~Date Night 2/15/12--Fiesta!~

Ole!

We really like Fajitas.  Fajita salads, really.  I use this marinade and usually use chicken.

Ingredients

• 2 skirt steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño pepper
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Preparation

1. Cut the steak crosswise into 2 to 4 pieces and place in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over the steak, turning it to coat well. Marinate overnight, covered, in the refrigerator, turning once or twice. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.

2. Preheat the broiler. Remove the steak from the marinade, scrape off any bits and place on a baking sheet. Broil 4 inches from heat source for 3 minutes per side for medium-rare meat. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Slice the meat thinly. (For easy eating, the steak strips should be 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick.) To assemble fajitas, click here .

Read More http://www.epicurious.com:80/recipes/food/views/Skirt-Steak-Fajitas-240848#ixzz1mNRlgpJe

I make guacamole with fresh avocados, sour cream and fresh, store-bought salsa and a squeeze of citrus to retard the browning.  Frequently, I add extra garlic, jalapeno, and cumin.  Yummy!

For our cocktail hour, I will be making Margaritas!  Ole! I will serve quesadillas with them.

Dessert will likely be brownies (probably from a box; probably Ghiradelli).  I'll add some ground cinnamon and cayenne.  That's all you need to take your brownies "south of the border."  I'll top it with some fresh whipped cream.

So that should bring you up to speed on my cooking for the week.  Talk at you later!

Happy Cooking!

On the Menu

Well, it's Friday. Husband (Josh) may have to work late, but I hope not.

Today I am making quesadillas for dinner. This is the easiest thing in the world to make and can be almost no-cook if that's how you roll.

Ingredients:
cooked chicken--this could be any leftover chicken, a rotisserie bird, or you can cook it however
you like
flour tortillas
grated cheese--cheddar, jack cheese, "Mexican" blend
oil--olive, veggie, whatever you have on hand

Directions:
Heat your nonstick pan to medium-high. Brush (using a pastry brush) a small amount of oil on one side of one tortilla. Put the oiled side into the pan and top with cheese and chicken. Oil a second tortilla and place on top. When the cheese has melted, flip the quesadilla. Allow the this tortilla time to brown.

Options:
You can cook these in a panini press if you have one.
You can use whatever filling you would like--veggies, steak. I tend to make "fajita" quesadillas
and use my fajita marinade on the meat.
You can top it with whatever toppings you would like: salsa, guacamole, and sour cream come to
mind.

Speaking of guacamole. I do make my own, but I cheat a little. I mash my avocados and add fresh made but store bought salsa and sour cream. If I'm feeling a fiesta coming on, I'll add garlic, cumin, lime zest and juice. Actually, the lime juice retards the browning so that's a good thing to add.

That's my dinner plan. What's yours?

happy cooking, Kristen