Chicken Fajitas on the Grill

It was actually a little cold out tonight but we grilled up dinner anyway and just ate it inside while watching last week’s Top Chef Masters.  These were delicious, I devoured them!  Loved the texture of the grilled peppers and onions, and the chicken was really juicy and flavorful.  I liked that the marinade was quick to mix up and that you didn’t have to marinate the chicken for too long (this is great when you work all day but still want marinated chicken at dinner!)

Chicken Fajitas (as seen on The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally from Cooks Illustrated)

Ingredients:

⅓ cup juice from 2 to 3 limes
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1½ teaspoons brown sugar
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
1½ tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
table salt and ground black pepper
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds), trimmed of fat, tenderloins removed, pounded to ½-inch thickness
1 large red onion (about 14 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick rounds (do not separate rings)
1 large red bell pepper (about 10 ounces), quartered, stemmed, and seeded
1 large green bell pepper (about 10 ounces), quartered, stemmed, and seeded
8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons oil, garlic, Worcestershire, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Reserve ¼ cup marinade in a small bowl; set aside. Add another teaspoon salt to the remaining marinade. Place the chicken in the marinade; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and the peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, using a large chimney starter, ignite 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes and burn until the coals are fully ignited, about 20 minutes. Empty the coals into the grill, spreading them in a single layer; place an additional 20 unlit coals over the lit coals on one side of grill to create a two-level fire. Position the grill grate over the coals and heat the grate for 5 minutes; scrape clean with a grill brush. (For a gas grill, light all burners and turn to high, cover, and heat the grill until hot, about 15 minutes; scrape the grill grate clean with a grill brush. Leave one burner on high heat while turning the remaining burner(s) down to medium.)

3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it smooth side down on the hotter side of the grill; discard the remaining marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers (skin side down) on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it’s well browned, 4 to 5 minutes; using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it’s no longer pink when cut into with a paring knife or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 160 degrees, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, cook the peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice as needed; cook the onions until tender and charred on both sides, 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

4. Working in 2 or 3 batches, place the tortillas in a single layer on the cooler side of the now-empty grill and cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side (do not grill too long or the tortillas will become brittle). As the tortillas are done, wrap them in a kitchen towel or a large sheet of foil.

5. Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl; slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and place them in the bowl with the onions. Add 2 tablespoons reserved unused marinade to the vegetables and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons reserved marinade in another bowl; arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter and serve with the warmed tortillas.

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Giveaway Winner!

According to Random.org the winner of this lovely grilling cookbook is…

#10: Geriann!  who wrote:

I can’t wait to grill!! Steaks, hamburgs, hot dogs, chicken- anything.

Geriann, email me at julianests@gmail.com and I will hook you up with your prize!

Thanks for participating everyone!  I will have to do more giveaways, they are so fun!

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3 years! And my first giveaway!

So the last 2 years my blog-a-versary has completely slipped past me, but for some reason this year I managed to remember that April was the month I started this blog, 3 years ago.   Back then we were living in a 1 bedroom apartment outside D.C., storing our Kitchen Aid mixer on top of the fridge because we were so short on space (we are lucky it never fell on us.)  I had never successfully baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and we probably had about 10 meals in our rotation.  Now it is rare that we make the same meal more than once in a month (other than frozen pizza, which we still love but have upped our standards a bit in that department at least!)

So it is time to commemorate 3 years of food blogging and to do so we are having our very first giveaway to recognize those that have subscribed from day one, to those that stumbled upon us through a random internet search.  According to Google Reader this blog has 371 subscribers, which isn’t too shabby!  I honestly have not a clue who most of those folks are, so this is a chance for you to come out of lurkdom and maybe even win a prize  Just leave a comment on this post telling me what you are looking forward to cooking now that summer is just around the corner and you will be entered to win this lovely cookbook:

We bought it at the end of last summer and are so glad the weather has warmed up and we can dust off our grill again and try more recipes.  This cookbook has yet to fail us and even if you aren’t a fan of grilling (or maybe you’re a vegetarian?) this would be a great Father’s Day gift or present for the grill-master in your life.

I will be randomly selecting a winner at 5pm CST on Friday, April 9, our three year blog-a-versary, so hurry up and enter to win!

and just for fun, here are the top 10 internet searches that have brought people I’ve never met to the blog:

christmas baking	3,128
funfetti	1,557
stuffed mushrooms	1,515
funfetti cake	629
funfetti cookies	553
funfetti frosting	547
pizza	523
oreo truffles	438
lasagna rolls	432
stuffed mushroom	286

The masses apparently love their funfetti

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Lemon Cilantro Potato Salad

I bookmarked this recipe last week as a good side dish for our Easter dinner.  It was just the 2 of us for Easter this year so we grilled steaks and asparagus and enjoyed this potato salad with it.  Very easy to make and so delicious!  Very light and flavorful.

Lemon Cilantro Potato Salad (from Beantown Baker)

Ingredients:

2 lb (6 to 8 medium) Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed
Kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup lightly packed chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced, or 1 shallot, minced

Preparation:

Put the potatoes in a large pot of well-salted water. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.

Drain and let cool slightly. While the potatoes are still warm, slice them about 1/4 inch thick (no need to peel).

Put half of the potatoes in a large serving bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon zest, and juice, 1 tsp kosher salt, and several grinds of pepper.

Drizzle half of the dressing over the potatoes. Add the remaining potatoes to the bowl, drizzle on the rest of the dressing, and toss gently with a large spatula to combine well.

Add the cilantro and scallions and toss gently again. Taste and add more salt as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Lemon and raspberry are my absolute favorite flavor combination.  On our trip to San Francisco last fall I picked up a jar of raspberry lemon preserves for just such a dessert as this.  I scoured the internet for a good recipe that wasn’t too labor intensive and landed on this one.  It is definitely a winner!  Next time I would probably garnish with some whipped cream and a raspberry drizzle, and I might try a graham cracker crust as this oatmeal one was a bit chewy.  The flavor however was perfect, I’m glad I finally found a good use for my preserves!

Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars (from The Baking Pan)

Ingredients:

non-stick cooking spray for preparing pan

Crust:
¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups old-fashioned oats
¼ teaspoon salt

Fruit Layer:
½ cup raspberry preserves (I used lemon raspberry preserves)

Cream Cheese Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare one 13×9 inch pan; lightly spray the pan with cooking spray

Crust:
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat together on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add flour, oats, and salt; beat until blended.

Press mixture evenly into the baking pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, and immediately spoon raspberry preserves over hot crust and spread in an even layer. Set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat at low speed until well blended.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk with a fork to thoroughly break up the eggs. Add eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture; continue beating on low speed until well mixed.

Pour filling over the still warm raspberry preserves layer. Bake 25 minutes or until filling is set. The middle may still jiggle a little bit but will set up as it cools. Remove from oven and place baking pan on a wire cooling rack to cool.

When cooled to room temperature, cut into bars about 2 inches by 1½ inches. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until thoroughly chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes about 2 dozen bars

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