Monday. Simply put the beginning of a new week. This means a handful of things to most of us. The optimist looks at today like the start of a basketful of new possibilities and fun. The pessimist looks at today like it's any other work week filled with early mornings and not enough sleep. I guess it depends on your outlook which way today will turn for you. I try and keep that positive outlook each Monday morning as I drive into work. Some weeks it works; others I'm already counting down the hours until Friday afternoon.
This particular Monday finds me in good spirits. This is for no particular reason - I simply woke up with that happy spin on things. I had a nice, relaxing weekend at home and feel almost refreshed for the week. Almost.
One of my favorite things on the weekends is to catch up on all the TV that I missed out on during the week. The majority of these TV shows for me consist of cooking shows. This does tend to drive my family a slight bit insane - however they usually come out on the winning side of things when I get up to cook a meal. For this reason alone they let it slide. I still get the "again?" faces, but it's met with the notion that no matter what, I'm still going to watch my cooking shows.
I know last week I ended with a Mexican style dish with my Chicken Enchilada Soup. That got my taste buds moving and kept me in the Mexican mind frame all weekend long. So, the fresh start to my Monday involves fresh ingredients - and the first thing that comes to my mind is Mexican food. No matter what you are cooking, it is essential to use fresh ingredients. You get a better flavor and more consistency in textures when you use ingredients that are at their peak.
Let's start with Pico De Gallo -- a staple when thinking about a Mexican inspired menu. Pico is something that can stand alone or make a great addition to another menu item. Start off by dicing a white onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 4 Roma tomatoes and a seeded jalapeno pepper. Once everything is diced to the same size chop a handful of cilantro and juice a whole lime over the entire mixture. Stir together and place covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Simple, fresh and delicious. Use this Pico as your diving board into another dish. I will saute chicken breasts in butter and garlic and top with Pico. Stir into white rice to give it more bite and flavor. Add into a burrito or taco. There are no rules when it comes to creativity.
Today is all about Steak Fajitas. A great way to add a ton of flavor to your fajitas is with a marinade. Whenever you are thinking of a marinade think of the flavors that would compliment your food choice. When I think of fajitas I automatically think of margarita's. I'm not sure why or how that works - but it is the way my mind thinks.
For this marinade you can do this one of two ways; alcoholic or non-alcoholic. In the first choice take a deep-set dish and add Tequila. Only your favorite brand - remember whenever you are cooking with alcohol only cook with the Brand/type you would drink because you are extracting the flavor from this alcohol - if it's a flavor you wouldn't like to drink, you certainly aren't going to enjoy the flavor in your food. To the Tequila add the juice of one lime, a tablespoon of cumin and a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat. Salt and pepper your room temperature skirt steak. Add to the marinade dish and coat both sides of the meat with the mixture. Set aside for a good 30 -45 minutes to allow the juice to infuse your meat. If you prefer the non-alcoholic version, simply cut out the Tequila and lime and instead substitute non-alcoholic margarita mix.
Once marinated your steak is ready to cook. Of course the best method is grilled, whether this is on an outdoor grill or indoor. Again, the flavor will be best with the grilled option, though I myself have cooked this in the skillet. If you are choosing the skillet option, make sure your pan is searing hot before you place your meat in. Skirt steak is relatively thin and therefore doesn't take a great deal of cook time. You are wanting to brown the outside - remember you want your meat to be Medium Rare - not Well Done. While your meat is cooking cut some Romaine lettuce or red cabbage for garnish. Feel free to add sour cream or guacamole to your fajitas as well.
After your steak is perfectly cooked remove it from the heat and allow it to sit for about 3 - 5 minutes. This allows the meat to rest and the juices on the inside to redistribute - leaving the flavor inside your steak instead of all over your cutting board. Once it is finished resting slice into long strips and serve with warm flour or corn tortillas. Of course you can top with your fresh Pico or stir your Pico into some white rice as a great side.
