Copy Cat Chili's Chicken Fajitas

I decided to serve a taco bar for my kids that came for Sunday dinner.  I looked up a copycat Chili's fajita recipe on Pinterest and thought I would try it. It actually turned out yummy so I thought I would share!

I had thought maybe I would just cook the chicken in a pan but then I thought how much better it would be on the grill.  Chicken doesn't take as long to marinate as beef so I marinated it for only about 4 hours.  It grilled up beautifully!

The extra marinade at the end of the recipe made a difference.  Make sure you use it.  Enjoy this recipe.  It's both easy and yummy!

Copy Cat Chili's Fajitas

      Ingredients: 

1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice

3 tbs. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. Liquid Smoke

3 tsp. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Salt

1/8 tsp. Pepper

4 Cloves Garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (it does make it a little spicy, if you like more mild add 1/8 tsp)

Steaks (I used 1 Flat Iron Steak 2-3 lbs). You can use chicken if you want. 

1 Onion

1 Green Bell Pepper 

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Orange Bell Pepper 

Marinade to make for later (in a separate bowl):

2 tbs. Water

1 tsp. Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp. Fresh Lime Juice

Dash of salt and pepper

How to Make: 

1. First you will want to make your marinade for the steaks! I grabbed a gallon ziploc bag and poured it into that. Add your 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, oil, garlic, soy sauce, liquid smoke, cayenne, pepper and salt. Then add your steak and seal the bag up. Mix it around a little bit. It needs to marinade at least 4 hours all the way up to 24 hours. The longer you marinade the stronger the flavors will be.

2. Next you want to add your marinade to make for later ingredients into a bowl to store in the fridge. You will use this once the fajita’s are cooked, you will pour this over the veggies and steak for a little more flavor. Combine the ingredients listed above for the extra marinade, water, soy sauce, lime juice, and salt and pepper.

3. Once your meat has marinaded long enough, turn out your grill, I used our Green Mountain Grill, and turned it to 400 degrees. It is okay to use a charcoal grill. You will toss your steaks on and cook like you would any steak. Once they are done pull them off, and let cool a few minutes and then cut into strips!

4. In a pan add a little oil to the pan and toss in your diced peppers and onion. Cook until they get a bit soft, it won’t take very long, 5 minutes or so. Once they are cooked, toss in your steak, and use that marinade you made and put in the bowl, and pour over the veggies and steak. Stir well, and serve!

5. I had sour cream, shredded cheese, and salsa on hand. Serve on warm tortilla’s, and enjoy!

Homemade Caramel and Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping

So I wanted to try a couple of ice cream toppings for a baby shower that I was going to.  I found these recipes on Pinterest.  What in the world did we ever do without Pinterest?  This hot fudge recipe is really, really rich and so full of chocolate that it should cure any chocolate craving that you might have.  I didn't have any Ghiradelli chocolate chips so I used a semi-sweet baking chocolate bar.  It was very yummy.  I hope you try it and enjoy!

 

Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients

·         ⅔ cup heavy cream

·         ½ cup corn syrup

·         ⅓ cup packed brown sugar

·         ¼ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         6 oz ghiradelli 60 % Cocoa Chips

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Instructions

1.     In medium saucepan, bring heavy cream, corn syrup, sugar, coocoa, salt 3 oz. chocolate chips to a boil over medium heat.

2.     Stir until chocolate has melted.

3.     Cook on low for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

4.     Remove from heat, stir in the remaining 3 oz. chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla.

5.     Stir until smooth.

6.     Serve hot or pour into a canning jar and cool before placing lid on top.

7.     Refrigerate after it has cooled.

8.     Heat before serving if you want a smooth pouring sauce or spread on at room temperature for a thick fudge like frosting or filling.

 

 

 

I wasn't real sure if I was in love with this caramel sauce recipe but I've decided that I do like it.  I think it would be twice or ten times better with some candied pecans sprinkled over it.  YUM!

 

 

Caramel Sauce

·      1 stick butter, 4 ounces

·      ¾ cup dark brown sugar (you can use light brown sugar too, but the sauce will be a bit lighter in color)

·      ½ cup whipping or heavy cream

·      1 teaspoon vanilla or vanilla bean paste

·      a pinch of sea salt

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INSTRUCTIONS

1.    Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk vigorously to combine.

2.    Add cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. Stir until combined. Serve warm or allow to cool. Stir vigorously, then store in refrigerator. Mixture will thicken as it cools. After refrigeration, warm slightly in the microwave or on the stovetop.

 

 

 

Shish-ka-bob Marinade and CRACK Rice

One of the very most favorite meals my family enjoys together is shish-ka-bobs and this most amazing rice pilaf.  My son-in-law affectionately calls it CRACK rice because it is so addictive!

I marinate the beef in this recipe but I marinate the chicken in Italian Salad Dressing.  We also do breakfast sausage and sometime brats cut into pieces.  You can put anything you love on a shish-ka-bob.  The beauty is that we let everyone make their own. Some make theirs with only meat and some have a little meat and more veggies.  You can also blanch mini carrots and summer squash in chunks and then wrap them in bacon.  MMMM! YUMMY!  We have a nifty shish-ka-bob cooker but we have done them on our gas grill as well. Go nuts! You will LOVE this recipe!

I cut the meat and add the marinade the night before so it has plenty of time to soak into and tenderize the meat.  You will notice that there is a LOT of salt in the recipe. The salt is what tenderizes the beef and it works great and tastes SO good!  Try it out and enjoys it completely!

