Steak Fajitas

 My kids - especially the oldest - are fajita crazy. Ricky (said oldest) even went through a phase when he was younger when he wanted nothing for weeks on end except the fillings for fajitas - only flank steak at that.

Needless to say, restaurants are a bit expensive with four kids - especially when those Precious Darlings no longer eat off the children's menu. Yikes. Since I love a culinary challenge, I decided the time had come to make fajitas that tasted better than anything we could pick up in a restaurant. I'm sneaky that way - that would mean the Horde O'Children would want to eat at home.

I was delighted to discover that they're relatively easy - and the meal comes together really quickly too. The only tricks are to remember the marinade, and to use a good cast iron skillet or grill pan. Of course the other 'stuff' - the guacamole, salsa and refried beans on the side make a difference, and for all of these, fresh and homemade is best. A few extra minutes in planning and prep for each of these recipes pays off in spades for both cost AND flavor!

You'll Need:

For the Marinade:

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/4 pounds skirt or flank steak, trimmed

For the Fajitas:

• Salt and pepper
• 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced - if you have a mix of colors use them! Red and yellow are my favorites, but green will work in a pinch
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10-12 flour tortillas, wrapped in foil and warmed in the oven
• Guacamole, fresh is best!
• Salsa
• Sour cream - optional
• Cheese - optional

Marinate the Beef:

1. In a gallon sized Ziploc bag, combine all marinade ingredients. Add the steak, and massage it to work the marinade in. Place the bag in the fridge and allow it to sit for about 4-8 hours. Turn it once if you remember - if not, no big deal.
2. Preheat a cast iron skillet (cast iron is best) over medium high heat.
3. Remove the steak from the marinade and shake off the excess. Season well with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Place steak on hot skillet and cook for about 5-6 minutes per side. You want a nice crusty outside, so once it's on the heat, don't mess with it until time to flip it over.
4. Once cooked, place the steak on a cutting board and allow it to rest. Don't skip the resting! In the meantime, turn the pan down a bit, drizzle a little olive oil on it, and add the peppers and onions.
5. Cook the veggies until they get really fragrant. You want them to just begin to become tender, but they still have a bit of crunch. Toss on the lime juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
6. Slice the steak against the grain - you'll slice from the short end. Slice very thinly, and place steak slices on top of peppers and onions. If you have juices on your cutting board from the steak, drizzle these on top of the sliced steak/onions/peppers.

To serve:

Spread some salsa and guacamole on a warm tortilla. Add guacamole and shredded cheese if you wish. Top sauces with several slices of steak and add several slices each of the peppers and onions. Roll it up and enjoy!