I love to have fajitas as a nice dinner in instead of fighting the Mexican restaurant crowds. It is also a great meal to entertain with if you are having friends come over. It is one of those make-ahead meals that you can whip up and leave out for guests to eat at their leisure. Tons of flavor and not a lot of work -- two of my very favorite meal components.
Cheers!
This particular Monday finds me in good spirits. This is for no particular reason - I simply woke up with that happy spin on things. I had a nice, relaxing weekend at home and feel almost refreshed for the week. Almost.
One of my favorite things on the weekends is to catch up on all the TV that I missed out on during the week. The majority of these TV shows for me consist of cooking shows. This does tend to drive my family a slight bit insane - however they usually come out on the winning side of things when I get up to cook a meal. For this reason alone they let it slide. I still get the "again?" faces, but it's met with the notion that no matter what, I'm still going to watch my cooking shows.
I know last week I ended with a Mexican style dish with my Chicken Enchilada Soup. That got my taste buds moving and kept me in the Mexican mind frame all weekend long. So, the fresh start to my Monday involves fresh ingredients - and the first thing that comes to my mind is Mexican food. No matter what you are cooking, it is essential to use fresh ingredients. You get a better flavor and more consistency in textures when you use ingredients that are at their peak.
Let's start with Pico De Gallo -- a staple when thinking about a Mexican inspired menu. Pico is something that can stand alone or make a great addition to another menu item. Start off by dicing a white onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 4 Roma tomatoes and a seeded jalapeno pepper. Once everything is diced to the same size chop a handful of cilantro and juice a whole lime over the entire mixture. Stir together and place covered in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Simple, fresh and delicious. Use this Pico as your diving board into another dish. I will saute chicken breasts in butter and garlic and top with Pico. Stir into white rice to give it more bite and flavor. Add into a burrito or taco. There are no rules when it comes to creativity.
Today is all about Steak Fajitas. A great way to add a ton of flavor to your fajitas is with a marinade. Whenever you are thinking of a marinade think of the flavors that would compliment your food choice. When I think of fajitas I automatically think of margarita's. I'm not sure why or how that works - but it is the way my mind thinks.
For this marinade you can do this one of two ways; alcoholic or non-alcoholic. In the first choice take a deep-set dish and add Tequila. Only your favorite brand - remember whenever you are cooking with alcohol only cook with the Brand/type you would drink because you are extracting the flavor from this alcohol - if it's a flavor you wouldn't like to drink, you certainly aren't going to enjoy the flavor in your food. To the Tequila add the juice of one lime, a tablespoon of cumin and a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat. Salt and pepper your room temperature skirt steak. Add to the marinade dish and coat both sides of the meat with the mixture. Set aside for a good 30 -45 minutes to allow the juice to infuse your meat. If you prefer the non-alcoholic version, simply cut out the Tequila and lime and instead substitute non-alcoholic margarita mix.
Once marinated your steak is ready to cook. Of course the best method is grilled, whether this is on an outdoor grill or indoor. Again, the flavor will be best with the grilled option, though I myself have cooked this in the skillet. If you are choosing the skillet option, make sure your pan is searing hot before you place your meat in. Skirt steak is relatively thin and therefore doesn't take a great deal of cook time. You are wanting to brown the outside - remember you want your meat to be Medium Rare - not Well Done. While your meat is cooking cut some Romaine lettuce or red cabbage for garnish. Feel free to add sour cream or guacamole to your fajitas as well.
After your steak is perfectly cooked remove it from the heat and allow it to sit for about 3 - 5 minutes. This allows the meat to rest and the juices on the inside to redistribute - leaving the flavor inside your steak instead of all over your cutting board. Once it is finished resting slice into long strips and serve with warm flour or corn tortillas. Of course you can top with your fresh Pico or stir your Pico into some white rice as a great side.
I love to have fajitas as a nice dinner in instead of fighting the Mexican restaurant crowds. It is also a great meal to entertain with if you are having friends come over. It is one of those make-ahead meals that you can whip up and leave out for guests to eat at their leisure. Tons of flavor and not a lot of work -- two of my very favorite meal components.
Cheers!
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