Homestyle Mexi-Cal

Kind of unusual for us. But the package of Hearst Ranch beef in our freezer said "Fajita Strips" so I figured I'd give it a try. I marinated the meat in beer, tabasco, molasses, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, garlic, S&P, and let it sit for a couple hours. When it came time for dinner I quickly sauteed the meat and in a separate pan a combination of onions, peppers, garlic, jalapenos, and corn I had in the fridge.
Tortillas and meat for dinner? You have to serve beans. I didn't have time to soak dried beans so I started a pan with bacon cooking in a bit of olive oil,with onions, oregano and chopped garlic. I added in canned pinto beans (drained), pickled jalapeno peppers and a good quantity of beer, water, and olive oil and let the beans simmer down for more than an hour to reduce the sauce to a creamy, flavorful mix.
The front yard is overflowing with cucumbers so a quick cooling side I chopped up peeled cukes and radishes and dressed them with crumbled feta cheese, white vinegar, chopped cilantro and olive oil.
I love rice, so any excuse to add it to a meal works well for me. Today I went for an sort of Mexican style starting with fresh chorizo sausage in a pan with olive oil then added in chopped red peppers, onions, and garlic. Next the rice went in. I stirred around until the grains were coated with the oils and then added in one large chopped tomato. After a few seconds for the tomatoes to start breaking down I added in chicken broth (for us it was four cups for 2 cups of rice) and brought the liquid to a boil. Then I covered the pan and let the rice simmer for 20 minutes. Just before serving I fluffed the rice with a fork and stirred in some fresh cilantro and oregano.

Not quite Mexican, not quite Californian, just dinner.