Fajitas

When I was a kid, we used to go to Chilis or Applebees or TGI Fridays since that was the extent of our culinary depth (sometimes Outback Steakhouse for a fancier meal). This was always a fantastic treat, and my brain pretty much ordered the same thing at these places: 1) Nachos for an appetizer 2) Fajitas for dinner 3) Some oozing brownie concoction with ice cream. The Fajitas invariably came out on a steaming hot skillet with smoke pouring into the air.  The server brought it out like it was some exotic dish and everyone in the restaurant immediately turned to see what royalty had graced their presence so as to get the steaming fajita platter. They usually brought a little separate container that had warm tortillas in it and you then had to divine how much of the fajita meat and vegetables to put on each tortilla so that no tortilla was left without being covered in meat, veggies, sour cream, guacamole, and cheese. Truly a culinary delight. 
Ingredients

Marinade
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp garlic
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-2 TBSP of vegetable or olive oil (just enough coat the shrimp or chicken)

The Stuff
  • 1 pound of fresh shrimp (or chicken, cut into long strips, or steak, or whatever)
  • 1 red onion (cut into wedges)
  • 1 green pepper (cut into strips)
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 yellow pepper (or orange or whatever)
  • Fresh Tortillas

The Rest of the Stuff if desired
  • No cilantro, no cilantro ever.
  • Guacamole or sliced avocado
  • Sour Cream
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Pico de Gallo or salsa
  • A quarter lime
  • Sliced Jalapeno peppers
Directions
  1. Combine the spices with the vegetable oil.
  2. Place in a container with the shrimp and mix it all together so the meat is covered.
    1. For the shrimp, peel off the shells and gently pat them dry.
    2. If using chicken or another meat, cut them into thin slices and pat them dry.
  3. Wash your hands, you were just touching raw meat, gross. 
  4. Marinate in the fridge all day, or an hour, or 10 minutes if you forgot you were making dinner and you're trying to make something tasty in a pinch. 
  5. Cook your tortillas and cover them with a towel to keep them warm (or place in a tortilla container if you are fancy like Applebees). 
  6. Make your guacamole and get out all your other ingredients and prep them. 
  7. Sauté the vegetables by mixing them in a bowl with 1 TBSP olive oil, salt and pepper them, then sauté them in a pan (or grill them if you prefer).
  8. When the vegetables are about ready to be done (and if you have a separate pan) sauté the meat until cooked through (or grill it if you swing that way).
  9. Remake the guacamole because chances are that someone ate it all while you were cooking away (that someone is likely Emma, who offered to help as an excuse to get suspiciously close to the guacamole).
  10. Plate everything on the warm tortillas and enjoy!

TGI Fridays

In 1965, Alan Stillman opened the first TGI Fridays in Manhattan. Believe it or not, he did it hoping that it would help him meet women. Since women didn't typically go to bars in that time, he wanted to create a restaurant and bar that would mimic a cocktail party so that women and men could mingle, get a bit boozey, and make bad decisions (aside from eating the food). He borrowed 5,000 dollars from his mom and took 5,000 of his own dollars and purchased a bar he frequented and renamed it TGI Fridays after the expression he heard in college all the time: "Thank God it's Friday!" The waiters he hired were all handsome men, dressed in red and white striped soccer shirts. If it was someone's birthday, the employees all gathered around to sing TGI Friday's birthday song. It became wildly popular and the first franchise opened 2 years later. Corporate greed followed and the company peaked with 601 restaurants all over the world.  I even went to one on my birthday in São Paulo, Brazil when I was a missionary. Unfortunately, on November 2nd, 2024, TGI Fridays filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States. I guess someone wasn't wearing enough flair.