Monday's Meal

It occurred to me that the seasonal thing to do would be to put a Christmas dinner kind of recipe on for today since Christmas is only 3 days from now. But the problem is that I rarely have any kind of Christmas dinner. We have only spent 3 Christmas' in our own home since we've gotten married. The first year we still lived within 10 minutes of my family so we had a Christmas morning and then headed over there.

The second one was when I was pregnant with the Chick and I wasn't allowed to go anywhere. Since we were living in constant hope of a birth, I didn't really plan anything. She was born on New Year's Eve so I guess I could have but who knew?

The third time was a few years ago. We got about 2 hours away when our van broke down.

In the cold.

And pouring rain.

And we were stuck at a gas station in the middle of nowhere with literally not even a chair for customers to sit in. A very nice man from a towing company in the Summerville area drove the entire way to pick us up and towed us back home. He didn't even charge us much. Hubby gave him a good tip and then we tried to figure out what to do with no groceries in the fridge. So planning a Christmas meal didn't really work then either.

Generally when we leave on Christmas day, nothing is open. Our Christmas dinner is usually at whatever Chinese restaurant we happen to find open. Unfortunately, I like eating at Chinese restaurants because I can't cook Chinese food. So I can't even give you a recipe for our kind of Christmas dinner.

So instead, I'm going to give you a recipe that I recently found and have decided that I love. It is for fajita seasoning, but you can use it to make fajitas or quesadillas or to season anything else you like. We like to cut some boneless skinless chicken into strips, sprinkle some of this seasoning on it, and cook them in a skillet making sure they were seasoned well. For fajitas, you can throw in some sliced peppers and onion that have been seasoned as well and cook them until they are tender. Or like our house, just cook the peppers and onions separately for those without a taste for them.

For quesadillas, you heat a clean skillet and lay a tortilla in it. Then drop on the seasoned chicken strips and a wad of cheese (that's a technical cooking term). Fold one side over and when you're sure that the bottom has warmed through and browned slightly, carefully flip it over so that the other side can brown. Be careful, any loose cheese will fall out easily. The seasoning is good for keeping in your pantry for a quick meal or snack.

Fajita Seasoning

3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons powdered chicken bouillon
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container. To use, sprinkle on meat before cooking.