Oven Fajitas

I made these yesterday and they turned out great! I marinated the chicken and had planned to grill the meat. I was feeling lazy, and did not want to battle the grill so I stuck the casserole dish I marinated the meat in sauce and all, under the broiler. I was a little worried, but they turned out fantastic! I will definitely make these again, and again.

Oven Fajitas

Marinade:

3/4 cup olive oil
3 TBS Red wine vinegar
1 lemon juiced
2 cloves of garlic sliced
1 TBS chili pwd
1 tsp of cumin
Dash of salt and pepper "eye ball" it
1/2 onion sliced
1/2 bell pepper sliced

1 pack of boneless chicken tenderloins (cooks faster)
* if using chicken breasts cut into strips

Side Dish/ Topping:

1/2 head cut up broccoli (bite size)
1/2 sliced onion
1/2 sliced bell pepper
3 lg carrots cut up (bite size)

1 pack of fajita size tortillas

This is a recipe where it is best to marinade the chicken the night before or the morning you are going to cook.

Step 1-

• Gather all the ingredients for the marinade, chop marinade veg
• Mix up all the marinade ingredients and whisk together (leave out pepper and onion)
• Arrange chicken, pepper, and onion in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish
• Cover chicken with the marinade
• Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge until ready to cook
• Chop broccoli, carrot, onion, and pepper and store in the fridge for later (big time saver)
  

Step 2- Dinner Time

• Turn on the broiler
  
• Uncover chicken and broil (in the same dish with the marinade) for 20 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through (watch out the broiler can be crazy, I would check it every few minutes)
• Grab veggie mix you chopped earlier and arrange on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper
• Once chicken is done cover with foil and set aside
• Heat oven to 450 degrees and put in the veggies (should take about 10 minutes), they should be tender but crisp and green
• Heat tortillas in the microwave or in the oven wrapped in foil while the veggies cook
• Once veggies are done slice up the chicken and serve in warm tortillas with the roasted veggies!
  

I serve these with cheese, salsa, sour cream, and refried beans on the side.

Enjoy!

Enchilada Casserole

This is another one of my husband's favorites, and it is way easier than making a regular pan of enchiladas. If you like meat, cheese, and beans then this is for you. I will also attach a homemade enchilada sauce recipe in case your are feeling really ambitious!

Enchilada Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup of onion diced
1/2 cup of bell pepper diced
1 jalapeno diced (optional)
1 lg can red enchilada sauce
1 can pinto beans rinsed and drained
10 corn tortillas cut into strips
2 cups shredded cheddar

• Gather all ingredients, open cans, dice veggies
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Brown the ground meat with the peppers and onion, drain
• Spray a 9x13 inch casserole dish
• Layer the sauce, meat, beans, and cheese in the casserole dish (like lasagna)
• I do sauce, then tortilla, meat and beans, cheese, then repeat
• Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover, and bake for 10-15 more minutes
• Should be golden on top

- I serve this with chopped lettuce, tomato, and sour cream

Enjoy!


Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 tablespoons self-rising flour ( I use regular) 1/4 cup chili powder 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups water 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion salt salt to taste

Directions:

1.	Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.
2.	Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ten-minute-enchilada-sauce/

Meatballs (to go with your sauce!)

These meatballs go great in a pot of spaghetti or with sauce and mashed potatoes. These also work well with a sweet and savory sauce (can of cranberry sauce and a bottle of chili sauce).
This is also my recipe, so no siting necessary.

Meatballs

1lbs of ground round beef ( you could use ground chicken, turkey, or pork)
1/2 panko (can use more to stretch your meat)
1 egg
1/2 shredded Parmesan
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (can use TBS dry, but fresh parsley really makes these pop)
salt and pepper to taste (probably 1tsp salt, 1/4 of pepper, I don't really measure)

Gather all your ingredients, chop your parsley

Preheat over to 400

Add everything in a large mixing bowl and mix together (I use my hands)

Using your TBS form uniform sized balls

Arrange on a sprayed cookie sheet, (I use a broiler pan that drains) if you use a fatty meat don't use a sheet pan or you will have a greasy mess!

