Need a Little Spice in Your Life?

 I have a commute to and from work every day since I live in Salt Lake County and work in Davis County. Sometimes I hate it, but it usually is a good time for me to catch up on my phone calls. You would think that since my mom and I work together, we would talk all the time. Well, that is not really the case. We work in different buildings and my day typically consists of me going from one meeting to the other.

Wow, what an intro - are you all asleep? When I was driving home yesterday, I called my mom to see how her day was and what she was up to. She said she was going to the grocery store to get some groceries because she wanted to be more domestic this year. It seems so funny to me that she doesn’t think she is domestic. This is the woman who made everything from scratch when I was growing up. I mean everything. She even made our bread once or twice a week. She had a wheat grinder to make flour for heaven’s sake. You know your mom homemade everything when you are envious of the kids with the Wonder white bread or those kids that got to eat TV dinners on a regular basis (yeah, both are gross - it just took me a little while to realize it).  Needless to say, I didn’t know how lucky I was. John’s mom is actually exactly the same. We grew up eating some terrific food!

Oops…I got sidetracked again. Anyway, I was talking to my mom and she said she was going to make chicken tostadas for dinner (or chicken tostodos according to my dad). I had planned on making chicken fajitas, but then I thought hmm, chicken fajita tostadas might be good. Really all that entails is not using flour tortillas as your shell but rather a tostada.

• 1 ½ pounds of chicken diced into 1 inch cubes - boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders work great
• 1 green bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 small onion sliced
• ½ to 1 jalapeno diced (this is optional)
• 1 package fajita seasoning mix
• 1 package of tostada shells
• Diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, cheese, cilantro, sour cream, lime, and guacamole for topping

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet. Add the onion and chicken to the pan and sauté until brown. Add in the peppers. Stir to combine. Make the fajita mix according to the package directions and add to the pan. Turn heat to medium-low and let simmer for a few minutes.

In the meantime, heat your shells in a 300 degree oven for about five minutes. When done, top them with the fajita mixture and all your favorite toppings.

For the toppings, one thing I am adamant about is having homemade guacamole….it is super easy. In fact, it is just about as easy as peeling off the lid on the pre-made stuff and tastes so much better.  Ok…not that easy, but pretty easy.  Mash several very ripe avocados with a pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Squeeze some fresh limejuice over the top and there you have it, homemade guacamole. 

Rather than serve with your typical boring rice and beans, I decided to mix it up and make a Mexican inspired jalapeno corn succotash. This is something I usually make with fresh corn, but since it is not that time of year I used canned corn. It wasn’t too bad, but I definitely prefer fresh corn. Oh and the spice…if you don’t like jalapeno’s then you could switch out for something milder like green chilies. I should warn you, this is a very spicy dish if you include the jalapeno!

• 1 can of corn (drained really well) or 3 ears of fresh corn
• ½ green bell pepper cut into strips
• ½ red bell pepper cut into strips
• ½ small onion sliced
• ½ to 1 jalapeno diced (this is optional - but if you like it Hot, Hot, Hot - go ahead and add it)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Over medium-high heat, melt the olive oil and butter in a skillet. Add in the onion and cook until they start to get brown. Mix in the corn and peppers. Cook for about three minutes, then turn the heat down to medium. Cook for about 2 to 3 more minutes and salt and pepper to taste.  

Looks pretty good!