lazy sunday: steak fajitas and guacamole.

after driving around and looking for land together with our pups today, travis and i headed back home.  we needed a few groceries so i headed to aldi {i'm trying to go there whenever i can because of the great deals i got on christmas eve}. they are a little hit and miss on what they have, so i also had to make a stop at reasor's -- i much prefer shopping there.  

when i got home we were trying to decide if we were going to hang out with the loves and/or if travis's friend chris was going to drive in from bartlesville to hang out for a bit.  as it turned out, we decided to stay in for the rest of the day.

while at the grocery store, i picked up everything we needed for steak fajitas.  travis had pulled steak out to thaw when we got home from our excursion.

chicken fajitas: 

i made my own fajita seasoning instead of picking up a packet at the store.  i got the basic recipe here, but as i've recently mentioned, i like to play around a little with recipes.  

i followed the recipe and used the following ingredients {not pictured, sugar}.  

mix the following measurements of these spices together in a bowl.  {i poured them all in and then whisked together}. 

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

i had already started marinading the steak in whiskey and balsamic vinegar {i used a shot glass and poured it half full of whiskey and topped it off with the balsamic}. before adding the liquid marinade, i poked the steaks all over with a fork {i don't have a meat tenderizer}.  the meat was in the fridge while i got the seasoning ready.

the recipe calls for the spices and 2 tablespoons of oil {i used olive oil} to be mixed together in a ziplock bag and then add the meat.  i didn't want to dirty another item, so i just started mixing everything into the bowl with the meat.  i added the olive oil and then three tablespoons of lemon juice {i didn't have a fresh lemon or lime}. next i added two tablespoons of the seasoning.

i put the lid on my rubbermaid bowl, turned it upside down, and shook it vigorously.  {mine didn't leak, but i would recommend doing this over the sink ... just in case}.

this worked very well and everything mixed well, coated both steaks well, and even got in between the two steaks.  i opted not to cut off the fat yet.

to give the meat plenty of time to marinade {a minimum of thirty minutes to an hour is recommended}, i decided to chop all my veggies and prepare my other items.

since it was just travis and me, i sliced half of three different bell peppers.

next i sliced part of an onion {to be cooked with the peppers} and diced the other part for guacamole & to top the fajitas.

i chopped a little cilantro {for the guac} and diced a tomato {to be used in the guac & to top the fajitas}. i also cut open two avocadoes {only one pictured}.

doesn't it all look so pretty?  the other thing i didn't capture is the lettuce i cut up to top the fajitas. -- what can i say?  we top our fajitas similar to tacos. 

i scooped the meat out of both avocados.  they weren't quite as ripe as i hoped, but still tasted fine.  they were just a little tougher to mash than usual.

after mashing the avocado as best as possible, i added in onions, tomatoes, and cilantro {my stomach used to turn at the taste of cilantro.  now i love it}.  travis doesn't eat guacamole, so i just fixed a small bowl for myself. 

it got a little easier to mash the longer i worked with the meat.  the finishing touch was to sprinkle garlic salt across the top of the bowl and then mix well again.  all of these ingredients are to taste.  i usually add a little lime juice, but as i mentioned i didn't get any limes at the store.

i didn't snag any pictures, but i also cut up a block of cheese and got the queso started in the microwave.  i melted the cheese, cream cheese, cream of mushroom, and rotel in the microwave.  i decided the sausage for it would be the last thing i would cook and stir in at the end.

i pulled the meat out of the fridge and cut it into strips.  you'll notice i left the fat on for flavor while i was cooking.  it came off like butter once it was all cooked. 

isn't that gorgeous?

i put the strips from one steak into a tablespoon of heated olive oil.   travis likes steak a little more well done than i do.  as soon as it has a little brown color to it, i added the rest of the steak, the vegetables, and added 2 tablespoons of the seasoning.  i would encourage you to taste the flavor as your cooking.  i like my tacos and fajitas well-seasoned.  you may decide you want more seasoning.

lovely, lovely colors!

while i was cooking my hubs came in and captured a few shots of me.

 

he tried to get a picture of conor, but he kept moving ... doesn't his face look freaky in this picture??

i finished up the meat and peppers, quickly browned some sausage, added it to the queso and called travis to the kitchen.

dinner is served.  mmm ... mmm ... mm.  you can't go wrong with fajitas and guacamole. 

what's on your menu tonight?