Cinco de Mayo Fajitas, Margaritas and Fun!

For Cinco de Mayo, Mike and I had the wonderful Jenk-Dawgs over for a mini celebration!  Since everyone had work and I HAD to go to the gym after work, we planned to keep it simple and make fajitas.  Which is one of my favorite options anyway!  Mike ran to the store after work and picked up supplies for the ultimate feast and I went home and cleaned our super pollen filled apartment.

I wanted to make two different flavored chicken for the fajitas.  We made the traditional Mexican seasoning and also a ranch style marinade.  It was ubber easy.  I put 1 pack of Ranch (I wish I had used two...next time).

3-4 tbs of canola oil

and a 1/3 c water.

Gave it a good shake and you get this gross looking product!  I hate the look of raw chicken, it looks like intestines....yummmmy! 

We let the chicken marinade for about 45 minutes.  Longer would have been better, but time didn't permit.  Then we put it on to grill.

That's a lotta chicken!

The Grill Master took over and I went in to prepare the margaritas!

We lined up the usual suspects and I followed a recipe by Ina Garten.

1/2 c fresh lime juice and 2 tbs fresh lemon juice...

1 c triple sec

1 1/2 c tequila

a shake of salt.

When I was done following the recipe, we didn't like it.  So, Matt took over and fixed it.  He added more triple sec (I think another cup), more tequila (I think almost another cup) and some sprite.  The final product was pretty good!

and I plan to drink all of you, my friend, and the rest of your buddies, too...MU AH AHA AH!

Gave one to the hard working griller!

Another one for the margarita doctor, Matt, and his beautiful wife Addie.

While Mike finished up with the chicken, Addie and I cut up the veggies for the fajitas.

and did the extremely hard task of opening up a can of refried beans and dumping them into a sauce pan.  I feel like refried beans are a MUST whenever you are having mexican food.  They are my absolute favorite and it is pretty disgusting how much of them I eat.

As for the veggies, I put about 3 tbs of EVOO into a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil heated up I added the peppers and the onions to the skillet.  To season, I added taco seasoning, salt and pepper.

I sauteed for about 7 minutes.  I like the peppers to stay a little crispy for fajitas, but if you like your veggies soft, cook until desired doneness.

Mike cooked the chicken about 7 minutes per side.

He did a fabulous job on the chicken!  It was still super moist!

Addie and I set out the toppings.  We had guacamole, salsa, jalapenos, cheese, sour cream and of course, the refried beans.  She gave them all a thumbs up!

The boys switched to beer since they couldn't handle the good stuff!  Oh well, more for Addie and me!

I put so much junk on to my poor little tortilla shell...

It is so overwhelming when I go to take a bite.

But I always manage! 

My little Grill Master is happy with his meal and then there is Matt...

My drink is going down fast!

Going, going, GONE!

For dessert, Addie brought fresh fruit.  Strawberries and peaches..yum!!

She also brought whipped cream and chocolate chips to put on top.

Addie thoroughly enjoyed her work!  I don't blame her, it was delicious!

Mike took control of the camera to get me back for all the pictures I have taken of him while he is eating...

The whole night was so much fun!  I love hanging out with the Jenkinses.  I know whenever they come over that we are going to have a great time!  It was a nice little Cinco de Mayo celebration!  I was also really proud of the teamwork to get this meal done by my bugga-boo and myself.  I sometimes show a picture of Mike at the end of my posts and he has ALWAYS looked goofy, well this one I think he looks downright adorable!  I'm so lucky!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Turkey Meatloaf with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta

I honestly don't know how I stumbled across this recipe.  I do have a strange habit of when I am bored, going through recipes on foodnetwork.com or I go on with the intentions of looking up a certain recipe and I get distracted by something else and completely forget why I went to the site in the first place!  Very special...

I am a HUGE fan of our typical meatloaf, but when I saw this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis, I knew I wanted to try it!  My biggest obstacle was getting Mike on board.  He isn't a fan of feta typically and I have never seen him eat a sun dried tomato before, but he said he would give it a whirl if I wanted it.  I'm glad that he approved (he is glad too) because this meatloaf was so yummy!  It was surprisingly really moist too!  If you are looking for a good turkey meatloaf recipe I would recommend this one!

What you Need:

• 20 oz (1.3 lbs) ground turkey (I used 93/7, a little fat is good)
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic (more or less depending on your taste)
• 1/2 c feta
• 1/3 c sun dried tomatoes
• 1/3 c parsley
• 1/2 c bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs 1/2 and 1/2 or heavy cream
• salt and pepper

Dice the onion and garlic really fine.  Try not to cut your finger like I did!  I swear I was acting like it was the first time in the kitchen last night!

In a mixing bowl, add the turkey, parsley and tomatoes.  You don't have to make it look like an awesome Italian flag like I did!

Add in the breadcrumbs...

the feta...

* a note about the feta...next time I make this recipe I want to add 3/4 c.  I felt like it could use a bit more.  Do what makes you happy!

 two eggs...sans shells...

2 tbs of 1/2 and 1/2 (or eye ball it)

This was a last minute decision.  I gave a couple good shakes of red pepper flakes.  I think it added a really nice kick to the meat loaf!

Mix well, but do not over mix or the meat will get tough.  I had to get Mike to mix it because of my boo boo thumb :(

You can see all the beautiful bits coming through!  SO EXCITED!

Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Put meat mixture in the greased pan and pat to flatten.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 45-50 minutes.

Flip the meatloaf out on to a cutting board and cut in to desired size slices.  I cut them more generous for Mikey Bear...he is a growing boy!

