Steak Fajitas

Hubby and I love to order steak fajitas at Mexican restaurants. We split an appetizer and then an order of these. They’re always so yummy when someone else makes them.

But I’ve never managed to make steak fajitas worth writing home about.

Mainly because my method was: (a) buy package of pre-cut “stir fry beef” from the grocery store, (b) sauté this with a packet of “fajita seasoning.”

Meh. Underwhelming.

(Is that a word? I’ve heard it used so many times that it has lost that sense of being wrong)

So it had been a long time since I made steak fajitas. Then, somewhat recently, I was inspired to try again. I had a pound of sirloin leftover from a wine fondue night, so I thought I’d turn it into something else. I found a recipe and went with it.

First, I made a marinade. Some soy sauce…

Some red wine vinegar…

Some light corn syrup (I have such few things to do with corn syrup that I was a bit excited about this!)

Some hot sauce… For this, I finally opened the tabasco sauce that was a favor at my friend Diane’s wedding. Another friend had seen it at my house this summer and asked why I hadn’t opened it, what I was possibly saving it for. I didn't have an answer, so maybe it was time.

Also, some black pepper

Here it is, all whisked together.

This was my sirloin. The recipe said to use flank steak, but this was nice too.

After I sliced it up, I smooshed it in the dish with the marinade.

Then I cut up some veggies (onion and green pepper):

And smooshed them in there, too:

Then I put it in the fridge for about 24 hours before sautéing it and serving.

And forgot all about taking pictures.

Luckily, I made it again soon after this. This time, I used skirt steak:

This time around, I whipped up some guacamole to go with it. I started with a lot.

Then I ate a lot while I waited for hubby to get home. I couldn’t help myself. I was hungry.

Ooops. In my defense, that is a very small bowl.

Anyway, when he was about 10 minutes away, he texted me to let me know that he was almost home. I threw everything in a hot pan and sautéed it just long enough to cook the meat. I wanted the veggies to be crispish, not too tender.

When I served, I sprinkled the meat and veggies with some Mexican blend cheese and added a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.

Very yummy, very juicy!

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Finally, homemade fajitas that are actually pretty good! They were both juicy and flavorful, and a very easy weeknight meal if you’ve had the foresight to marinade in advance.

Give it a try!

Garlic Broccoli Salad

I’ve had this recipe for a long time. I first dug it up when I was looking for side dishes for my first dinner party back when I was living in my small town Pennsylvania apartment. It went over surprisingly well, and I was asked to make it several times more.

I’ve held on to the recipe since then, though I don’t make it that often. It’s simple to make, and it’s absolutely delicious. The problem is that it is so, so, so heavy on garlic. It’s also addicting as hell. If everyone in the house is eating it, that’s fine, but I don’t think I’ve ever managed to convince hubby to give it a shot, so I haven’t really bothered to make it for myself.

But I thought I would now, since we’re eating so many veggies.

First, start off with garlic. A LOT of garlic.

I normally start off with real cloves though. I’ve never actually made this recipe starting with the minced garlic in a jar, regardless of what my last post says. I wasn’t sure how this would work, because the recipe just tells you to sprinkle the cloves with salt and then crush with the flat side of a large knife to make a paste. Might as well try it, though I found myself wishing I had a mortar and pestle.

After it was as paste-like as I could get it, I scooped it up into a bowl.

Added some olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard.

Kind of brownish-yellow all mixed up.

Added a bunch of fresh broccoli, all cut up.

Tossed it as much as I could, then covered and put it in the fridge to marinate for a few hours. I left the wooden spoon in there so I could come in to stir it frequently.

And here it is.

The only broccoli recipe that I’ve ever snuck to the fridge to snack on. And the longer it sits, the better it gets.