What Makes the Best Fajitas?

I'm somewhat of a purist when it comes to fajitas. The best fajitas I've had are from a restaurant near a mall in Arlington, I have no idea what the name is, I'll have to ask Cassie- we had so much fun there once that I actually wet my pants. Really, if you knew me, you'd know that is quite possible. Just because the fajitas sizzle on a platter does not mean that they'll be good. For example the mixed fajitas at Puerto Vallerta in Rexburg tasted like they were made with soy sauce. That's yucky.

So I offer you my list of requirements for a great fajita:

• Smokin' hot grill or cast iron pan. I use a cast iron grill pan to get the grill flavor, and I'm not shy about it.
• Steamed tortillas. When the fajita filling is about done I toss the tortillas on top.
• No fajita seasoning packet, salt and pepper or a grill seasoning will do.
• Skip the green bell peppers, go for the pasilla or "poblano" with onions and red bell peppers. Pasilla peppers are low in heat, lots of flavor, and cheaper in the winter. I think you'll love it. WinCo always has them.
• Fresh squeeze of lime. Always.
• Toppings allowed: Veggies, meat, romaine lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.
• Toppings never allowed, but loved by my husband: beans and cheese. That's for burritos.
• Toppings considered: Grilled corn salsa, cabbage slaw, and that's about it.

Ina has the best chunky guacamole recipe, we made it tonight with our fajitas with a little tweaking. Here is our interpretation:

Ingredients
4 ripe Haas avocados
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped

Directions
Halve and pit the avocados. While the avacado is in the peel make small vertical and horizontal slices to make a small dice then scoop the flesh into a bowl with a spoon. Add the lime juice, Tabasco, onion, garlic and salt and pepper; toss with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes and toss to combine. Adjust the seasonings as needed.

Make sure to cover it with plastic wrap placed directly on the guacamole. Great with chips or on your fajitas.

Ina and Penne Carbonara

I think kids will eat veggies if the veggies taste great. Ina roasts practically everything including veggies, and they taste so great! Everything from broccoli with garlic to tomatoes and onions. This pasta dish uses her roasting recipes to make one great penne carbonara.

Whole Wheat Penne Carbonara
Ingredients
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound roasted grape tomatoes
2 whole sliced and roasted onions
4 cloves of roasted garlic
1 pound whole wheat penne
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 good handfuls freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
12 thick slices pancetta or lean bacon, cut into chunky pieces
1 tsp crushed red pepper

Before you start cooking, it's important to get yourself a very large pan, or use a high-sided roasting pan so you can give the pasta a good toss.
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Add the penne to the pan and cook according to the package instructions.
To make your creamy carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat a very large frying pan (a 14-inch is a good start - every house should have one!), add a good splash of olive oil and fry the pancetta or bacon with the crushed red pepper until dark brown and crisp. Add the roasted vegetables give everything a stir, so the vegetables is coated with all the lovely bacon-flavored oil.
It's very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the tomatoes and onions, bacon and lovely flavors, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you'll scramble the eggs.)
While you're tossing the pasta and sauce, sprinkle in the rest of the Parmesan and a little more of the cooking water if needed, to give you a silky and shiny sauce. Taste quickly for seasoning. A handful of chopped parsley would also be delicious in the end.

Old Glory BBQ Slaw Completed

Tonight we ate the Old Glory BBQ Slaw Sandwich. Pork shoulder was on sale for .99 cents a pound so we roasted some up. I changed the slaw recipe to be the following:

• 1/4 Head of Green Cabbage, Shredded
• 1/2 Carrot, Shredded
• (I ran out of apples thought I still think it would be good)
• 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 T Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt

If you love the tang of vinegar, lightly coat your slaw with this and you'll have a nice kick to your usual pulled pork sandwich.

We also roasted some beautiful asparagus that is finally coming back into season, it was so delicous roasted with olive oil and salt and pepper in a 400 degree oven.

Love is: An In-Oven Digital Thermometer

I'm kinda embarrassed of my chicken photo because it is underdone, but I was just too excited to take a photo. Mike and I went to DownEast Outfitter Home, the gem of Idaho Falls, and found this in-oven thermometer for 9.99$. It was such a steal. I'm so happy to store this one in my top drawer. I know know exactly when my food is done, so no more praying it's done but not too done. The fear of under-cooking poultry has destroyed many chickens in my life. I'm cooking here my favorite Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken. One of my favorite one-pot meals.

Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken
1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme or 1 T dried thyme
4 lemons
3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Red Potato, Carrots, and Onion
1 1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Place quartered potatoes, onions and carrots on the bottom of a stock pot or roasting pan. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.
Slice the chicken on a platter. Serve with the gravy.

Old Glory BBQ Slaw

During my nanny days of DC I went to a BBQ restaurant called Old Glory in Georgetown. When you sit at your table they offer up around 8 sauces for barbeque from around the United States. I loved sitting there with a pile of pulled pork trying all the sauces. I remember not loving the Texas sauce (sorry- too much like chili). But I loved the barbeque sauce from North Carolina. I particularly loved the vinegar barbeque sauce that was the perfect pairing for me to the sweet roasted pork.

Here is my idea: I'll prepare shredded cabbage, carrot and add shredded apple. Toss it with the carolina vinegar and eat it on top of the pulled pork sandwich. Wish me luck! Here is my mental recipe idea:

Old Glory Slaw:
1 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 head cabbage sliced thin
2 carrots, grated
1 apple, grated

Mix first four ingredients together. Let stand as long as possible, at least 1/2 a day, but the longer the better. Combine desire amount with remaining ingredients, serve immediately on a pulled pork sandwich.