my chicken fajitas

i'm (still) really horrible at intentional meal planning. this week, though, i decided i wanted to make chicken fajitas at some point. one accomplishment at a time here, lets not get TOO crazy.

so. i bought some chicken (free run, non-medicated, at wheelhouse seafoods), peppers, sour cream, and sprouted grain tortillas.

here they are.

i cut the 2 chicken breasts into strips and marinated them for about 1/2 an hour while i chopped everything else up. for the marinade i used: half a dried chili, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic, and some kind of mexican chipotle chili mix i got from a friend. you can probably use chili flakes or whatever spice you like. (i like to avoid the fajita seasoning packets in the stores, because i'm not a fan of colors, corn syrup solids, modified corn starch and 'natural flavor')

here's a recipe for making your own seasoning: http://busycooks.about.com/od/homemademixes/r/fajitaseasonmix.htm

wish i'd thought of looking up a recipe earlier. oops.

i sauted peppers & onion in olive oil, salt & pepper. until they were soft & caramelized.

then its easy! i grated some cheese, heated up my tortillas in the oven, chopped up some cilantro, & put out my sour cream & salsa. wrap it all up & enjoy.

two related photos HERE on my photo blog!

making noodles & motivational issues

for some reason i find it easier to work on new projects then to work on projects that have been piling up all summer. summer has been busy. also i've been having motivation/inspiration issues lately. so it is not only exciting that i actually wanted to pick up my camera before (& during) eating today, but it is also exciting that i am actually writing this blog with these images right now. you probably aren't as excited as i am. you may have even disappeared because of my horribly inconsistent blogging. but i do hope you enjoy my photos of this half-eaten pasta, and be patient with me as i attempt to catch up on posts. like making salmon on a campfire, my favorite brunch spot in vancouver, and a recently opened coffee brew bar.

at any rate, i made a really tasty pasta tonight. got home from work late, and decided to try my hand at homemade noodles, even though i knew it would take a while, and i knew i was hungry. i think maybe i was excited to use our food processor. slowly loving this machine more and more. (hummus takes almost 5 seconds to make now. this makes me so happy!!)

i was supposed to use 2 cups of flour, 3 eggs, & a teaspoon of salt for these noodles. somehow, though, i used 1 cup of flour, 2 eggs & 1/2 a teaspoon of salt. and a little bit of olive oil. they turned out though. kind of clumpy, but nevertheless tasty. i pulsed it in the processor until it came together (drizzling a little bit of oil in), turned it out onto a floured surface, kneaded it a bit, and covered it in the fridge for 30 minutes. i then used my sister's noodle maker machine of awesomeness, but you can also roll out the dough (with flour), and cut it with a knife or something. less consistent this way, but more rustic - giving your noodles the 'i am most definitely homemade' kind of look.

for the sauce i sauted a chorizo sausage in some olive oil & bacon fat (yes, i keep my bacon fat for further use. it is amazing. you should do this too. if you eat bacon.), added onions & garlic, rosemary & thyme, zuchinni & roma tomatoes, salt & pepper. after the veggies were cooked to my liking, and the noodles were finished cooking (3-5 minutes in boiling salted water with a touch of olive oil), i just tossed the noodles straight into my veggie/sauce, added a 1/4 cup of the pasta water, stirred it all up, and served it with freshly grated parmesan. seriously delicious.

oh yeah and i had to take a photo of this zuchinni because it is hilarious. a friend of my sister's gave it to her from their garden. i love the random shape. and the tomatoes were from our awesome landlords (i also borrowed on onion from them), and the herbs were from our garden, so our meal was relatively cheap. isn't that the best? cheap AND delicious? what's not to like about that?