in wisdom, love, and compassion and decrease our fears and judgements.  donna

Next, It's New Years Eve - Try Some Spinach Parmesan Dip

Hello everyone!  We survived December 21, 2012, to celebrate a joyous Christmas.  Thankfully, the Mayan calendar just repeats.  Here's hoping your Christmas was wonderful as well.  Now that the hooplah has died down a bit (just a bit, there is more to come on Saturday), it's time to kick back and think about New Year's Eve.

Do you go out?  Do you have plans?  Do you share the evening with friends, family or just your special someone?  Do you have a potluck or prepare everything for a party yourself?  Whew, there is always so much to think about and plan.

I thought today I would start you with some New Year's Eve ideas for delicious snacks that we have been enjoying for years.  For Christmas Eve, I made our favorite spinach dip.  Our youngest son Tyler and I are BIG fans of spinach dip.  Since he was just a little fellow, he and I have always shared spinach dip as an appetizer when we go out to eat.  Actually, we have eaten spinach dip for our dinner on several occasions.  Why?  Because it is SOOOOO good.

This recipe comes from my St. Louis Days, St. Louis Nights cookbook that is one of my favorites.  The copyright in the book is 1994, so I have been making this delicious dip since then and it never fails to please.  Here is what you need:

1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 1/3 cups grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 jar drained artichoke hearts (optional - we love them)
salt and pepper
thinly sliced jalapeno peppers, optional

Defrost and squeeze excess water out of spinach.  Mix together spinach, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, cream cheese, and mayonnaise.  Season mixture with a little salt and pepper to taste.  (I actually don't add any).  Place in a greased casserole dish.  Top with thinly sliced jalapenos, if desired, and remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.  MMMM, MMMM, delicious!!

My friend Don's son got married a few years ago and I made a huge pan of this for his wedding shower.  It was a major hit - there wasn't any left.  Everyone wanted the recipe and so I gladly shared.  It is not only easy to make, it is easy to eat waaaaay too much of it.  I just keep telling myself it's spinach and spinach is good for you, right?  That's my story and I'm sticking too it.

This recipe is easy to multiply.  For Christmas Eve, I doubled the recipe for our family.  For Don's son's wedding shower, I made a roasting pan full and it tasted just as good as the original recipe.  Just make sure your pan is big enough to hold whatever you make.

Give this fabulous recipe a try, you are going to like it!!  Hopefully, we won't be buried in snow or ice come New Year's Eve and everyone will get to have a good time.  Here's hoping 2013 is a wonderful year for all of us!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.  ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Yellow squash, Onions, Rotel and Baby Spinach Satuee'

It turned cold today with really gusty winds blowing.  A few times I thought I might have to get out my ruby red slippers.  At least the cooler weather makes it seem a bit more like Christmas.  It's hard to get in the spirit when the temperature is 70 degrees.

Grandma has been working her fingers to the bone, let me tell you.  My goal was to hand make as many Christmas gifts as possible this year.  That means I have spent a lot of time at the sewing machine making puppet theaters, seat belt pillows, super hero capes and hooded towels just to name a few things - all for the grandsons.  We also made giant bubble blowers and beautiful beaded hand held bubble blowers that will be given with really cute buckets to hold the bubbles and a bubble recipe for making giant bubble solution.  Let me just say, I will be making myself a seat belt pillow (they are awesome) and a giant bubble blower.  Who doesn't love bubbles?  There will be tutorials coming for these things, but probably not before Christmas.  I am just frantically trying to get it all done.  The boys will be receiving a few things from the store, but the majority of things are one of a kind, hand made originals.

While sewing away this afternoon, I had to think about dinner.  What we were going to have?   I decided fish sounded really, really good.  So, I put some that I had frozen in a bowl of cold water to thaw.  You can find my recipe for fried fish on my blog post of January 12, 2012.  Then there is the proverbial question of what to serve with it.

Do you stand in front of your refrigerator and look and look, trying to figure out what to fix?  Then, you close the door, walk away, come back, open the door and stand there looking and looking, like there is going to be something totally different in there?  Hopefully,  I'm not the only one who does this.  While looking in the refrigerator for the second time, I had to get serious.  Hmmmmm, there was some yellow squash, zucchini squash, a bag of baby spinach, onions, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.  Decisions, decisions.  I chose the yellow squash and spinach and dedicated the zucchini for zucchini bread which I will be making later - recipe to follow.  Now what?

I diced up an onion and minced a clove of garlic.  I put the big sautee' pan on the stove and put a couple of rounds of extra virgin olive oil in the pan and turned the heat on.  This is one of those "wing and  a prayer" dishes which means I am making it up as I go.

I put the diced onion in to sautee' and cut the three large yellow squash into 1 inch pieces.  When the onion was nearly translucent, I tossed in the garlic and squash.  I let the squash cook until tender.  Now, how to flavor it?  I used a little salt and fresh cracked black pepper, a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar and dusted everything with grated parmesan cheese.  It was looking good and smelling really good.  Now what?  I opened a can of Rotel, drained it and added the contents of the can.  After letting that heat through, I added a bag of baby spinach and let it wilt down.  Not only was this dish colorful, it was delicious!  What a quick and easy side dish.  We all know that colorful food is good for you, full of antioxidants and vitamins.  Even better!

Here is what you will need to make this dish:

1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large yellow squash, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bag baby spinach leaves
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained
Grated parmesan cheese to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Dinner was quick and easy tonight which is exactly what I needed.  There is one more sewing project to be finished and then hopefully I am done with that.  There are still a few other projects that need finishing, but I am finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel.  Hip hip, hooray!

Do you have all your shopping done?  Gifts wrapped?  Cookies baked?  If you do, lucky you.  Me, not so much, but we are getting there - one gift at a time.  Saturday is cookie baking day with the grandsons.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

When things are hectic, you can still take time to make a delicious meal.  They don't have to be elaborate meals, just flavorful, delicious and nutritious.  Due to all the stress this time of year, it's very important to eat healthy food.