Easy Weeknight Chicken Fajitas

Apr 10 by Geri 2 Comments

Cinco de Mayo is this week – and this easy weeknight chicken fajitas recipe is just the ticket. Serve it alongside chips and this Easy Salsa Verde Recipe or this Crockpot Mexican Cheese Dip and make EVERYBODY happy.

These are my famous Chicken Fajitas Recipes and I’m sure that your family will devour them as quickly as my 7 kids do!

My first tip for you on this Easy Chicken Fajitas recipe is to put the chicken (even if it’s frozen) into the marinade and let it thaw as it sits. The longer it’s in the marinade the better (2-3 hours is good)

Marinade Ingredients

¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon liquid smoke – this is the secret ingredient ( it’s worth it to have a bottle on hand just for this!)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Fajitas
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)
dash of salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade ingredients over the top. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-3 hours.

2. After marinading, take chicken out of the bag and discard the marinade. Grill or broil the chicken 5-7 minutes per side . Remove from grill or pan and tent with foil to keep warm.

3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Slice chicken thinly on the diagonal and toss with the vegetables in the iron skillet . Serve immediately with flour tortillas and top with tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, sour cream. Enjoy!!

I know you want to take a bite out of your screen right now, but, please don’t. It won’t taste as good, I promise!

Try all of my famous recipes! What has been your favorite?

More Favorite Recipes:

Easy Salsa Verde Recipe

Easy Cheesy Baked Penne with Veggies Casserole Recipe

Shrimp Potato Salad Recipe

Easy Weeknight Chicken Fajitas

Recipe Type: Fajitas

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Paul

Ingredients

Marinade Ingredients
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon liquid smoke – this is the secret ingredient ( it’s worth it to have a bottle of hand just for this!)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
Fajitas
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)
dash of salt and pepper

Instructions

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade ingredients over the top. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-3 hours.
After marinading, take chicken out of the bag and discard the marinade. Grill or broil the chicken 5-7 minutes per side . Remove from grill or pan and tent with foil to keep warm.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Slice chicken thinly on the diagonal and toss with the vegetables in the iron skillet . Serve immediately with flour tortillas and top with tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, sour cream. Enjoy!!

If you don’t have time for a hands-on meal this Cinco de Mayo – you might want to get this 8 Can Chicken Tortilla Soup ready in the Crock Pot ahead of time.

And for a fun twist on regular taco night – you might want to check out Tiffany’s Easy Taco Ring with Croissants!

Rice Krispies Treats Bunnies Recipe

Mar 13 by Geri Leave a Comment

Can you melt butter? Can you use a wooden spoon and stir in Rice Krispies?

If so, these are the easiest Easter treat you’ll ever make. Heck, get the kids involved and let them do the stirring 😉

Over the years I have found that I like to impress my kids. I mean, what Dad doesn’t? So when it comes to cooking some say I may “take the easy road out”. But, I am all about creating the memories for my children and enjoy spending time with them. If that means taking and cutting corners to come up with a tremendous end result, hey I’m all for it! Rice Krispies Treats are one of those moments that I feel the love without all the huss and fuss that come with cooking. In just a few minutes the kiddos are enjoying a super cool snack and on that day I may {or may not!} win Dad of the Year Award….hey, I try!

Before you get started on these Rice Krispie Treats Bunnies you’ll want to order these Wilton 18 piece Easter Cookie Cutter Set.

Let’s get you started on these super easy Rice Krispie Bunnies:

INGREDIENTS

6 cup Rice Krispies Cereal
3 tbsp Butter
10.5 oz Marshmallows
1/8 cup Pink Candy Melting Chips

DIRECTIONS

First grease a jelly roll pan in preparation for your Rice Krispie treats.
Next, in a medium to large sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
Add the Rice Crispies cereal and stir until cereal is well coated. Allow to set about 4 minutes.
Butter a your hands and press mixture into prepared pan. Allow to set before cutting into bunny shapes.
Optional: Dip the tops of the bunnies in white or dark chocolate prior to decorating. Allow to set.
Now place pink chips in the corner of a zippered sandwich bag. Melt candy my microwaving for 45 seconds and kneading until melted and smooth. Clip small corner of bag to pipe. Use melted chocolate to accent each treat with a tie or pink tail.

