Mom, What are We Having? wasn't home at all yesterday. I'm beginning to think I should change my name to Fliesbytheseatofherpants. I was planning on a chicken stir-fry meal, but had to drive Andy to Marlboro (2 hours each way) to the home of his college girlfriend for a ski trip. As I was racing to get back here for a 4:30pm tip-off to a double-header basketball(JV and varsity)game against the #6 ranked team in South Jersey, I knew my stir-fry plan was about to fly out the window. A victory warranted a celebration of fast food at 8pm. I also couldn't argue with a teen who played well and scored 19 points in the JV game. I almost pulled a fast one, and made the stir-fry for the sake of a post, but in keeping it real...this isn't really a cooking blog, it's an honest look of what we eat for dinner everyday. Plus I can't tell a lie...it's almost President's Day!
It's good to be home today to regroup before a road trip again tomorrow. The wood stove has had a roaring fire going all day, and all I want to do is sit in front of it and keep my feet warm. That thing is as old as this house (1974). We almost replaced it with a gas fireplace a few years ago, but I am glad we didn't. It's a lot of work to keep it going, and sometimes I curse at it, but I love the snowy log cabin scene on the front doors!
The house is at a population of only 3 until the weekend. The rest of the fam will be sorry they missed the Chicken Fajitas I am making tonight. I've been making these the same way since the 80's, when the Mexican mother of my next door neighbor in Virginia told me to add a few potatoes in along with the meat. I don't use potatoes in the summer when I make fajitas on the grill, but again, everyone has their own version. This has always been a family favorite, I even taught my mother and sister to make this, which is a stretch,(they rarely venture out of their standard menus). Here we go.
1 chicken breast (boneless skinless) per person
1 potato per person (this is a very large potato)
1 onion, sliced thin (you can use more)
1 green pepper, sliced thin (you can use more, also red & yellow peppers too)
vegetable oil
Mrs. Dash (any kind)
salt & pepper
flour tortillas
shredded cheese
salsa
any other fixings you like
I like to use an electric skillet, but any large skillet is fine.
Slice chicken across in 1/2 inch slices.
Peel and cube potatoes.
Heat 2 TBSP oil in skillet. Add chicken and potatoes, and season the heck out of them with Mrs. Dash, then salt & pepper.
Cook covered on medium heat, stirring a few times, till chicken is almost done and potatoes are getting soft.
Add onion and green pepper. Cook uncovered till onions and peppers are soft, chicken and potatoes are golden.
Heat tortillas in a small skillet, one at a time, and keep warm.
Serve with cheese and salsa, and your favorite taco condiments.
That's it!
I realized in the pic, the potato chicken concoction doesn't look like what you're used to. But I promise the addition of the potato brings a depth of flavor to the filling, as opposed to just stretching out the meat.
I also made a simple mexican rice, and a can of refried beans.
For the rice, again heat a large skillet, and add 1 TBSP oil. Add 1 cup brown rice(white if you like), and saute a few minutes on medium heat till fragrant. Add 2 1/2 cups water, 1 (8oz.) can tomato sauce, salt & pepper. Bring to a low boil, then turn the heat to low, cover and simmer at least 30 minutes or so till rice is done, and liquid is absorbed. (white rice takes only 20 minutes)
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