Breakfast Skillet (from "leftovers")

Since all three of us (me, Kim, & Jen) have eyes bigger than our stomachs, we ended up with plenty of grilled veggies and steak left over from the fajitas last night. Our original plan was to make Belgian waffles for breakfast this morning (I told you it was a marathon hangout!), but Kim and I were both craving a hearty breakfast, so we switched gears (sorry, Jen!). K had the brilliant idea of making "breakfast skillets" like what you can get at Denny's or IHOP - only WAY better since we use high quality food and cook with love (an ingredient I'm pretty sure neither Denny's nor IHOP has ever heard of before...).

So - I fried some potatoes & onions (with salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder, and cayenne), and we layered the potatoes with cheese, grilled steak & veggies, and two fried eggs. Top it off with a garnish of pico de gallo, and voilà! - a breakfast that would quite easily put Denny's and IHOP out of business! :) Take a look...

Complimented by a slice of organic 12-grain toast & a mango nectar spritzer.

Ladies, Fire Up Your Grills!!!!

Yep, that's right! The 2011 grilling season is officially OPEN! My BFFs came over last night for a marathon hangout and to make dinner for me to say thanks since I've watched their dog for them a couple of weekends recently. Let me tell you - after this dinner (and the subsequent breakfast this morning - I'll get to that in a minute) I'd happily watch their dog any time!

I can't lie, we got off to a rough start, as I'd run out of propane late in the 2010 grilling season, and I SWEAR I swapped out the tank, but alas - the tank was empty, so Jen and I went on an 8:00 pm run to Home Depot to get a fresh one. It. Was. Worth it! We made grilled steak and shrimp fajitas complete with grilled peppers & onions, fresh hand-made pico de gallo, fresh hand-made guacamole, and all the fixins. I'll let the pictures tell the story...

Kim prepped the best individual fixins plates EVER!

Homemade pico - with tomatoes, garlic, cilantro...YUM!

Jen created the BEST marinade for the steak & shrimp!

The meat looks kind of raw in this pic, but it and the veggies were PERFECT!

Belgian Waffles

Kim & Jen got a really cool Christmas gift - a Belgian waffle maker. So, we did what any Belgian waffle-loving person in his or her right mind would do - we made waffles!!! Jen found the best ever recipe here. It is a bit complex, but it was totally worth it! I always add vanilla, so I suggest doing so even though it's not on the recipe. Check it out!

See how fluffy they were?!?!

Waffles are part of a balanced breakfast! :)