One of the best meal ideas I have made and it can be made in about 50 minutes.
Fajitas start with the marinade and beef relies on acid ingredients like lime juice to tenderize as well as flavor the meat. So that the marinade will have time to work, beef fajitas should be marinated several hours or up to 24 hours before needed. I usually put the ingredients together while I am preparing tonight’s dinner, and let the beef marinate until needed the next day.
You can experiment with everything from bottled salad dressing to orange juice or tequila to Coca-Cola. Use your own taste buds and flavor favorites to put in your next marinade. For today’s menu, I will use orange juice and vinegar.
MEXICAN NIGHT MENU
Beef Fajitas
Green Chili Rice
Fluffy Lemon Dessert
INGREDIENTS
Marinade
1/4 Cup orange juice
1/4 Cup white vinegar
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
Fajitas (Serves 4-6)
1 Pound boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 Medium onion, thinly sliced
1 Medium green and sweet red peppers, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
4 to 6 (10inch) flour tortillas, warmed
(Optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese, Picante sauce, sour cream, or guacamole
Green Chili Rice (Serves 4-6)
1 (10-3/4 oz)Condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 Cup sour cream (8 oz)
1 Can chopped green chilies (4 oz)
1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 Cups uncooked instant rice
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cups (Serves 10) 1 Roll refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough 1 (8 oz)Package cream cheese, softened 1/2 Cup butter, softened 1 Cup brown sugar 2 Eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 Cup flour (Optional) 21 ounce can cherry pie filling
Now that we have all the ingredients, let’s put our meal together. Some of the steps can be prepared ahead of time to make meal preparation go smoother.
Fajitas 1. Mix marinade ingredients together and pour into a gallon size resealable bag. Add the beef strips, seal bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. 2. In a skillet, combine onions, peppers, and 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Saute until crisp-tender, remove from skillet and set aside. 3. Drain the steak and discard the marinade. 4. In the same skillet, cook the beef in the remaining oil for 2-4 minutes. Return vegetables to pan and heat through. 5. Warm tortillas (in advance) by wrapping them in foil and put in a warm (not hot) oven until this point. Remove tortillas and fill each one with beef/vegetable mixture. 6. If desired, top each with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, or Picante sauce.
Green Chili Rice 1. In a medium size bowl, combine soup, sour cream, chilies, and cheese. Stir in rice. 2. Transfer ingredients into a 1-1/2 quart oven-proof dish and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. or until rice is tender.
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cups 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. 2. Place 1 tablespoon of the chocolate chip cookie dough in each muffin cup. 3. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix softened cream cheese with butter until smooth. 4. Add brown sugar and beat well. Add eggs and vanilla and blend thoroughly. 5. Add flour and stir until well combined. 6. Top base with cream cheese mixture, filling muffin cups 2/3 full. 7. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until tops are light brown. 8. Cool completely and chill. If desired, top cheesecakes with pie filling and serve.
If you have a special occasion coming up and need a complete menu, drop me a note and I will build a menu for you. I would love to have your comments and some ideas to put on my blog. Share this blog, and my website with all your friends, family, and cohorts.
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Join in tomorrow for my next menu suggestion