Julie’s Shish-ka-Bob Marinade

*I usually do enough beef that I triple and sometime 4 x this marinade.  Use beef cut into bite sized pieces.  I usually use sirloin steaks, rump roast or beef chuck roasts

¼ cup oil                                            1 tsp. onion salt

¾ tsp. garlic salt                                1 tsp. oregano powder (I use flakes and crush it)

1 tsp.  mustard                                  2 Tbls. Vinegar

1 tsp. celery salt                                ½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper                                                1 small bay leaf crushed

Mix and bring to a boil.  Cool and pour over meat.  Let set overnight!

Rice Pilaf  (Nicknamed CRACK rice because it’s so addicting)

¼ lb. butter

2 cups rice

2-3 chopped green onions (or finely diced yellow onion)

Brown together and then add:

5 cups hot water

10 beef boullion cubes

Brown the rice and onions in butter over medium heat.  Be careful not to burn.  Add hot water and boullion.  Cover and put in the oven.

Bake at 400* for 30 minutes, stir

Bake another 15 minutes

Six Sisters Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

This wonderful recipe come from the Six Sisters and it is heavenly.  If you love going out for Chinese, this is a great way to have that restaurant flavor right at home.

 You are going to cut your chicken into good sized bite-size chunks.  Try to make them uniform in size so they cook evenly.  Some of my little pieces cooked to much and were tough. Dredge them in the cornstarch and then roll in the beaten egg.

Fry up in the oil just until browned all around!

I like to make sure there is only one layer of chicken rather than having them on top of each other.  Pour the sauce all over the top. Put in the oven to bake. I turn my pieces over about half way through the cooking time.   MMMMM  it smells so good.

The finished product.  It is yummy and sticky and so flavorful!

Dish it up with some rice and whatever other things you love from your trips to your favorite Chinese restaurants.  I have served it with fried rice and it is simply divine.  Enjoy

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients:

Chicken:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.  Place cornstarch and beaten eggs in separate bowls.  Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.  Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned.  Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, ketchup, vinegars, soy sauce and garlic salt.  Pour over chicken and bake for one hour

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

So I found this recipe on Pinterest and was so excited to try it out because I LOVE Texas Sheet Cake.  This recipe is yum.  If you love chocolate, you will like these cookies

The ingredients are mainly what you have in your pantry!

 Start by creaming the sugars and butter together and then add the dry ingredients.  It is a pretty stiff dough

Add the melted chocolate chips and mix it well.

It said to drop by level tablespoons and that is what I did.  They made a pretty nice size cookie

Don't over bake these little gems

These are the ingredients for the icing.  I made the mistake of starting this icing before I was ready for it and so I let the butter, water and cocoa sit before I mixed in the powdered sugar.  It made the icing too thick but I really think it was a happy accident.  I made them again and did the icing the right way and those photos are below but I really think I liked the thicker icing better.

Yum Yum

Here are the cookies with the icing the way it's supposed to be!  You decide how you want them to be.

Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

1/2 cup butter

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

3 Tbsp milk

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone mat, set aside.

3. In bowl of stand mixer beat butter and sugar together until light, scraping sides frequently.

4. Add in egg and vanilla and continue mixing until incorporated. Mix in baking powder and salt.

5. Turn mixer to low and slowly add in flour. Dough will be thick.

6. In a microwave safe bowl heat chocolate chips on high in 30 second increments until melted,

stirring after every 30 seconds.

7. Mix melted chocolate directly into cookie dough until evenly mixed.

8. Drop dough by a measured tablespoon sized mounds onto baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes until

cookies just appear set. They will still be very soft on the inside. DO NOT overbake!!

9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

10. In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder and milk over medium heat, whisking until

melted together. Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar.

11. Pour icing over cookies and allow icing to set before serving.

Notes

store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

*Make sure not to overbake these cookies. The insides will remain soft and dense if baked correctly.

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

OK! This recipe is crazy.  It's super easy and super rich.  You just use Pillsbury cinnamon rolls in the little pop and fresh containers.  Put them on a waffle iron and cook them.  I served them with the yummy Buttermilk syrup that I have on this blog.  They were good.  I'm not sure if I will make them again.  Lots of calories for just one.  I think I love my regular waffles, though.  You be the judge!

Skinny Creamy Pie

I can't remember where I got this recipe but I found it while rummaging through my recipes the other day and thought I had better try it and blog about it. MMMMM. This was yummy. I chose to make peach flavored pie but you can make whatever your favorite flavor is. Just remember to put some fresh fruit with it to make it even more spectacular. This is definately a repeat recipe.

These are the players in this very easy, very tasty skinny pie.

Boil the water and add to the gelatin. Stir to dissolve. When it feels cool to the touch, add the yogurt and mix and then the whipped topping. This stuff if good!

Pour into the reduced fat graham cracker crust and chill for at least three hours if you can stand it. I actually licked the bowl and it is much better after it chills so wait-you won't be sorry.

I was in a hurry with this pie. If I had thought ahead better, I would have topped it with fresh peaches. MMMMMM. That would have been the best. I hope you will try this light and yummy dessert that won't break your points or your weight watching. You can make any kind of combination. Play with it and see what you love best. I know that I will be making this pie again. Good luck and have fun :0) Skinny Creamy Pie 8 Servings 3 Points+ 1 pkg. Sugar Free Jello 1/4 C. boiling water 2- 8 oz. Fat Free Yogurt 1- 8 oz. Fat Free Whipped Topping 1 Reduced Fat Graham Cracker Crust Boil the water and mix with the gelatin to dissolve. Whisk in the yogurt and the whipped topping. Pour into the crust and chill for at least 3 hours. Can top with more whipped topping but adjust your points. Enjoy!!