A new Pope...what a glorious day!

Thank you Lord for the gift of the Catholic faith and for giving us a chance to show the world our universal Church. Please bless our new leader, Pope Francis, as he begins his role as the leader of Your church on earth.

St Francis...Pray for us!

Smothered Chicken Fajita Chicken

This is one of those recipes that just sort of pops into your mind when "plan A" for dinner doesn't quite sound as good as it did earlier in the day. I totally made this up as I went along and we thought it was great! Hope you like it as well.

6 chicken breast tenders

1 large onion, sliced into thin strips

1 large green pepper, sliced into thin strips

cumin....lots of cumin

olive oil for saute'ing

pico de gallo, fresh or store bought, recipe below to make your own

Rotel Cheese dip, 
(I only made a 1/4 of a batch of cheese dip and it was plenty)

Start by sprinkling chicken with cumin. We like a lot, but do what your family prefers when it comes to the amount. Let chicken sit and absorb the flavor of the cumin.

Meanwhile, slice up onion and green pepper into thin strips.

Heat skillet over medium/high heat, then add a couple tablespoons olive oil. 

Saute' onion and peppers in hot oil until they begin to brown up. While veggies are cooking, sprinkle on some cumin to give them a Mexican flavor as well. 

When veggies begin to soften, remove them from the pan to a bowl and set aside.

Drizzle a little more olive oil in the skillet and add chicken, cumin side up. 

Let chicken cook 2-3 minutes until first side is done, then flip over to the other side and sprinkle with more cumin. I told you...we like the stuff!!!

When chicken is done, you're ready to plate your dinner. Start by placing a "bed" of onions and peppers on the plate, top with chicken, rotel sauce, fresh pico de gallo, and dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy! 

Fresh Pico De Gallo

5 whole (roma) Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 whole Large (or 1 Small) white Onion, diced small
1 tablespoon (more or less) diced jalapeno pepper
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
Lime Juice, 1/2 of a fresh squeezed, or a couple squirts from a bottle
Salt To Taste

Once everything is diced/chopped, throw it all together and gently stir to combine.

Apple Crisp

Such a simple and scrumptious way to use up apples you have on hand. This is really the only recipe for apple crisp I have ever used. When you find any recipe you really like, you better hang on to it!

This particular time, I made individual servings...so sweet and special for the
peeps in your life! 
I also added a scoop of ice cream and a generous drizzle of caramel, WOW!

4 cups thinly sliced tart apples, I have found that whatever I have on hand works just fine
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg*

Heat oven to 375*

Arrange apples in a 8X8 inch greased square pan.

Mix remaining ingredients; sprinkle over apples. I always try to completely cover the top of the apples so you get a bite of topping with each bite of apples.

Bake until top is turning a golden brown and apples are tender, about 30 minutes.

Best served warm! If I make ahead of time I always slip it back in a warm oven for a couple minutes to re-warm.

Top with ice cream and caramel sauce if desired.

*Sometimes I omit the nutmeg and use a whole teaspoon of cinnamon.

source: Betty Crocker Cookbook