25 Fun St. Patrick’s Day Treats

Mar 11 by Geri Leave a Comment

25 St. Patrick’s Day Treats

There is no doubt that these St. Patrick’s day treats will give you reason to celebrate this fantastic Irish holiday. Make everything from Lucky Charm Treats to Pistachio and Chocolate Leprechaun Cookies. You can also create a great surprise by whipping up a batch of these Hidden Pot of Gold Brownie Bites. Do not forget to add the rainbow by making these Rainbow Cupcakes.

Hidden Pot of Gold Brownie Bites: Use gold sprinkles as a center of these brownie bites to reveal the hidden pot of gold.
Mint Chocolate Shamrock Cookies: These are super cute, and easy! Use M&M’s to make the shape of a shamrock.
Taste the Rainbow… Jello!: These almost look too good to eat. They would be incredible on a table-scape!
Rainbow Cupcakes: Use Rolo Candy as the pot and Gold Sprinkles as the gold for small pots of gold. You will also need these Rainbow Airhead Extremes, which makes decorating these treats a snap.
St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun Cookies: Love these leprechaun cookies. Very creative.
Green Velvet Cheesecake Bars: These St Patrick’s day treats are perfect for all of those red velvet fans out there.
Lucky Charm Treats: Use Lucky Charms instead of Rice Crispies to make this festive, marshmallow treat.
Shamrock Cookie Cups: Adorable cookie cups with frosting. These would be a great treat to serve at a party.
Peek-a-boo Pound Cake with Hidden 4 Leaf Clover: Cut into this treat and you will discover a hidden 4 leaf clover. Very festive!
Pistachio and Chocolate Leprechaun Cookies: Add pistachios to give chocolate chip cookies a creative twist. I cannot wait to make a batch of these.
Rainbow Macaroons: Perfect for the kiddos!
Oreo Mint Trifle: Chocolate and mint, the perfect combination for St. Patrick’s Day.
Rainbow Cookies: So easy yet very festive.
Double Mint Creamy Dip: Pair this with green apples for an incredible treat.
Lucky Leprechaun Cookie Bark: The kiddos would love to make this.
Peppermint Clover Marshmallows: These marshmallows are adorable!
Chocolate Cake with Mint Buttercream: A classic chocolate cake, Irish style.
Rainbow Rice Krispy Treats: This versatile treat is so easy to customize for St. Patrick’s day!
Lucky Oreos: Use candy melts to dip Oreo cookies. There is also a printable for you to use.
Mint Blondie Bars: Here is another classic recipe with a twist. Yum! I love blondies!
Grasshopper Cheesecake Squares: Calling all cheesecake addicts! This one is a keeper.
Rainbow Cake: Such a gorgeous cake!
Thin Mint Cookies: Make your own thin mints to devour. These also work well as an ingredient to other recipes.
Chocolate Mint Covered Pretzels: Minty, chocolate, salty, and crunchy. The perfect combo for a St. Patrick’s day treat.
Leprechaun Samoa Ice Pops: Make your own pops with lime sherbet, coconut, and caramel.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Jan 25 by Paul Ivanovsky Leave a Comment

The family and I love Buffalo Chicken and love chips so what could be better than Buffalo Chicken Dip for my tortilla chips?!? This recipe is inexpensive, gluten free, easy to make, and packs a huge punch of flavor! It’s also a hit at any get together and is usually one of the first things gone. You can also use this as sandwich spread or on wraps to make a meal out of it!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:

1 13 oz can chicken breast
6-10 oz buffalo sauce – we like Frank’s brand
4 oz cream cheese – room temperature
1/4 cup ranch dressing
8 oz shredded white cheese
2 celery stalks

Instructions:

Use a fork to separate the canned chicken in a medium bowl. You want it to be almost shredded. Add the buffalo sauce and mix well. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Combine the cream cheese and the ranch dressing. Stir ingredients together to create a smooth mixture and spread evenly to cover the bottom of your serving dish.

Top the cream cheese mixture with the buffalo chicken mixture.

Cross cut the celery to create 1/4″ thick textured slice. Layer the celery on top of the chicken. The dip is best with a little bit of celery in every bite. It adds a great crunch to the dip.

