Chicken Fajitas (and homemade seasonings)

Easy, quick and delicious, these are a perfect weeknight meal. Although you could certainly use a fajita seasoning packet, the homemade spice mix I used is easy as can be and uses spices found in any Mexican-food-lover's pantry. I have also included the recipe I use for homemade taco seasoning. They both make enough to season several batches of fajitas or tacos, so you can just make them up and store them for the next time!

Chicken Fajitas

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" strips (or use beef if you prefer)

4 tb. canola oil, divided

fajita seasoning (4 1/2 tb. homemade, or 1 packet)

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 medium onion, cut into strips

10 corn or flour tortillas

1 c. grated cheese

In large saute pan, heat 2 tb. of the oil over medium-high heat. Saute peppers and onions until crisp-tender and nicely browned (even some smoky black parts are great on these babies!). Remove from pan and set aside. Heat remaining 2 tb. oil over medium-high heat. Toss chicken pieces in fajita seasoning, then saute in pan until chicken is cooked through (about 5-7 minutes). Add peppers and onions back to pan, toss and heat until warmed through. Serve in warm flour tortillas with grated cheese.

Fajita Seasoning

3 tb. cornstarch

2 tb. chili powder

1 tb. salt

1 tb. paprika

1 tb. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1 1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. cumin

Mix all together, store in airtight container. Makes enough for 3 batches of fajitas (use 4 1/2 tb. mix for each pound of meat).

Taco Seasoning

2 tb. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. paprika

3 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. black pepper

Mix all together, store in airtight container. Makes enough for 4 batches of tacos (use 4 tsp. mix for each pound of ground beef or chicken chunks). To prepare, cook 1 lb. meat until browned and cooked through. Add 4 tsp. taco mix and 1/2 c. water, mix, and simmer about 10 minutes, or until almost all liquid is cooked out. Serve in hard or soft tortillas w/ cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and salsa.

Baked Brie with Apple Compote

I love Brie, so when I saw this recipe on Annie's Eats I knew I had to find a special occasion to make it for. I ended up making it for the baby shower my mom and Sarah gave me in El Paso. It was so delicious- everybody loved it! I ate the last piece warmed up for breakfast the next morning with a tall glass of milk (come on, apple cheese pastry for breakfast, that's healthy, right?).

Baked Brie en Croûte with Apple Compote

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut to ½-inch dice

¼ cup sugar

Pinch grated nutmeg
10-inch round puff pastry, rolled to ¼-inch thickness

1 round Brie cheese, 6-8 oz. and about 4½ inches wide, chilled

1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water
Water crackers, for serving
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples have released most of their juices, about 5-7 minutes. Mix in the sugar and nutmeg, stir well to combine, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 12-15 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Transfer the round of puff pastry to the prepared baking pan. Using a sharp knife, cut the disc of cheese in half horizontally to create two thinner discs. Place the bottom disc in the center of the puff pastry round. Spread about half of the apple compote over the surface of the cheese. Top with the remaining cheese disc. Layer with the remaining compote. Bring the puff pastry up around the edges of the brie-apple layers. Fold and pinch the edges so that only a small portion of the top surface is exposed. Brush the surface of the puff pastry lightly with the egg wash.
Bake until the puff pastry is golden all over and crisp, 40-45 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes, then transfer to a serving platter with a knife and crackers.

Christmas Crackles & Orange Ricotta Cookies

"Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver, and the other gold."

This is the Christmas cookie I remember making every year with my mom, without fail. The recipe was handed down from my grandma, Mimi. These are so good, and I can't believe I haven't posted them here before! It's just not Christmas without a plate of Crackles! They are also fun to make with the kids- they love to roll them and then coat them in the powdered sugar. Make sure to plan ahead- the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight.

Chocolate Crackles
4 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
½ c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ c. chopped walnuts (optional, I don’t like nuts in cookies, so I never use them)
powdered sugar, for rolling
Cream oil and sugar, mix in melted chocolate. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Add nuts if desired. Cover bowl and chill in fridge overnight (or at least 4 hours). Shape dough into small balls (about 1"), and roll in powdered sugar. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen.


I love the chocolate-orange flavor combo, so when I saw this recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod, I knew I had to try it. I was a bit skeptical of the whole ricotta cheese in cookies idea, but I went with it and I was not disappointed! I used milk chocolate instead of dark, because that's what I had and I prefer it anyway, but I'm sure either would be great!

