Fajita Marinade Rocks Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day is yet another day to get together with the family to toast health, happiness, and freedom, and for many it is celebrated out in the yard around a barbecue, but in my house it's an excuse to bust out the great flavors and spices of fajitas. I drool all year long and starve all day in anticipation of these great Mexican treats, and I hope that today I will make someone else's holiday as special as ours has become.

Fajitas
1 c. soy sauce
1 1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. Italian dressing
1 or 2 limes- cut in ½ and squeezed for juice
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
6 oz. beer
2-3 lbs. skirt steak
Onions/bell peppers

Cut steak into desired fajita lengths. Marinade soaks in more if the meat is punctured, or given places for it to seep in, so I usually take a fork or knife and poke along the flank before I cut it to give the marinade a greater chance to seep in. Then, I blend all ingredients in together, pouring it and the fajita meat into a large Ziplok bag when I am finally done. I put it in the refrigerator and turn the bag over at least once to try to get the most marinade into the meat, and I leave it to marinade overnight in refrigerator. If you don't have that much time, it is best to wait at least 3 to 4 hours before you place the meat on the grill or skillet. When your meat is nearing is doneness (different per person) add bell peppers and onions to let them soak up the seasoning and soften.

There are multiple quick and easy side dishes that go with fajitas, and even better most of them are cold, so they can be made early or your guests can pitch in and bring them in an effort to lighten the load. One of my favorites is guacamole. It doesn't call for many ingredients and it is simple to make.

Guacamole
1 ripe tomato, peeled or cherry tomatoes quartered, they are sweet and give a more "tomato" punch
2 avocados
1/2 onion, minced
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 chopped green chile, or to taste
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Mash the avocados; it will take some work but it will definitely be worth it in the end. When you are satisfied with the texture, add in the tomatoes and onions and mix again. Then season to taste.

Salsa

I'm all about Rotel salsa. I just use two cans of the whole tomatoes, with two cans of the diced tomatoes (drained.) Now, you can leaved the diced tomatoes undrained, but the more water you leave in, the spicier it gets, and you'll notice very quickly that's it's spicy on it's own. Dump the cans into the food processor and mix them together until the salsa is complete. You can add jalapeños if you wish.

After that it's all downhill, you just need a couple of odds and ends, like sour cream, refried beans, and of course cheese to set the evening off. If you're really going all out, a light dessert, like ice cream would be a perfect ending to such an extravaganza, putting those with a ceaseless sweet tooth at ease and capping off an amazing event.

Good Luck!