Top the celery with shredded white cheese and serve with tortilla chips or as a sandwich spread.

You could substitute blue cheese dressing in place of the ranch or sprinkle crumbled blue cheese on top. We love to load a tortilla shell or flat bread with this dip, lettuce, tomato, and other toppings!

You can make this dip for around $10 including the chips to serve it with. It’s a great dish to pass for a party or picnic.

Do you have a favorite recipe spin off of buffalo wings?

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Recipe Ideas for Christmas!

Dec 23 by Geri Leave a Comment

Who all plans on cooking this week? I am sure most of us do. I wanted to get a round up of some easy and good meal planning ideas that you can use to plan your menu. I have so much to do and don’t want to spend any extra money that I am tossing stuff in, early in the morning and heading out for the day or spending the day playing with the kids.

Anything that I can make ahead of time I am making. Such as snacks, appetizers and side dishes that can be frozen or site in the fridge for a few days. I want to spend as much time OUT of the kitchen as possible.

We make a LARGE Christmas morning breakfast and good size dinner later in the day. Usually it is Ham and sides with dessert. Smaller than Thanksgiving but still a nice meal. Here are some ideas:

::Breakfast::

Breakfast Casserole ( This can be made the night before, actually it NEEDS to be made the night before!)

Cinnamon Rolls ( I make these the night before, leave them in the fridge overnight to rise and put in oven in the morning. This is the Pioneer Woman’s recipe, I cut the butter in 1/2… and I like butter!)

Baked French Toast ( Make this the day before)

Monkey Bread (This is the recipe with the Rhodes Rolls and butterscotch pudding, make this the night before… AWESOME!)

Breakfast Burritos (We use Chorizo but you can use any pork sausage or bacon)

::SNACKS::

** All of these can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container until you are ready to eat them!

Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies

Ranch Oyster Crackers ( Soooo easy and my husbands favorite!)

Buckeye Balls (Oh my! These are amazing, make double you will need them!)

Easy Fudge (If you think you can’t make fudge, you can! This is the easiest fool proof recipe EVER! I make PANS of it every year and it keeps forever!)

Home Made Chex Mix (So much better than store bought! Coupon HERE)

Holiday Pretzel Treats ( I made these the other day and it was so easy, plus you can make a TON of them at a time and they look really cute!)

Velveeta Sausage Dip ( This is nice because you can just toss it in the crock pot and eat all day)

Honey Glazed Chicken Bites (Again the theme is make ahead and pop in the oven when you want to eat them)

::DINNER::

Twice Baked Potatoes (These can be made ahead of time and frozen until you are ready to bake them)

Christmas Ham

Mashed Potatoes (This can also be made ahead and put in a crock pot)

Garlic Prime Rib

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes and Asparagas

Acorn Squash and Bacon (Paul’s favorite side dish and my VERY first blog post ever!)

Bread Pudding (Always a crowd pleaser!)

New York Cheese Cake

Now, once you have an idea of the items you will be making, start thinking about the things that you can make ahead of time. The snacks can be made even today and kept in an airtight container until this weekend. Make the twice baked potatoes today and freeze them until the day you need them, pull them out and pop them into the oven and they taste just like you made them that day!

How much does it cost to make cookies with products at Walmart

Nov 8 by Paul Ivanovsky 2 Comments

I am a chocolate cookie connoisseur. I have had just about every kind, brand and flavor. If you think there is one you have that I have not tried you are welcome to send them to me 🙂

My wife has a rule in the house that if it is a packaged cookie product, you can have the serving size on the bag and that is it, she will cut you off. BUT if it is a homemade cookie where any 1st grader can read all the ingredients, you are welcome to have as many as you want!

Most of us will have all or most of the ingredients in our home to make Nestle Toll House cookies at any time. But what if you were starting all over and had to buy everything, how much would it cost?

Great Value Brown Sugar $1.48
Great Value Baking Soda $.48
Nestle Morsels $2.26
Morton Salt $.62
Vanilla $2.06
Great Value Flour $.94
Great Value Sugar $2.48
Butter $2.58
Eggs $.92

Total: $13.92

You will then be able to make many batches after purchasing the basic items for only the cost of the morsels and more eggs.

Nestle Toll House Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

What is your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe??