Thursday at the Table: Fajitas

I meant to write this up on for Tuesday at the Table, but hey, it's been a really busy week.  Head over there to see what others have been cooking up!

Last night I made fajitas for the family, and thought I'd share them with you (at least virtually).  Our favorite meat is Flank Steak, marinated with Penzey's fajita seasoning (I LOVE Penzeys' Spices).  I marinate it whole, and then either my husband or I grill it on a hot grill, then slice it thin (against the grain).  Yum!  Sorry no picture :(.

I also slice up peppers and onions and throw them in our cast iron skillet with more fajita seasoning and a little oil and cook until soft.

My parents are from Texas originally, and grew up eating good Mexican food.  As long as I can remember, my mom has always made tortillas from scratch.  I suspect it was because back in the 70's and 80's, when I was growing up, you probably couldn't find tortillas in grocery stores in Louisiana.  She'd use Masa Harina for the corn tortillas and I still use a simple recipe for flour tortillas.  3 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, then add 1/3 cup oil and 1 cup warm water, kneed until smooth.  I grew up rolling them out with a rolling pin, but discovered an electric press that we have been using for many years now that presses them out and cooks them at the same time!!  I LOVE it!!  Another favorite meal is bean and cheese burritos that I make with home made pinto beans and home made flour tortillas.  They are fantastic!!

My mom also made guacamole from scratch, as I still do.  My easy guacamole is just a few mashed up avocados, a few tablespoons of lemon juice (I like it very lemony), and a few tablespoons of tomato salsa... quick and easy!

One thing I've noticed from these Tuesday at the Table posts, is that our kitchen has very little natural light... just one small North-facing window.  It's hard to get good pictures.  One other complication is that I can get really crabby when I'm hungry, and by supper time, I'm focused only one thing, eating.  I forget to take pictures.  But it's still fun!

Finally, I used some of my preserved lemons this week for the first time!!  I just simply chopped some up and added them to rice that I was making to go with some chicken shish kabobs (again, no finally pictures LOL).  Here's the before picture.  Everyone liked the rice a lot!  One thing we weren't expecting is the slightly bitter aftertaste of the preserved lemons.  After reading more about them, I think it's normal.  I like it... bitter, sour, salty, and even a little sweet all in the same wonderful condiment.  I'll be using them again for sure.  I think with the rice, being so bland we could really taste the full flavor of them.  I also think I may have used a little too much.  A little really DOES go a long way!  I wonder if cooking them again brought out the bitter.  I may just stir them in after the rice is cooked next time.  I plan to use it again in dishes that have more complexity.

Have you ever tried preserved lemons in anything?  I'd love to hear about your experience with them!