Spicy Chicken Nachos

WARNING: These nachos are very spicy but so good.

Even after I told my dad a billion times that these were really really spicy he still decided to dive right on in and ate them relatively fast which resulted in him getting major heartburn.

First I must state that this recipe is a spin off of the Pioneer Woman's Beef Fajita Nachos.

Big-D loves these, I love these, and even the guys at work love them.

First I made the marinade for the chicken (while actually the first thing I did was to cut up the chicken). Using the a blender I mixed together some lime juice, garlic, chipolte peppers and canola oil.

Blend the ingredients together until combined.

Next using a plastic sandwich bag mix the marinade and the chicken together. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour, the longer it marinates the better it will be.

Chop up the onion and peppers into nice bite sized pieces. 

Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and cover with scoops (make sure that the scoop part is up).

Cover the scoops with a nice layer of cheese and place in oven until the cheese is melted.

Next place onions and peppers in a frying pan and cook until slightly tender. 

Place the chicken into a frying pan and cook until no longer pink in the middle.

Once the onions and peppers are cooked, cover the scoops with the vegetables.

When the chicken is fully cooked evenly cover the scoops.

Look at how yummy!!!

Cover with some more cheese and place in oven until cheese is melted.

Yumminess (yep just made that word up)!

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breast
• 1 onion
• 2 bell peppers
• Tostito Scoops
• 4 Chipolte peppers from a can
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• Shredded cheese (2ish bags)

Directions:

• Cut the chicken, onion and bell peppers into bite size pieces.
• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Use a blender or food processor to mix the chipolte peppers, garlic, lime juice and canola oil (this is the marinade) blend until smooth.
• Place chicken and marinade in a baggie. Let marinade for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
• Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil, and cover with scoops and cheese. Place in oven until cheese is melted.
• Using a frying pan cook the onions and bell peppers until slightly tender.
• Evenly disperse the onions and peppers over the scoops.
• Using a frying pan cook the chicken until no longer pink in the middle.
• Evenly disperse the chicken over the scoops.
• Cover with some more cheese and place in oven until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!!!

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Da Lawn Mower

Last week I posted about the lawn mower and grill that we had purchased.

Well I finally got to pick her up from the store.

Without the bag...

With the bag...

Isn't she just so pretty. I got her all filled with oil and gas. I even got to mow my crazy long (seriously it was like a foot long) grass. Okay I only got the front yard done and part of the back yard before we had to leave for dinner.

Anyone else let their grass get crazy long before they mow it?

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

Day 118: Primer

I recruited some of my friends to help me paint the master bedroom.

I bribed them with food; it's a wonderful thing having friends in college, they are poor and would like something other then college cafeteria food, Ramen noodles or Mac & Cheese.

Lindsay even brought Remmy over, she went a little crazy in the back yard and even helped paint.

Little paint in her hair.

Used her tail as a paint brush.

Tired out from the hard work.

I even have a few white paw prints on my floors (good things they are all being replaced.)

It looks so clean and white. Can't wait to put the actual paint on the walls. Hopefully it covers up my one funky seam in the drywall. 

Also I painted the ceiling and wow did it make a huge difference. I didn't think the ceiling looked that bad but just wanted a nice fresh coat but it made a huge difference.

Oh by the way this is what Big-D did while us girls were talking working in the bedroom.

The next project is to do the hallway/office/laundry room. Going to be a big project but hopefully we can get it done a little sooner since I won't be in school and will have a few more hours in the day to work on projects at home.

Does the tile remind you of a candy cane?

Do you bribe people into helping you with food? If not food any other ways that I can get people to help me with my small projects?

Over and out, 

A Engineer in the Kitchen

Three Random Things

I have three random things to share with you all today.

Numero Uno: Next week is finals week and I can't wait for this semester to be done. I am taking spring/summer classes but they are fun classes so it won't be that bad.

Numero Dos: Saw a crazy weird car accident last night...it involved a cop car being in a ditch. Wonder if he gave himself a ticket.

Numero Tres: I have these two small keys on the key chain with my car keys and I have no idea what they go too.

Update: I figured out what those two keys went to; they go to my gun cabinet that I bought at a garage sell for a dollar.

Anything random or weird happen recently to you guys? Any random thoughts?

(Sorry for the random Spanish; it has been one of those weeks.)

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

The Lawn Mower & The Grill

When we went to Lowe's on Friday (for the first time that day) I had the ideas of paint and lawn mower. Well I forgot to look at lawn mowers when we were at Lowe's...no we didn't go back, almost did but we were going to Sears figured we could look there.

We went to Sears to get the wrenches that I promised Big-D. Practicing for the best wife of the year award...I buy that man ridiculous amounts of tools. It basically went like this walked into the tool section got his wrenches, went to the lawn mowers.

Salesperson: "Can I help you?"

Me: "Looking at lawn mowers."

Salesperson: "Well this Hasqvarna is our best saler." Continued to tell me about it.

Me: "Okay, I'll take it."

Big-D: "What?"

Me: "We need a lawn mower, the grass is at least 6 inches long and I don't want to have to borrow the hay bind from the parents in order to cut the lawn."

Unfortunately, they had to order our lawnmower it should be here on Wednesday. Grass will probably grow a couple of more inches since it's been raining all weekend.

After, we got the lawn mower we decided that we need to spend even more money and get me a grill. I like steak and burgers so a grill is a must have now that we no longer live in an apartment.

