Sunday Cook Fest

I think I lost my mind on Sunday. I took on one of my favorite Rachael Ray recipes and made Chicken Fajita Tortilla Soup for lunch. All of the yumminess of chicken fajitas without the guilt. It works nicely for me. Instead of typing out the entire recipe, I'm just going to link to it. Sorry. Lots to put in today. I will say that I stopped after the chips and cheese for garnishes. This is seriously yummo, and quick enough to do after church and a trip to Walmart and still eat at a reasonable hour.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/chicken-fajita-tortilla-soup-recipe/index.html

On to dinner. I decided to remind my hubby of his childhood. His mom loved to do up a roast on Sundays. So, I did a roast for him. Also made smashed taters. Those leftovers will be shepards pie tonight. :D We had braised green beans and squash w/ tomatoes and onion on the side as well. Num num (as my little woman said).

The roast procedure was simple. Cover roast in flour. Sear in really hot canola oil in cast iron dutch oven. Add in a can of V8, water, and some beef boullion. If I have red wine at the time, I'll add some of that as well. I didn't this time. Reduce heat and let it get happy. Happy time will vary by cut.

The green beans were simple as well. I used fresh ones after snapping the ends off. 1 lb. roughly, with 1/4 of a medium onion whacked as small as I could get it without going to the food processor, 3/4 c. chicken stock. Soften the onion in a little EVOO, then add green beans and chicken stock. Cover, reduce heat, and let get happy for a few minutes. I like mine to still be a little crunchy, so I didn't let them go as long as some may want to. If you want to cook them longer, I would advise increasing the chicken stock.

The squash was really easy. I sliced up yellow squash and onion (after quartering the onion). Now, at this point, there are 2 ways to do this. The yummy but naughty way is to cook bacon up, then cook the squash and onion in it along with a can of tomatoes. If you want to be good, then use canola oil instead of the bacon grease. How long you cook the veggies depends on how you like them. I prefer mine to have a little crunch left. Once the veggies are done to your liking, then top with the crumbled bacon.

Enjoy!