Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Chicken Fajitas

I had leftover peppers and onions from Christmas morning omelets, so I whipped these fajitas up for dinner last night and they were a hit with the hubby and kids! The best thing about this dish is that you can do all the hard work (dicing, chopping, slicing, mixing, etc.) ahead of time so when dinner time comes and the kids are antsy, all you have to do is throw everything on the stove and it's ready in minutes!

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or steak (I used chicken tenders because they cook up so quickly and I always keep a big bag in my freezer)
  • 2-3 bell peppers (I used green, red, and yellow), stem and membranes removed and peppers quartered
  • 1 large onion sliced into 1/2" slices

Marinade:

  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
  • 3 teaspoons vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayanne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Method:

  • Pleace meat in a zip-top bag or shallow dish. Place vegetables in another. In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and whisk well. Reserve 3-4 tablespoons of marinade for later use. With remaining marinade, add a splash to the vegetables and the remaining to the meat. Marinate for 4-6 hours and up to overnight.
  • Preheat bbq grill, indoor grill, or large skillet. If you're using a grill, place everything on at the same time. If using a skillet, slice peppers and onions first. Cook chicken for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and remove from pan. Cover with foil to keep warm. Add vegetables and cook until crisp tender.
  • Remove vegetables from cooking surface and slice. Slice meat. Toss with reserved marinade and serve along side any or all of the following:
  • Flour tortillas
  • Black beans
  • Rice
  • Pico de gallo or salsa
  • Diced avacado or guacamole
  • Sour cream

*recipe from Our Best Bites

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Ruth's Chris' Sweet Potato Casserole

My husband has a serious obsession with Ruth's Chris and every time we eat there, we order their sweet potatoes. They are amazing! Even if you don't like sweet potatoes, you will love them at that restaurant. For Thanksgiving last year, I was assigned to make the sweet potatoes, so my mother-in-law and I searched around for Ruth's Chris' recipe and found it! They were so good and suprisingly so easy to make!



Ruth's Chris' Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients for the Crust:

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)
  • 1 stick butter, (1/2 cup, melted)

Ingredients for the sweet potato mixture:

  • 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs-well beaten
  • 1/3 stick butter

Method:

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts, and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Three Grain Muffins

My grandparents came and stayed with me for a week over Thanksgiving and every time they visit, my grandpa calls to make sure I have a box of All-Bran in my pantry waiting for him. I didn't want the box to go to waste after they left last week, so I found this recipe for bran muffins and it made enough to feed an army! If you make these, you can keep the dough in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and just bake a dozen or so every morning and you can have hot muffins for breakfast every day!Three Grain Muffins

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 2 cups crushed shredded wheat
  • 2 cups All-Bran
  • 4 cups buttermilk
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
  • 5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 5 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Method:

  • In a large bowl, combine the oats, Shredded Wheat, and bran. Add the buttermilk, water, oil, and eggs; stir for 1 minute. Stir in the brown sugar. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the oat mixture and stir well.
  • Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Peanut Butter Bars

I have 2 apologies to make. First, I apologize for the delay in recipe posts. It's just been a crazy busy couple of weeks. Second, I apologize for the crummy picture of these fabulous tasting bars. I had just enough time to snap this photo before my husband whisked them away to a church meeting. If you ever need a recipe on hand that serves a crowd, tastes great, and is easy to throw together last-minute, then this is it!

Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup creamy butter
  • 1 & 1/4 cups peanut butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp. rich vanilla
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups old fasioned oats
  • topping: 1 & 1/2 cups peanut butter and 1 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in baking soda, salt, and flour. Blend well. Fold in oats. Press a thin layer of dough into a jelly roll pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Drop tablespoons of peanut butter over hot cookie. Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips over top of hot cookie and let melt. With a spatula, spread peanut butter and melted chocolate chips over the entire pan like frosting. Let cool so chocolate and peanut butter firm up. Cut in squares and serve.