We went back to Lowe's (we love Lowe's) to look at grills. Found a few that we liked but decided to go to Meijer to look at grills.We walked in the seasonal sections and I saw the grill.

Me: "I want that big one."

Big-D: "Okay."

So we got this huge grill which I LOVE!!!

Pretty, I love her.

 Lots of room for my steaks.

Side burner

We broke her in all weekend.

My new lawn mower and grill I feel like I am set for summer. 

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

Preparing to Paint

I feel like it has taken forever to get to painting the master bedroom.

Here is an update!

Windows

Closet

 Other corner

All of the fun new paint stuff.

I basically can't wait to get painting this weekend! It will be for sure happening this weekend,  I have a crew coming over on Sunday to help with painting and some out doors stuff if its nice and if it's not nice then maybe on to the next project...the hallway/office/laundry room.

Back to finishing the sanding the last little bit of drywall joints.

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

It's official

We are adding to the family...

Stop back at the end of the month to meet the newest member.

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Chili

I love chili.

I love Tim Horton's chili...its amazing and put it with a bread bowl and a bagel and well I might as well of died and gone to heaven. I eat a lot of chili; I have it for breakfast at least twice a week. Don't judge me on my eating habits because that isn't the weirdest one that I have.

I decided to wing it when it came to making my own chili. I have never made chili before outside helping my mom or grandma. I tried to remember what they used and then I googled chili recipes to see what everyone else used as spices and just combined the spices that I liked.

For spices I choose: chili powder of course, cumin, oregano, crushed red peppers and paprika.

Place the spices into a Ziploc container.

Give it a couple good shakes

Once mixed place off to the side.

I like a nice meaty chili so I choose to use both ground sirloin and a sirloin steak (because I use steak whenever I can because I love steak), along with chili beans, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, green pepper and onion.

First melt two tablespoons of butter into a hot skillet, add ground beef and half of the onions and green peppers. Cook until the meat is no longer red.

Then scoop the meat mixture out of the skillet using a slotted spoon ( I used my spatula because I didn't feel like getting all of the dishes dirty) and leave the grease in the skillet.

Next add the rest of the onions and green peppers with the bite sized sirloin steak. Cook until the meat is slightly pink in the middle; don't worry it will be cooked all the way through in the crock pot.

Repeat the same method used with the ground beef mixture to remove the steak mixture.

Mix in the chili beans (include the sauce that is in the can).

Mix in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and spices.

Let cook in a crock pot on high for two hours then reduce to low and let cook for another two hours.

Scoop into bread bowl (or a normal bowl, mug, cup, whatever you want to eat it out of) and add some cheese and enjoy.

Big-D loved this chili in the words of my favorite person in the world (next to Peyton Manning) "This is the best chili I ever had you are definitely making this again." Let me state that his grandma's and mom's chili are both really good.

I guess I am making it again.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb sirloin steak cut into bite size pieces
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 (28oz) can of tomato sauce
• 1 (28oz0 can of crushed tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons of chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• bread bowl (optional)
• cheese (optional)

Directions:

• Dice the onion and the green pepper, set a side. Cut the steak into bite size pieces.
• Mix all of spices together.
• Melt butter in skillet, add half of the green peppers and onions with the ground beef. Cook until meet is no longer red.
• Using a slotted spoon scoop the meat mixture into a crock pot, leaving the grease in the skillet.
• Add the rest of the green peppers and onions to skillet along with the steak pieces. Cook until the meet is slightly pink in the middle (don't worry when cooking in the crock pot it will finish cooking all the way through.)
• Using a slotted spoon scoop the meat mixture into the crock, discarding grease properly when done.
• Add chili beans and sauce, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and spices to the crock pot and mix together.
• Cook on high for two hours and then reduce to low for two hours.

Enjoy,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Italian Stir Fry

I love steak and really any kind of meat, except ham and bacon but that's a different story. I also really like making stir fry because well they are really easy to make. Plus I could eat spaghetti and really any type of Italian food everyday of the week.

This nice little recipe has all of thee previously mentioned in it.

The ingredients include a sirloin steak (about a pound), two bell peppers, one medium onion, water (not pictured), small can of tomato paste, and noodles.

First cut the bell peppers into bit size pieces.

Next dice up the onion.

Place the onion in a hot skillet with some canola oil.

Next cut the sirloin steak into bit size pieces.

Throw the meat into the skillet with the onion and cook until the meat is thoroughly cooked (no longer pink in the middle).

Once the meat is cooked add in a cup of water and the small can of tomato paste.

Stir the paste, water, and onion meat mixture together. Allow the mixture to come to a boil making sure to stir occasionally.

 Add the chopped up bell peppers into the mixture.

 Cook until the bell peppers are a crisp tender.

Place stir fry on top of some noodles and enjoy.

Ingredients:

• Canola oil (vegetable oil would work as well I just prefer canola)
• 1 lb sirloin steak cut into bite size pieces
• 2 bell peppers cut into bite size pieces
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup of water
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• Noodles of your choice (I used Penne noodles)

Directions:

1. Chop the bell peppers and dice the onions.
2. Place the onions in some canola oil.
3. Cut the sirloin steak into bite size pieces. Add to the onions in the skillet and cook until no longer pink in the middle.
4. Mix in the water and tomato paste, bring to a boil stirring occasionally.
5. Add the bell peppers and cook until they are crisp tender.
6. Place on top of noodles.

Big-D really enjoyed this new recipe that I decided to try and I hope that you will too.

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen