I'm Still Here

While I was taking a blog vacation, 

I missed the 10th anniversary of this blog last month. 

Who knew this venture would last so long? 

The little one on the blog title banner is 10 years old now.

And two more granddaughters have been added to the family 

since I began my grandmother journal here. 

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Did you think I went away and wasn't coming back? When I looked at this blog last week I realized it's been over a month since I posted. It was not an intentional break, but it was one that I needed. I needed time to just be. Time to take care of some house chores. Time to do some serious decluttering. 

You can thank reader Becky for today's post. She emailed to tell me she thought she had accidentally been unsubscribed. But no. She was not receiving new posts because there weren't any. I ran out of words. 

I've been thinking a lot about this past year. This time last year I was at the beach with my girl friends for our annual trip. Watching the TV news the night before we headed home we saw the announcement that the NBA was cancelling the rest of their season. I knew things were about to be drastically different. But goodness, I had no clue how very different. And here we sit now, fully vaccinated, thinking about how we plan to venture back into the world. For the last year, we have mostly stayed home. No restaurant meals. No trips. 

Are we ready to make a mad dash back into our favorite restaurant? Not quite yet. We will try outside dining first. But I have realized how much better we have eaten this year when all of our meals have been at home. I have control over salt, fat and portions. I am healthier now that I was last year. And I don't want to lose the health improvements I've made. I also started an exercise program while I was only at home. And I have loved that program. We all have to find the one that works for us, but Grow Young Fitness has suited me to a tee. Next week will mark one year of following the progressive workouts without missing a day. Yes, there is a subscription fee but for me it's been worth it.

You know me. I only cook easy things. And after a year of making all the meals, I have streamlined my simple cooking even more. The above supper was made with no recipe. I pulled out the things that go with a Chinese-inspired dish—ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, etc.—and put them with chicken and vegetables that were in the refrigerator. And I just cooked. For whatever reason, that feels much faster than following a recipe. Trust yourself in the kitchen. You know more than you think!

So what have I been doing during that last month when I didn't blog? I have spent some time with the newest granddaughter, keeping an eye on her while her mommy packs up their house. That family is moving. I'll head back there one more time before they go.

There are more boxes stacked up now than when I made this photo.

After watching Jessica pack and pack and pack, I realized now was the time to get serious about decluttering. I'm talking about the things put away neatly in cabinets and closets and drawers. But things I no longer needed. Right at this minute I have many  boxes ready to donate. And that much more has gone to the dump. I've been doing this with a vengeance. And acknowledging that things that served me well have no place in my current life. This feels so good. (Marie Kondo would be proud.) 

I have also decommissioned my "pandemic pantry." What a lesson I've learned from this year. I know that it's a good thing to have a well-stocked pantry for those emergency times. But I have learned more specifically what things I use a lot of and what "emergency" foods I shouldn't have bought. Ever. Yesterday I sorted it all out. Threw out the expired foods. Boxed up the excess/about to expire items and have them ready to go where they are needed. And I'll plan my menus around what is on hand as I work down my food stash.

So while the last week has been non-stop busy around the house, we still had to eat. I found a box of recipes printed out from my blog. (This year I've gotten better at cooking from a screen and not needing paper.) And one recipe jumped out at me as I went through that stack of paper and tossed the duplicates and the ones I'll never cook. It had been about a year since I made it, so it was due for a repeat.

If you need a simple supper, give this one a try. No. It is not fajitas like you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant. But it's delicious even if it doesn't sizzle. 

This time I used a  whole red and a whole yellow pepper. The tri-pack of peppers I had were smaller than the huge green peppers I often buy. The amount of pepper strips is not critical to the recipe. The rest of the recipe I did just like it says.

OVEN BAKED CHICKEN FAJITA 

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, cut into thin strips (cut against "the grain")  

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1-1/2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (I used Rotel Mild)

1 medium onion, cut into thin strips

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a small bowl (I used a custard cup) combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and salt. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat. Add the undrained tomatoes, peppers and onions to the dish. Stir to combine. 

Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Stir a time or two through the cooking time.

We topped ours with sour cream, salsa, avocado and shredded lettuce. And instead of a second "fajita" I spooned the chicken/pepper mix over the shredded lettuce. That was a good, less-carby way to enjoy this.

Let's hope I'm not gone again for so long. Today the whole Blogger platform is trying to thwart me. Fingers crossed it sorts itself out soon.