Tailgating Party

I confess, I am not a big football fan, but my husband is, and I know a lot of people enjoy getting together to watch the big game. Here's a couple of recipes for game day get togethers.

Chicken fajitas

Cut into strips, 1 pound boneless chicken breast
1 T cornstarch
2 T lemon juice
1 t garlic powder
1 t seasoned salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t oregano
1/8 t liquid smoke flavoring
2 T oil
1 c green bell pepper strips
1 c onion wedges thinly sliced
1/2 c salsa
warmed flour tortillas
sour cream

In a medium bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. cover and refrigerate 2-8 hours to marinate. Discard the marinade. In a skillet, heat oil until very hot. Saute chicken until just cooked. Add green peper and onion; cooking until crisp tender. Add tomato and salsa; simmer one minute longer. Serve immediately in tortillas, top with additional salsa and sour cream. You can also substitute on pound of beef steak, cut across grain in 1/4 inch strips, or raw shrimp, peeled and deveined.

Tortilla Black Bean Casserole
2 c. chopped onion
1-1/2 c green pepper, chopped
14-1/2 can tomatoes chopped
3/4 cup picante sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ground cumin
15 oz can black beans, or red kidney beans drained
12 6-inch corn tortillas
2 c fat-free Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, combine onion, green pepper, undrained tomatoes, picante sauce, garlic and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in beans. Spread one-third of the bean mixture over bottom of a 13x9 pan. Top with half of the tortillas, overlapping as necessary, and half of cheese. Add another third of the bean mixture, then remaining tortillas and bean mixture. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut in squares to serve. Makes 10-12 side servings or 6-8 main dish servings.

These receipes came from the Gooseberry Patch Holidays at Home Book. I have most of their books and they have great decorating ideas as well as recipes.

Gardening with kids-Making a Scarecrow

One of these days, I want to write a booklet on gardening with kids. This is one of the activities I have in my file to include. Making Scarecrows:
Scarecrows have been used for years to keep crows from the corn, but now are used more as a garden accent. Kids will love making their own pint size scarecrow using their own clothes. Put them to work finding two sticks the same size for making the base. Garden stakes, brooms, or old tool handles can also be used. Fashion the sticks into a cross and secure at the intersection with nails or twine. Put the shirt on the cross and stuff with straw, hay or paper Tie each arm with twine at the cuffs to keep the stuffing from falling out. Stuff the pants and slip them up over the bottom part of the cross. Stuff the shirt into the pants and either pin them together with safety pins, or sew them together. Use a solid color pillow case, stuffed, for the head (draw a face on it), or a bucket with a face painted on. Stake the scarecrow in the garden, or prop it up against a fence or bale of hay.
Happy Fall Ya'll