Chicken Fajitas in the Microwave

Fajitas are a relatively easy dish to make- if you want to fire up the grill. So we rarely made them outside of the summer months.

A couple years ago my sister in law began selling Pampered Chef products and I bought the Deep Covered Baker for its versatility. Besides, who doesn’t love Pampered Chef? Anyway… I got the following recipe for chicken fajitas that can be made in the microwave in 15 minutes. Including prep time you’ve got dinner in less than 30 minutes. And it’s really good!

Ingredients:
2 medium onions
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T Chipotle rub (or fajita seasoning)
1 pkg fajita tortillas
8 oz sour cream
8 oz block or shredded cheese

Directions:
Slice onions and peppers; place in bottom of deep covered baker. Sprinkle with 1 T chipotle rub.
Sprinkle remaining chipotle rub on both sides of chicken and place chicken breasts on top of vegetables. Cover and microwave for 12-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil and put in oven to warm at 250° (or place on microwave safe plate with damp paper towels and heat for about a minute).

When the chicken is done remove peppers and onions to a separate bowl and chop the chicken- leave it in the broth.

Serve with sour cream, cheese and your favorite fajita toppings.

*Obviously you would use the same ingredients if you want to grill your fajitas. The vegetables will take less time, or use indirect heat on them. I really like a BBQ grill basket for veggies.

Apple – Cinnamon Strudel

I’m not a big fan of apple pie. I can’t really pin point the reason for that as I love apple dumplings, but the facts stand; I really don’t care for apple pie. It is fall, however, and with fall comes apple picking season. And I do love the smell of apples and cinnamon and apples baking. Mmmm… I’m not sure there is a more homey smell.

For a recent family gathering I decided to try apple strudel. I used a recipe I found in Everyday Food magazine. It turned out really well and was gone in minutes. This is best served warm (maybe with cinnamon ice cream) but is very tasty at room temperature, too. (My husband says it is a fabulous breakfast!)

The recipe “serves 6″ but those are really big pieces; you can easily serve 10-12 in my opinion.

Ingredients:
* All-purpose flour, for rolling
* 1 sheet puff pastry (from a 17.3-ounce package), thawed
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 3 pounds Gala or Fuji apples (about 6), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees; line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. On a lightly floured work surface, unfold pastry; roll out to a 12-by-14-inch rectangle. Be sure you reinforce the folds in the pastry or they will split and leak during baking. Place on sheet; refrigerate.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium; reserve 1 tablespoon in a small bowl. To skillet, add apples, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Increase heat to medium-high; cook, tossing occasionally, until apples are tender and liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Spread filling on a second rimmed baking sheet; let cool completely.

3. With one short side of dough facing you, mound filling horizontally in a strip across the center, leaving a 1-inch border on both long sides. Fold top part, then bottom part of dough over filling. Turn pastry over, seam side down. The easiest way to turn the filled pastry is to have the pastry on a piece of foil. After filling and folding pastry fold foil over the pastry and slowly turn the pastry enclosed in the foil. Bake on the foil to keep your baking sheet clean.

4. Brush pastry with reserved melted butter; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Using a paring knife, cut steam vents in center of pastry. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.