Updated 5/22/09

It’s summer! Wherever people are gathering around backyard grills, fajitas should be on the menu. Never fear, restaurant quality fajitas are one of the easiest grill meals you can make.

Beef Fajitas

• 2 lbs skirt steaks, trimmed of all possible fat and silver-skin
• 1 12oz beer, such as Corona
• 2 large limes
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 3 tbsp tequila (optional)

Serve with flour tortillas, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, guacamole, and sour cream.

1. Combine marinade ingredients (squeeze limes into marinade then add peels) and pour over trimmed skirt steaks in a plastic or glass container or a plastic sealable bag.
2. Marinade as long as possible, overnight or all day. You can also do several of these on the weekend when skirt steaks are on sale and throw them in the freezer. Just take them out in time to thaw.
3. Remove steaks from marinade and rinse and pat dry.
4. Grill over a hot flame for about 10 minutes until medium.
5. Allow to rest then slice thinly across the grain. VERY IMPORTANT! If your fajitas are tough and chewy you either did not get enough fat off or you did not slice across the grain. If you cut them correctly, the meat will be tender and tear easily.

To cut skirt steaks across the grain: lay them out horizontally on a cutting board. The grain is running vertically. You will probably have to cut the meat vertically into smaller slabs then slice each slab horizontally (opposite the grain) into thin strips.

Fajitas actually make a great weeknight meal too. Keep them in the freezer in the marinade and move the bag to the fridge to thaw a couple days in advance, they will marinade as they thaw.  Or just throw them in the marinade before bed the night before you want to grill them. With only 10-15 minutes of grill time they are a fancy schmancy alternative to tacos.

Cost Analysis:

• 2 lbs skirt steak: $4.98
• flour tortillas: $1.29
• mexican beer: $1.17
• Total Cost for 4 servings: $7.44 or $1.86 per serving

So, earlier this month I mentioned reading about Jason White’s tip of keeping a running tally while shopping to help keep you on budget.  I am not sure I follow the whole “price is right” aspect but I thought it was an awesome tip nonetheless.  The theory was that this would help me by eliminating wasteful spending and forcing me to recognize when I was out of money and thus stop buying or make more frugal substitutions.

So here’s the reality: I am actually really pleased with how it went.  The difference between my estimate of what I was spending and the actual amount was only a few cents.  I did buy a few things that weren’t on my list but added them to the tally to make sure they fit in the budgeted amount.  Also, the process helped me utilize my $5 off a purchase of $75 coupons which I notoriously suck at.  I am always way below or way over the magic number.  At home, I made my list using my coupons and sales papers to choose what I wanted to buy and wrote an estimated price next to each item.  Once I had everything I wanted on the list I tallied it up so I would have an idea of how much I was spending.  Then, at the store, as I purchased each item, I wrote the rounded cost next to it on my list as Jason suggested.  I was actually impressed with how well I estimated the prices, I must have been paying more attention all these years than I thought. 

What went well:  My total was pretty much exactly what I intended to spend before coupons.  So after my coupons were taken off I was actually under budget.  I estimated the cost of what I was buying pretty well beforehand so there weren’t any nasty surprises once I got to the store. 

What didn’t go so well: I still deviated from my list a little.  I forgot some basic things I would need, like milk and yogurt, when I was making my list so I had to add those things.  Also, my list was only a short re-fill type list and yet I spent 1/2 my total grocery budget.  So in the future I still need to plan better.  It’s great that I stayed on budget but I shouldn’t have spent that much anyway.  Note to self: set stricter goals for short mid-week trips.   

Beyond Merlot: Wine Reviews for Newbies

You might see a lot of red Zinfandels reviewed here, they tend to be a favorite of mine.  I like that they are very “complex” as the wine guy puts it.  And they really are complex, they tend to taste like berries and spiciness both.  They are not too thin or watery feeling but they aren’t so thick you feel like you’re chewing your wine.  Layer Cake Primitivo is awesome for these reasons.  It is not too peppery and not too fruity.  It is just a really delicious wine that gives you the opportunity to taste it’s complexities without being overwhelming or difficult to drink.

Layer Cake also makes a Malbec which is equally delicious.  Both wines are very similar: fruity and peppery.  With the Primitivo being more peppery with some bite over the fruit and the Malbec being more fruity and soft but still with some interesting spiciness (see they are complex! many layers! cakes have layers!).  The best cheese I’ve had with the Malbec is an aged Manchego. Yum!

Both of these bottles are on the expensive side and will run you about $13-$15.  They are great wines to bring a wine-enthusiast hostess, as they are pretty middle of the road: not too light or too full-bodied.

Chaos in the Kitchen is one month old today!  Thank you to everyone who checked it out, decided they liked what they saw and came back again.  This one is for you:

To infuse your home with the lovely aroma of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies you must do the following, EXACTLY.  First, take an entire container of chocolate milk mix powder and dump it on the floor, preferably on the rug.  Then take some paper towels and begin scooping up the powder and carrying it to the trash can scattering the dust throughout the house.  Did I mention the paper towels should be wet, creating a chocolate version of La Brea tar?  So you’ve got your wet paper towels, now you want to find the carpet and grind the chocolate tar into the fibers in as large an area as you can-really spread it out from the orginal spill location.  Then don’t tell anyone, just leave it for a few hours so its gets nice and hard, like cement.  You haven’t tried this yet?  Well definately do it, cause it smells uncannily like a batch of fresh-baked cookies in here. 

Here’s to another month of not getting the dishes washed or the laundry put away because I am writing.