We’ve almost made it to the end of another week and whether that means you’re thinking about an easy dinner you can make to get you through till Saturday or something fun to eat at home this weekend, I’ve got the perfect recipe for either occasion. These Turkey Meatball Sliders make for a fun, quick and DELICIOUS meal, even your littlest munchkins will love. Mine sure do.
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Don’t you just love fajitas? I do. Chicken, steak, shrimp, I’ll take them any which way really. You know that sizzling, smoking hot pan that comes out when you order them at Tex-Mex restaurants? It’s pretty hard to resist. Especially when it comes with all the fixings like soft & warm tortillas, fresh avocado, beans, sour cream, the works. Yep, I’m a sucker for the fixings almost as much as I am for the main dish. It all goes together so well.
And while restaurant-style is pretty amazing, I’m happy to say these Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas absolutely do the trick when the craving strikes. And as the name suggests, it’s all (mostly) done in one pan, in the oven which means no slaving over a hot stove. Just a little time in a homemade marinade and you’ve got really fabulous flavor infused in the classic chicken, peppers and onion combo. You can opt to just slice up some fresh limes and avocado, throw on a little cilantro and wrap it all up in a tortilla or include some sides like corn, beans or rice. Or even take the hot mixture right out of the oven and top it over a quick salad. Homemade dinner perfection. And healthy to boot.
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I don’t know about you, but sometimes, especially around the middle of the week, I lose steam to create a big effort dinner. And that’s when recipes like this come in so handy. These Easy Veggie Ramen Noodles are perfect for nights when you want something simple but still delicious. It’s surprising how fast this goes from just ingredients on the counter to a meal on the table. And a meal everyone loves and gets excited about because it’s like take-out but better, healthier for you, and can be made quicker than it takes to make the call and have it delivered to your door. Now that’s something to behold, right?
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This Zesty Baked BBQ Chicken is such a winner in our house, I just know you’ll love it too. My kids really can’t get enough. So much so, that the amount I made for two nights, really only ended up making it to one night for all of us, then just enough for the munchkins the second night. And what’s even more awesome, Miss Sparkle, exclaimed “Mama, I just love this chicken!” For her, that’s big when it comes to many things savory, especially chicken.
With the fourth of July weekend here, and traditional ways of celebrating possibly (hopefully) halted for most, I think it’s nice to still be able to feel like we’re doing something special and fun to make the day feel different. For us here in Istanbul, we’ve gotten pretty good at that, having had to celebrate a few different holidays we’re normally used to celebrating that are just an ordinary day here. December 25th here definitely has a different feel to it than back home. And it should be no surprise that my favorite way to connect to traditions and the roots I grew up with, is none other than food. And 4th of July fare is no exception.
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Are you missing traveling these days? I definitely am. I don’t even need some far away exotic location, though. I think right about now I’d be pretty happy with a trip to a cafe right here in Istanbul for some good eats and a little chit-chat with girlfriends. Funny (and kind of nice) how all this change in life has made us really grateful for the little things and hopefully learn not to take them for granted. Perhaps for most (fingers-crossed,) that will be a long-lasting effect of life post Covid-19, if we ever get there.
For now though, while we are mostly stuck at home, maybe we can find other ways to travel. I know for me, food is always an easy way to be transported to another beloved or bucket list locale. One of the places in the former category for me is Vietnam. About 8 years ago this exact time of year, K & I were lucky enough to take a month long trip to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Indonesia. Circumstances had caused us to cancel our initial honeymoon to Mauritius where the itinerary consisted of mostly relaxing on a beach. And as a result, when we were able to take the trip 8 months later, we were able to think about what we might rather do instead.
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