Fajita Marinade

I got this from Allie Smith several years ago. When I had to dig around in my recipe binder to find it, I knew it was time to post it here to avoid future searches.

4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped (if I don't have one I use an onion)
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 large handful cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. each kosher salt and pepper
juice of two limes (I do about a 1/3 cup of the bottled stuff)
juice of one orange (about 1/2 cup of refrigerated orange juice)
1/2 cup olive oil

Put everything in a large container with lid or gallon size baggie and shake well to combine. Add meat (we use a flank steak or 4 chicken breasts). Marinate 3-8 hours and grill. Slice into thin strips and serve with fajita fixings.

Lime Squares with Strawberries

I got this from The Tasty Kitchen. They are really yummy and pretty easy, especially if you replace the homemade crust with a store-bought one.

FOR THE TOPPING:
1 cup Fresh Strawberries, Sliced
1 Tablespoon Sugar

FOR THE CRUST:
⅔ cups Blanched Almonds (I used regular ol' almonds)
1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (about 4 Oz. or one package)
¼ cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Lime Zest ( I didn't have any, so I left this out)
½ sticks Unsalted Butter, Melted And Cooled (I used salted butter)

FOR THE FILLING:
2 whole Egg Yolks
1 can Sweet Condensed Milk, (14 Ounces)
½ cups Fresh Lime Juice (I didn't use fresh juice)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with melted butter. Line the bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. (If you don’t have parchment paper, use aluminum foil and butter the foil.)

Hull and slice strawberries, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar over the strawberries, stir, cover and refrigerate until needed.

In a food processor (or blender), finely grind blanched almonds with graham-cracker crumbs, sugar, and zest. Blend in butter. Press mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Cool crust, 30 minutes.

To make the filling: in a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk. Add lime juice; whisk until smooth. Pour filling into cooled crust; carefully spread to edges.

Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack; *top with strawberries, patting excess juices off, then chill at least 1 hour before serving. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift it out of the pan, and transfer to a cutting board. With a serrated knife, cut into squares, wiping knife with a damp kitchen towel between each cut. To store in the refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap.

*I would wait until you're ready to serve it before you put the strawberries on. The juice from the strawberries can make the crust soggy.

Sweet Dinner Rolls

This is the roll recipe that I make when I run out of fancy things like butter and honey :). Also, it is dairy free.

1 1/2 cup water
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
4 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp yeast

Mix the yeast, warm water and 1 tbsp of the sugar and let sit until bubbles form. Then add the rest of the ingredients, leaving the flour until the end. After kneading, the dough should be moist but not sticky. I usually end up adding a bit more flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise for an hour or so, until doubled.

Punch down the dough, and divide. This will make 12 big rolls (hamburger bun size) or 18-24 small rolls. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Cook at 350 for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Banana Cookies

Banana Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed banana
2 ¼ cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)
(I also tried them with chocolate chips)
Beat the shortening until creamy and add the sugar. Add the banana and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Mix them into the other bowl. Drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 11-12 minutes. (I say only 10-11 minutes...)

These are our favorite cookies. The recipe is Sarah's and it is a sure fire winner. We always add lots of chocolate chips.

This is the yummy salad that we ate at last year's Relief Society Dinner. I love it and had to track the recipe down from the owner so now I want to post it so I can always find it.

Sarah Silva Salad

1-2 heads romaine lettuce

1 avocado

4 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed

1 15 oz can corn, drained

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 bunch green onion, chopped

cilantro

Dressing:

¾ cup white vinegar

½ cup oil (I use vegetable)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Boil all ingredients together and cool before serving. The dressing makes a lot, so I usually only make half the recipe. Serve with homemade rolls

Cuban Black Beans and Rice

I got this off of recipezaar.com and used some of the modifications suggested in the comments. It is the quick, lazy way to make this dish and it makes about four to five servings.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped green pepper (red works, too)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 (15 ounce) can black beans (undrained)
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 package Sazon Goya without annato (substitution I used: 2 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. chicken boullion, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar (you can use cooking wine, too)
2 cups cooked white rice
pre-cooked ham steak (optional)

Directions
Heat oil in a medium sauce pan, sauté onion,green pepper, and garlic. Sauté until tender, about 5-10 minutes.

Add in remaining ingredients and stir until boiling, reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced, about 20 minutes. You can smash some of the beans to add to the flavor. Serve over white rice.

In order to make this more of a main dish, I diced a dinner ham steak and tossed it in.

Pear Crisp

I got this from Pioneer Woman and it is amazing. The pecans make the dish. I took a picture of it before I put it in the oven, but umm...I took a giant bite out of it before I realized I had forgotten to take an "after the oven" picture. So I used Pioneer Woman's photo as well.

FILLING INGREDIENTS:
4 whole (to 5) Large Pears (Bosc Work Well)
⅔ cups Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
_____
Topping Ingredients
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
⅓ cups Sugar
⅓ cups Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
½ teaspoons Cinnamon
½ cups Pecans, Very Finely Chopped
1 stick Butter, Melted

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel, core, and dice pears. Place into a bowl and stir together with 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Stir together. Drizzle melted butter gradually, stirring with a fork as you go until all combined.

Pour pears into a baking dish/pie pan; top with crumb topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Place pan on top rack of oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.