Cheesy Rice for Fajita Night

And our first TNHS event of 2023

Before we dive into today’s recipe, I have a very exciting announcement! The first TNHS event of the year will be March 9th at 7 p.m. at Club Curious in Williamsburg (you’ll get the address when you RSVP). Club Curious is the home of Curious Elixirs, a NA drinks brand that just celebrated eight years and has a great community. I’m excited to be cohosting the event with them. Come enjoy musical performances, booze free drinks, and meet fellow TNHS readers in a beautiful setting. Alicia and I attended a Club Curious event a few weeks ago and it was a blast—we got tarot readings, saw burlesque performances, and enjoyed delicious drinks. There will also be food for purchase. Space is limited so RSVP at this link and please feel free to bring a friend! Club Curious is near Mo’s General if you want to grab some dinner before the event. I can’t wait to see you there!

A little peek inside

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Now, let’s get cooking. I knew this would be February’s recipe as soon as I had my first bite at the beginning of the month. Fajitas were a staple in our house growing up. The menu was always chicken, peppers and onions, cheesy rice, and tortillas. We served it up with salsa and sometimes avocado and everyone was happy. When my family gathered in California for my grandfather’s celebration of life, we had a family dinner the night we arrived. I’m always tired after a cross country flight but this meal perked me up. My parents took the lead on cooking and served the rice with several different proteins (chicken, steak, beans, cauliflower), charred peppers and onions, and so many fixings: salsa, hot sauce, avocado, flour tortillas (warm them up, please), and lime wedges. It was a feast and the rice was the first thing to go. The rice comes together so quickly. I made fajita veggies on the side and they were done (chopping included) in the time it took for the rice to cook.

The rice is adapted from a cookbook called 20 Minute Menus by Marian Burros, creator of The Plum Torte. The menus have a similar structure to Meal Prep Made Simple: they feature game plans (with a different name) to help you make multiple recipes in a tight timeframe. It came out in 1989 and my parents must have gotten a copy soon after. The book includes timesaving tips like chopping vegetables in the food processor (clean up time is not included) and focuses on multitasking to get the menu completed. I hope this rice finds a place on your table with fajitas, with a pot of beans, with whatever suits your fancy. I share a bunch of suggestions in the notes.

You can find all the recipes I’ve shared in this handy recipe index (bookmark it!)

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Cheesy Rice