Scrap book pages-Thanksgiving 2009

Kyle is officially done with home school and I just wrapped up my bible study. Summer is upon me and I'm ready to start scrap booking! My goal for this Summer is to finally get "caught up" I have several pictures left to scrap from 2009 as well as pics going back to my 2004 albums that need to be finished! Here is what I worked on in the past couple of days... For a closer look you can click on each picture.

Recipe: Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas (gluten free)

For those of you who have been faithfully following my recipes of the week, I apologize for not posting one last week. I've decided to cut back on the recipe posts and from now on will post 2 recipes a month vs

4 a month. This is the time of year we tend to eat lighter...more salads, more grilled meat etc.. Speaking of eating lighter I'm really excited to share this fajitas recipe with you! If you haven't been in the spice aisle of your grocery store lately, then you may not have seen these awesome new recipe/spice packets by McCormick called "Recipe Inspirations" They come in 6-7 different combinations and I plan on trying them all. I will share the ones with you that turn out well. What I really love about these is that they give you a recipe card attached to the back with the exact measurements and spices that the package includes. This is great so that if have the spices on hand, you won't have to spend the $1.99 on the Recipe Inspiration pack next time. Alternatively, if you don't have one or two of the spices that comes in the pack...you will save a lot of $$ not having to buy the jars of the spices and just pick up the Recipe Inspiration pack again.

Here's what you'll need:

1 McCormick Recipe Inspiration Pack for Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

the package includes the following spices:

1 t. minced garlic

1 t. minced onion

3/4 t. ground cumin

3/4 t. oregano leaves

1/2 t. cilantro leaves

1/2 t coarse ground black pepper

in addition to the spices you will need:

1/4 c. each lime and oranges juices

2 T olive oil

1/2 t salt (optional I did not add)

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1 medium each green and red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

8 flour tortillas (8 inch size) OR your gluten free tortilla of choice such as corn or brown rice

(garlic bulb is pictured but not needed)

 

Using juice extraction tool of choice, juice 2 limes to produce 1/2 c. of lime juice.

then juice 1/2 of a large orange to produce 1/2 c. orange juice.

Empty each provided spice packet into a bowl.

Then add the juices and olive oil and wisk with a fork to combine. (the dryed garlic, onion and cilantro re-constitutes in the liquid and becomes soft)

Slice the chicken breasts into thin slices.

Reserve 1/4 c. of the marinade for a step later in the prep. Add the chicken breasts slices to the bowl of remaining marinade, stirring to coat all the meat. Refrigerate for a min. of 2 hours or overnight.

Thinly slice the bell peppers and onion. (I prepared the meat and vegies in the morning and refrigerated all day)

Spray a large saute pan with non stick spray. Using tongs or a fork, remove the chicken strips from the marinade and stir chicken on medium-high heat 3 minutes or until lightly browned. (discard the remaining marinade) Remove meat from skillet, leaving the cooking liquid/drippings that are created in the pan.

Add the vegies and the reserved marinade to the cooking liquid/drippings and cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.

Return the chicken back to the skillet and cook and additional 2 minutes until all is combined and heated through.

Spoon fajita filling into warmed tortillas. Serve with assorted toppings if desired. (I added sour cream, cheese and salsa) These are REALLY yum-O. We love them.

ENJOY!!

New card designs

I've had several occassions lately to send a card, so of course for me that means NOT going to Hallmark for a $4-$5 card, but instead hand making the card and of course stamping them! I've grown to love card making so much that I'm actually spending more time on making cards these days than scrap booking. Here's a glimpse of some of what I've been working on.

This card is for a special friend.

Here is a card I made multiples of for several anniversaries being celebrated by family and friends in the past few months.

This card is what I made for my "card swap" I do each month at the stamp club I belong too. I bring 8 to share and I bring home 8 cards from the other ladies. We have 12 in our group, but typically only 8 ladies swap.

Lastly, here is the Mother's Day card I made this year for Kevin's Mom and my Dad's wife Polly. I typically make and send more, but ran out of time this year!