Orange Ricotta Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 orange, zested (1 tsp zest)
Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons orange juice
To drizzle:

1 cup chopped dark or milk chocolate, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until ingredients are combined. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and the sugar. Beat the until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, orange juice, and orange zest. Beat to combine.
4. Stir in the dry ingredients. Spoon the dough (about 1 tablespoon for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
5. To glaze the cookies: combine the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let glaze harden for about five minutes. Drizzle cookies with dark chocolate and let the cookies set up.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Creamy Potato Leek Soup

This soup is so delicious, it might be my new favorite! And that's saying a lot, because I'm really not a huge potato-soup fan. I got the recipe from the Sister's Cafe blog. The only changes I made were to blend the soup at the end of cooking (because I don't like chunks of potatoes, plus then my kids don't know about the leeks & onions), and then afterwards I added the bacon to the soup instead of putting it on top, so we'd all get an equal amount. Oh, I also cooked it on the stove this time because I forgot it was a crock-pot dish until dinner-time. I simmered it, covered, for about 45 minutes, instead of cooking it all day in the crock-pot. Then I just stirred in the evaporated milk right before blending it. It worked great!

Creamy Potato Leek Soup
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 leeks, washed, sliced, including white and light green parts
1 cup chopped onion
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk of celery, sliced
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tb dried parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic salt
2 Tb butter
12 oz. can evaporated milk
12 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled
sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
chives, chopped - optional

Combine everything except last 4 ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low 7-9 hours or on high 3-4 hours. Stir in the can of evaporated milk the last 45 minutes. Serve hot topped with bacon, cheddar, and chives. (If you have a family that loves bacon, like mine, then you might want to stir in the bacon at the end too... otherwise you might run out fast!)

Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadilla

Super simple and super delicious, I think this is now my favorite quesadilla. We like to eat quesadillas a lot, as they are so fast and easy, and how can you go wrong with a crispy flour tortilla stuffed with gooey cheese and yummy fillings? We like them with black beans and corn, cilantro-lime chicken, and spicy shrimp, but these are our newest faves. This recipe is slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman's blog.

Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas

2 chicken breasts

cajun seasoning

fresh or canned pineapple, cut in chunks

bbq sauce

2 c. grated cheese

10 flour tortillas

nacho jalapeno slices, optional

Sprinkle chicken liberally with seasoning, then grill or pan-fry until cooked through. Cut into strips. Layer bbq sauce, cheese, chicken, pineapple, and jalapenos on 5 of the tortillas. Top with the other 5. Cook on an electric griddle or fry pan coated with butter over medium-high heat, flipping once, until cheese is melted and tortillas are crispy. YUM!

Barley Jambalaya

I got this recipe at a healthy cooking class Dustin and I took together back at CSU. It is easy, flavorful, and healthy since it is chock full of veggies and uses whole grain barley instead of white rice. Make sure to decrease the amount of cayenne if you don't like things too spicy, as it is pretty hot as is. The kids can't handle it, and it's even a bit much for me. So half the cayenne if you think you need to.

Barley Jambalaya

2 bay leaves

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (decrease if you like things milder)

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp thyme

1 tb canola oil

1 c turkey ham or turkey sausage (I use turkey polska kielbasa), sliced

1 1/2 c onion, diced

1 c celery, sliced

1 c green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz canned tomatoes, diced, with sauce

5 c water or broth

2 c barley, uncooked

leftover cooked chicken, optional (I never use this)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together 1st 6 ingredients (spices) and set aside. Heat oil in large oven-proof saucepot or dutch oven. Cook onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and meats for 5-10 minutes, stirring. Add tomatoes, water or broth and barley. Mix and bring to boil, stirring often. Add spices and any leftover chicken, stir, and cover. Place in oven and cook for about 30-40 minutes, or until almost all liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serves 6.

Caramel Dip

Delicious on cold, crisp apples, this dip is perfect for fall. It can also be used as a caramel sauce for ice cream and other desserts. Package in jelly jars for a cute gift. YUM!

Caramel Dip

1 c. real butter

2 c. brown sugar

1 c. light corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

dash salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, condensed milk and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Mix in vanilla. If using as a sauce, reduce boiling time to 3 minutes. Keep covered in refrigerator and reheat as needed. Makes about 4 1/2 cups.