Simple Chicken Fajitas

This is how I make my Fajitas, simple and tasty! I like to use fresh onions, peppers, chicken, LARGE tortillas and lots of sour cream and cheese!

Ingredients:
1 package of 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 large white onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese (i like Colby jack)
sour cream
1 package Large tortillas

First: Start by either grilling or pan frying your chicken (I did this chicken in a pan). Start the chicken first cause it takes the longest to cook properly. Season with any spices you want, chili powder and salt and pepper is what I use to give it a kick.

I like to chop my veggies into strips as so...

As the chicken is cooking, in another fry pan, start frying all of your veggies together. Stir occasionally. Salt and pepper again for seasoning.

Begin heating a cast iron or another fry pan over high heat. After everything is cooked, mix everything together in your hot pan to give it that seer! Use some stir fry sauce to pour over the top if you'd like. It adds a little flavor.

After you get a nice char on the mix, start building your Fajitas!! Start with the mix of chicken and veggies, then cheese, then sour cream, or however ya wanna do it. And no, I don't waste my time with Mexican rice or any of those other fillers. Enjoy! (goes great with a frozen marg!)

Egg and Cheese Nachos

This one is awesome!



This is a great late-night or party dish. Really simple and really good!

Scramble your eggs and add cheese (i use ched jack)
Salt and pepper to season
Pour your eggs over a bed of scoops or tort chips
Top with your favorite salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese

Easy as that

Pork loin flavor 'spolsion

Here is how i make my pork loin, usually in sandwich form but good just by its self also.



I like using the fresh loins from the meat dept at Hy-Vee but the pre packed loins would work too. Pork is cheap now so its a really cheap meal to make and it saves really well in your fridge.

I use a dry-rub on my loins. um... that sounds wrong, ANYWAY, take your pork loin out and season it with anything you have in your spice cab. I use cosher salt, pepper, season all, dried minced onion, chili powder, paprika, garlic salt, etc etc. Mix all your dry seasonings together in a bowl and apply liberally on both sides of the loin.

Sear the outsides of the loin in a fry pan or cast iron pan as shown. you want the outside to almost have a "crust" on it. After you have your flavor crust as i call it, put the loin into the oven at about 350 for 10-15 mins or until the middle has no pink in it.

Slice the loin thin and serve as sandwiches or just by its self. Top with your favorite bbq sauce! This is on of my favorite things to make as its so easy and cheap too.

Steak Sam-ich

Here is a sandwich that I made for my friend Sam. (that's where i got the name obvi) Its great for any occasion but best when eaten! :)



Ingredients

Gruyere bechamel:
1/4 stick of butter
1 1/2 heaping tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk (anything lighter wont mix correctly)
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp horseradish

Spinach Mayonnaise:
1 handful of spinach
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup mayo

Steak sandwich:
2 soft hoagie rolls
extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound rib-eye, finely sliced
salt and pepper

Make the bechamel cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly to incorporate - you do not want any color. Gradually pour in the milk as you stir, and whisk out any lumps. As the mixture thickens up continue to stir until it reaches a boil - this ensures the flour is cooked completely. Dump in the cheese and stir for another minute until the cheese is completely melted. Stir in the horseradish and season with salt and pepper, then set aside to keep warm.

Make spinach mayonnaise: Put spinach in a food processor with the lemon juice ans salt and pepper. Top with mayo and process until well combined. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning if its needed.

Prepare the steak: Take the finely sliced steak and shingle it out into 2 portions between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound out using either a saute pan or a meat mallet. after first pounding, remove the plastic wrap, fold in the edges so that the meat is about the size of your hoagie bun. Replace the plastic and pound the meat some more. Store wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator. Now the meat is ready when you want to cook it.

Heat a large, flat grill pan, or skillet, over medium heat/ split hoagie buns in half, drizzle with olive oil and place onto griddle.

Take the meat out of the fridge. Peel off 1 side of the plastic and season with salt and pepper. Put this side down in the pan and then quickly peel off the other side of the plastic wrap and season again. Cook slowly in the pan until juicy and tender and just past pink in color. Turn the meat over and finish cooking to about a medium rare temp.

To serve, smear each half of the bun with spinach mayo. put a handful of leftover spinach on the bottom then top the with the steak and cheese.

Shun Classic Hollow-Ground 8" Chef Knife

This thing is AMAZING!! I bought this knife brand new off of ebay about a year ago and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It is the sharpest, most durable knife i have ever used and i use it almost every day. Its still just as sharp as the day i bought it. Sure its a bit spendy (163.00 suggested retail) but it is worth every penny if you spend more than 1 day a week cooking. At first i was scared to use it for everyday cooking buy quickly found out that other knives just didn't cut it! (pun intended) The handle isn't like normal kitchen knives, it has a ridge that fits into your hand amazingly. The craftsmanship in this knife is amazing, you can see all 16 layers of steel that they used in the knife. This also gives it a cool look. I will not buy any other knife besides Shun knives for my kitchen after using this one.

Here is one place to buy this knife if you're interested!

www.williams-sonoma.com

Astoria Sweet Lounge/ The Breeze Knees

This is a "sparkling wine" that's very sweet. It is a mix of 50% Prosecco, and 50% Moscato wines. It is straw yellow in color with bright greenish shades. This wine presents aromas of fresh apple and hints of honey. Delicate and sweet with well balanced flavors of peach and melon. Serve chilled in a white wine glass or champagne flute.

"The Breeze Knees"

Here is a fun, tasty cocktail that i came up with using this wine. Fill your flute half full of Welch's Strawberry Breeze juice and top with the Astoria Lounge. Also i think the name suites the drink. If you try it, let me know if you agree!

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

This will make a good 4-5 servings so get the fam together or bring some friends to help ya eat this one! also this is a fairly cheap meal, i made it for about 20$

Ingredients

3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
vegetable oil

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

3 stalks of celery

4-5 carrots

2 heads of broccoli

1/2 an onion

1 can of water chestnuts

1 can of baby corn

1 bottle of stir fry sauce

1 package of lo-mein noodles

Directions
-Cut up chicken into bite size strips or cubes, which ever you prefer.

-Heat enough veggie oil in bottom of large wok (i use my 14 inch wok) or fry pan to cover the bottom of the pan.
-Stir fry the chicken in the oil untill no pink is visible.
-While the chicken is cooking, start chopping away at the pile of veggies. I did the carrots in thin strips but you can cut them as you wish. Set veggies aside.

-When chicken is cooked, remove from pan and add more oil to cover the bottom of the pan again.

-Add all your veggies to the oil and add your stirfry sauce (I used about 8oz of Kikkoman stir-fry sauce).

-Stir fry the veggies until tender and add the chicken when the veggies are about finished.

-Serve on a bed of lo mein noodles.