Cook for about 20 minutes, more for larger meat balls

Keep an eye on them they don't take long to cook. Slice one in half to check them if the juices run clear they are done.

Now they are ready to add to your tomato sauce, or any sauce. They are also pretty tasted dipped in ketchup.

Enjoy! Happy cooking!

Homade Basic Tomato Sauce

This sauce can be the base for loads of things Lasagna, Spaghetti, Chicken Parm, Eggplant Parm, Pizza, and so much more. This is my personal recipe, so no siting necessary.
Enjoy!

Basic Tomato Sauce

3 TBS olive oil
4 cloves of garlic sliced
1 large onion diced
2 15 oz cans of whole tomatoes (Marzano are the best, but expensive)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
dash red pepper flake (optional)
5-6 fresh basil leaves (may sub 1 tsp dry, but fresh is better)

Go ahead and prep all your veggies and have them ready for the pot, sliced garlic, chopped onion, open cans of tomatoes (don't drain)

Add olive oil to a large pot, I use a dutch oven

Heat your pan to med-low heat

Add the garlic to the oil (Don't step away! Burned garlic is awful!) Let the garlic "steep" in the oil for 1-2 minutes, them remove all garlic onto a saucer or small bowl

Add the onion to the oil, cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant and translucent (turn down heat if needed)

Add the whole tomatoes and all the seasoning (except the basil)

Bring mixture to a boil, boil 1-2 minutes

then lower heat to a simmer

The next steps are where you make some decisions:

• Cook the sauce for however long you would like, I've cooked mine up to 3 hours, you could even put it in the crock pot (with this method the whole tomatoes will cook down). Add basil at the end
  

or

• Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes and mash up the tomatoes with a potato masher, add basil and serve

or

• Simmer sauce for a while, and let it cool. Then pour it in the blender and puree for a smooth sauce. (Kids will probably like this)

Final Note:

In the Summer when all the veggies are in season I add pretty much everything to this sauce zucchini, carrot, eggplant, squash... If you choose to add other veg, saute them in the pan when you add the onion, you might also have to use a little more oil.

I hope you enjoy! The recipe is really easy, hopefully I didn't make it seem to complicated!
Happy cooking!

Baked Red and White Ziti

My first recipe I am posting is my husband's favorite. It is a Rachel Ray recipe. It is cheap, easy, and meatless (pro for some con for others). This recipe also makes a lot so it is a perfect Sunday dinner, and you will have leftovers for those crazy Monday evenings!

Neapolitan Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti with lines
• 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes (look for ones from San Marzano)
• 4 to 5 leaves basil, torn
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk

• 1 fresh or dried bay leaf
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 large ball fresh mozzarella, diced
• 1/4 cup (a handful) grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Yields: 4-6 servings

Preparation

Preheat oven 400°F.

Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring up to boil to cook the ziti. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta, and cook just shy of al dente. Drain thoroughly.

While the water is coming up to a boil, start the red sauce: Place a medium-size saucepot over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring every now and then until the onions start to get tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and smash them up into small pieces with a potato masher or with the back of a spoon. Add the basil and season with some salt and pepper. Bring up to a bubble and simmer for 15 minutes.

Once you have the red sauce working, make the white sauce: Place a medium-size saucepot over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook for about a minute. Whisk in the milk, add the bay leaf and season with some salt, pepper and a couple of grates of nutmeg. Bring up to a bubble, turn the heat down to low and gently simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

Combine the cooked ziti with the red sauce in the pot the pasta was cooked in and transfer everything to a baking dish. Top with the white sauce. Sprinkle the mozzarella and grated Parmigiano over the top, transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/neapolitan-baked-ziti/