Elyce Recommends

Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy

So if you’re like me, when it’s summertime you want to be outside in the garden, or kicking back with a nice glass of lemonade by the pool. Or maybe you’re more of a beach person. Either way, we all have a lot of things to do when it comes to summer, and slaving over a hot stove isn’t one of them. So here’s one technique I use to buy a little time, and I wanted to pass along to you.

Let your husband do the cooking!

Okay, so that’s mostly a joke. I know not everyone will be able to use this strategy, but if you have a male relative that you can convince needs to explore the manly art of barbecue, you are golden. The trick is to have him cook a lot more than you need and use it throughout the week for other dishes.

Leftovers – I’m Lovin’ It

But even if all your subtle suggestions regarding the male psyche & the grill fall on deaf ears, you can still use this technique. However, you will have to man the grill yourself. Still, this can be a lot of fun on a pleasant evening, and then you will have everything you need for several easy meals during the week.

Step 1 – Marinade the Meat

You can use any store bought marinade you like, or make your own. I often use Lawrey’s Teriyaki with pineapple, or sometimes I make a fajita marinade. Delicious!

Now the trick is to have an extra package of boneless skinless chicken marinated and ready to go on the grill along with whatever hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. that you plan on eating that night. Once the chicken is cooked you can set it aside for future dinners, or even to cut up over salads during the week. Sometimes I have him do shrimp for me, just so I’ll have it for nice salad for lunch. I often have him grill some sausages for me too, that I then use in a pasta, but that’s a recipe for another day.

Here is my fajita recipe, in case you want to try it.

Fajita Marinade

• ¾ cup olive oil
• Juice from 4 limes (or about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste – I use about 1 teaspoon
• Freshly ground black pepper – (or regular) about ½ teaspoon

What I like to do is take 2 gallon baggies, open them and and fold them back (so they stay open and stand up about halfway. They will be a little saggy which is fine, just so long as they don’t tip over! Then I pour approximately 1/2 of each of the ingredients above into each bag.

Other ingredients:

• 1.5 – 2.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. Sometimes thighs are better on the grill – they don’t dry out as much, but you can use whichever you prefer.
• 3 bell peppers of any color, sliced vertically in strips. Try to get organic if you can – bell peppers are on the Dirty Dozen list. (Fruits and vegetables that are grown with a particularly high amount of pesticides).
• 1 – 2 onions sliced vertically

Directions: Slice the peppers and onions and place in one bag, and seal. Put the chicken in the other bag and seal. Refrigerate for about 20 to 30 minutes.

To cook the peppers, you can either make an aluminum foil packet and put it on the top rack of your barbecue – or use a mesh stainless steel grill basket, which is what we do.

Stainless Steel Grill Basket

Here’s a link to one on Amazon.  Grill Basket on Amazon

It says it’s a great gift for Dad right on the sales page. Do you see where I’m going here? You can encourage the love of grilling with gifts! I know – it’s diabolical.

Fajitas

So you will need a few more ingredients for the day of – when you actually eat the fajitas, but not much. Here are a few of the things I like to have on hand to dress up all my Mexican meals.

• Tortillas
• Salsa
• Black olives – sliced
• Sour cream
• Avocado or guacamole if you want to get fancy

So I just chop everything up and put it in bowls, microwave the appropriate items and put the tortillas on a cookie sheet (single layer) at 350 for about 3 – 5 minutes. Until warm but still soft. Then everyone comes and makes there own. Easy and delicious.

But Wait – There’s More!

So that’s the most complicated recipe, although my husband does love to make beans with garlic and onion too. A LOT of beans – so we always have plenty left over. And I have several recipes to use them up. You can use them to make your own burritos for example!

The technique for the burritos is exactly the same as above except you use whatever meat happens to be left over, and add beans and rice and grated cheese should you wish. Then everyone comes and makes their own. Pro tip, fold the ends of the tortilla down first and then roll them up long-wise. So easy. But get the big tortillas for this.

Whatever barbecue leftovers you have are fair game. Hamburger? Crumble it up and put it in a quesadilla or burrito. Chicken or steak? Ditto.

Quesadillas – The Easiest Dinner Ever

Now this you do have to put in the oven (or at least that’s the way I do it). You can pan fry it in butter too, but I don’t like standing there if I don’t have to. Plus baking it cuts down on the fat, if that’s a concern. All you need is some kind of leftover cooked meat. It does not have to be grilled. Rotisserie chicken? Good to go. Leftover taco meat? Pop that in the freezer and use it next week for quesadillas. In a pinch, you can even make them with just cheese and salsa. It’s still good.

The sky’s the limit here people.

Just preheat the oven to 350, spread aluminum foil on a baking sheet, and assemble the ingredients. Cheese, of course is an essential ingredient. And then sprinkle a generous tablespoon or two of your favorite salsa on top. Fold over, and bake for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole if you like. Enjoy!

Photo Credits: Oh – that’s me! Elyce de Reefe  😄