You can see all the different elements coming through.  It is fun that not every bite is the same.

I served it with a side of creamy pasta.  Other good options would be creamed spinach, mashed potatoes or green bean casserole!  Anything you typically like with meatloaf!  I just wanted something that was "wet" since there was no sauce on the loaf.

I hope that you like this as much as we did!  It turned a doubter (Mike) in to a believer!  I have never had a turkey meatloaf turn out so moist.  The only changed I would make next would be to add more feta and spinach.  I originally thought to add spinach, but being a blond, I forgot to buy it...

Enjoy!

Jessica's Birthday

Another one of my fabulous friends had a birthday on May 2nd, she turned 21...jk...she is 25...jk again...(I am not going to divulge her age without her permission).

A little note on Jessica; she works bizarre hours because she is a nurse, so getting together with her for her birthday was nearly impossible!  We had to wait till the 3rd!  All joking aside, we really did have to squeeze in this birthday celebration, but we knew we had to celebrate our wonderful friend!  She is a party animal and brings the fun where ever she goes! These pictures are from a long time ago, but it shows her true side!

I made Jessica pick the place and she chose Susanna Foo's in Radnor.  It is a great, kind of swanky, restaurant.  They have an awesome happy hour!  Discounted drinks, cheap sushi, discounted apps, $3 dumplings.  You can get full and tipsy for not too much money!

When we got there, we ordered drinks.  My eye was instantly caught by a drink called Bangkok Heat, since the name made me giggle, I got it.  It did have ingredients that I love:  jalapenos, tequila, siracha and a chili salt rim...YUM! 

Jen got a drink called the Glamour Girl (very appropriate).  I know that it had pinot grigio in it and there was a giant pineapple sticking out of it that made it nearly impossible to drink!

We all struggled with getting a sip of it...

I kinda look like a chimp trying to drink it...attractive..

Jessica got a drink called the Sparkling Susanna.  Which is lavender honey and champagne (delish).  We ordered some apps and did what girls to best...chat like we haven't seen each other in a decade.

Then the food came...WAHOO!!  We got SO much food, but since we were celebrating, calories don't count!  We had popcorn pork dumplings that were in a brown butter sauce (one of my all time favs!).

Calamari...

More pork dumplings, but the grown up size.

Finally, one spicy tuna roll and one spicy shrimp tempura roll.  The food was so good!  I am also very proud of Jen, she is not a fan of a lot of foods, but she tried the calamari and the spicy tuna roll!  I don't think she was a big fan of either, but I love the effort!

Jessica opened her gift from Jen.

I'm a bad friend and I haven't got her gift yet...shame on me...

Jessica being Jessica accessorized with the tissue paper.  If anyone can pull it off, she can!  She looks FABULOUS!

Are you allowed to bring wine into a bar?  I guess when the wine is called Pro-mis-Q-ous, you can do whatever you want with it!

We picked on Jessica for looking like she was a promotional piece for Black Swan and then headed back to my place to continue the festivities on the balcony!

We opened another bottle of white wine (which was really good!).  I would recommend this wine if you are looking for a good Chardonnay.

My little Black Swan modeled it.

We hung out on the balcony until it was really dark.  We got to hear a heated argument from our bad neighbors with lines like "I don't even know if the kid is mine"...awesome...

Took some pictures, forgot I put my camera on my lap, stood up and my camera took a dive off the balcony...opps!

We set out on a rescue mission...

Flashlight and all to rescue my lost little camera.  Surprisingly, it didn't break!  The battery popped out and the camera card was hiding in the garden, but thanks to Jen's keen eyes, we found it! 

After our little adventure, we finished our wine and said our goodbyes.  It was a very nice, little celebration.  I wish that we could have done something big for Jessica, but time didn't allow that.  I also wish this was a non "school night" so that they could have stayed longer! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA

...ICKY

....PRINCESSICA

...my very good friend

xo

Veggie Ranch Tortilla Roll-ups

This is a great appetizer to take to a party.  They are easy to make and transport really well!  They tend to be a big hit and don't be surprised if they all disappear!  There are a bunch of different options you can do with this.  I made veggie/ranch this time, but for the meatheads, you can use ham instead of veggies.  I have also made buffalo chicken tortilla wraps before that turned out really well.  This is the basic idea and then you can let your mind go wild!

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 tbs mayo (I used light)
• 2 tbs dry ranch powder
• large flour tortillas (about 6-8)
• Broccoli Slaw Mix (or your favorite veggies shredded or diced really small)

Mix cream cheese, cheddar cheese and mayo together.  Beat for a couple minutes longer than needed.  It makes the mixture soft and easy to work with.

Add in the ranch powder and mix until completely mixed in.

Spread a thin layer on the tortilla shell, all the way to the edges.  If you had your tortilla shells in the fridge, throw them in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften them up.

Add a single layer of the broccoli slaw mix.  Do not go all the way to the edges.  You want the cream cheese to seal your tortilla.

Smush the broccoli mix into the cream cheese mixture so they don't all run away after you cut them.

Starting at one end, start rolling the tortilla until it is completely closed.  If the edge of the tortilla won't stay closed, add a little more of the cream cheese mix to seal it.

Wrap in Saran wrap and put it into the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.  Repeat with the rest of the tortillas until you have no more cream cheese mixture (about 6 total).  You can leave them overnight if in the fridge.  Then cut your tortilla/veggie log into 1/2 inch sections.

The bright color of the veggies really stands out against the white of the tortilla.

Enjoy!