Eat a Fajita

This house likes Mexican food, a lot.  I make Mexican meals about two or three times a month, and I always try to find new ways to make it.  When I make my fajitas I usually use a seasoned skirt steak, grill it on the grill outside, and then thinly slice it and serve on tortillas. This time, I made them with leftover Filet Mignon that I had.  I tossed the thinly sliced meat with a little olive oil and fajita seasoning, along with peppers and sweet onion.  They turned out really good and because of the meat they were so tender.  

Making easy, fast meals is one of my favorites in the summer.  Summer is the time to relax without making food complicated and being stuck in the kitchen.  I like to relax after a meal and not have a kitchen and pots and pans to clean up. So this meal was given an A+ for taste, time and cleanup, because its done outside. 

I seasoned 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, one sweet onion  and leftover Filet Mignon, with one packet of fajita seasoning and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  All are ready to go on the grill.

Grill peppers and onions until somewhat caramelized and meat is heated through.  When they are almost ready, grab those tortillas and grill them up a little on the grill.  All done and ready to eat!

 

Stuff them and eat with a dollop of sour cream.

Awesome!

Awesome Vegetable Pasta Salad

My friend and I bounce different food and cooking ideas off each other all the time. We both have shared many old recipes and ways of making special food dishes.  Summer is here and to keep the kitchen cool and bellies full, lots of salads will be served over the next few months.  I usually back away from preparing heavy meals during the hotter months, I don't like to eat a lot when its hot.

So, my friend shared this great pasta salad recipe with me and now I will share it with you. It's great tasting, full of veggies, that's a plus in my book, and good for you too.  You can switch out the regular pasta for whole grain or wheat if you like.

Recipe below. 

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I use Barilla pasta for my salad, I think its the best dry pasta around.  Fresh carrots, red and yellow bell peppers and English cucumbers.  The colors all mixed together are so pretty!

 Get the salted pasta water going on the stove and when it boils, toss the pasta in and stir.  I make mine al dente so they hold up in the salad.

 And while that water is coming to a boil, cut up those veggies and set aside.  I also use a can of black sliced olives in my salad.

 Drain the pasta when it's done, and run cold water through it until it's cooled.  Don't worry, you don't need that starch in there, rinse it off!

 Toss the pasta with the veggies in a large storage container. 

 Add cheeses.......

 and the golden Italian Dressing, it's the best.  Toss all together and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 lb. box of Barilla Pasta

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

3 whole carrots

1 large English cucumber

1 small can of sliced black olives, optional

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups of any brand golden Italian dressing

Directions

Start a pot of salted water on the stove.  When water comes to a boil, add the pasta and stir.  While pasta is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Seed and chop the peppers, peel and dice the carrots, peel and chop the cucumber.  When pasta is cooked al dente, a little hard in the center,  drain and run under cold water until cooled.  Make sure pasta is completely drained and transfer to a large storage container.  Toss the veggies and olives in and mix together.  Add the cheeses and mix. Add the dressing and stir it in.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Salad may need extra dressing as it may be absorbed by the pasta.

Grilled Chicken, Roasted Peppers, Provolone And Basil Sandwiches

As I have said before, my sons bring home a lot of bread from their jobs.  I try to find different ways to use it so it does not go to waste.  My youngest son, who works in the Italian bakery, brought me home two rustic loaves of Italian bread, so I made these great tasting, hardy chicken sandwiches for four people. 

I used four chicken breasts and grilled them with a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper,  They got really nice and brown.

 I warmed and toasted the 2 loaves of bread in the oven, and these are the rest of my ingredients - fresh basil, roasted red peppers in olive oil and garlic, and sharp provolone cheese.

 Build your sandwiches when the chicken is done, then cut in half.   The colors are beautiful!

 Then serve to hungry mouths!  Pack it for lunch or a picnic, cut smaller and serve as an appetizer, these are so good and a great change to a lunch meat sandwich. 

Peter Piper Picked A Peck.....

Fresh fruit and vegetables are a staple in our house.  We make two trips to the grocery store every week to keep up with the demand.  We use fresh as long as we can get them throughout the year.  I was never a big fan of canned vegetables because of the salt and the process they go through, but hey when I absolutely need to use them, I do.   

I love colorful peppers, they are loaded with so many good things for you.  Roast them with olive oil in the oven, stuff them, use them in soups, eat them raw in salads or just by themselves, they are awesome!  All the colorful peppers do taste different, the yellow is the best tasting, the red has the most nutrients and is one the healthiest vegetables you can eat.

Berries, we eat a lot of those too.  Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, they are a very healthy food, full of flavor and you can also use them in so many ways.  I make jam in the summer, use them for all kinds of desserts, eat them on cereal, use them in salads, make salsa from them or just eat them plain.

GG's Hot Dogs and Peppers

My mother use to make this dish for us when we were little.  I know it sounds weird but try it.  It is really really good and the flavor is different than just an old hot dog.  Feeding four kids was tough back then so she had to be creative with food, and she was.  My mom was the best cook around.  From her homemade vegetable soup to homemade cinnamon rolls.  She could think up a recipe, just with the ingredients she had to work with, to feed us.  Never mind that sometimes she had food on the ceiling, which was part of her cooking personality, if it wasn't on the ceiling and every pot and pan in the sink it wouldn't be good.  Bless you MOM you taught us both how to be great cooks and to use our imagination in doing it, YOU were the best!

This is what you will need - hot dogs, cubanelle peppers, onion, tomato paste, crushed red pepper, oil

Clean and slice peppers and onion

 Slice up the hot dogs

Add to the peppers and onions

Add the paste

 Slowly cook it down

GG’s Hot Dogs with Peppers and Onions

 INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp. canola or olive oil

6  medium size frying peppers (cubanelle)

Crushed red pepper flakes or hot peppers (optional), if you like heat add them

1 Vidalia onion or other sweet onion, sliced in half then sliced down

2 lbs all beef hot dogs, sliced in 1 inch pieces

1 - 6 oz can of tomato paste

1 1/2 cups of water

Salt and pepper to taste. 

Crusty fresh Kaiser rolls

DIRECTIONS

Use a Dutch oven and heat oil on medium-high heat.  Seed and cut peppers into 2 inch pieces.  Cut the onion in half, slice halves down about 1 inch apart.  Slice hot dogs into 1 inch round pieces.  When the oil heats up, brown the peppers, onion, and add the crushed red pepper.   Add the hot dogs and cook until the ends pop out.  Add the tomato paste, water, salt and pepper and stir.  Simmer on low for about 1 hour stirring occasionally.  Serve on Kaiser rolls.

NOTE:  If sauce gets too thick add more water.