There's a Fiesta in my mouth and I LOVE it!

I've been on a cooking binge lately. Last time I was at the store I bought all sorts of ingredient-type stuff.. lots of spices, canned beans, tomatoes, pesto.. all sorts of stuff! Tonight I decided to try my hand at an impromptu Mexican dish.

This is seriously one of the most delicious dishes I've had when it comes to Mexican fare. I even like it better than pretty much anything I've had at a restaurant. It's SUPER easy and very healthy. And a big bonus, it doesn't take long to cook at all. If you own a pan and a stove you can make this dish. I had it over rice with sour cream on top, but you could use it as fajita filling or whatever. Here's how it goes:

My Random Fiesta Sensation:
1 green bell pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes and chilies.. check the ingredients, get some with lots of seasonings in it (I bought the hot kind on accident, but I think it wound up tasting better for it)
1/2 a can of black beans that had been hanging out in my fridge for probably longer than they should
1 chicken breast (you don't even really need to use this, to be honest, it's good with or without.. you can substitute any other meat too)

I put a little olive oil in a pan and started warming it up on med/high (closer to med) heat. I dumped in my chopped up bell pepper and chicken (which I had also cut up) and then the black beans. Stir that a little and cook until the meat is getting near done.. not dark but not pink. Dump in the can of tomatoes and chilies, reduce heat and simmer awhile. I let it simmer while I cooked up some instant brown rice, so about 10 minutes? Maybe less. I didn't want it soupy so I let it simmer a bit.. it's really up to you how long you cook it.

ANYWAY. I put that stuff over rice, with a little sour cream on top and a cold Yuengling = wonderfully delicious!!

In other cooking (read: baking) news.. I'm on a pie kick. I made an apple pie (100% from scratch, crust and all) on Saturday and brought in the leftovers to work yesterday (I just couldn't eat the whole thing myself). Needless to say it was a big hit! I'm thinking next I want to bake a raspberry pie. Or maybe blueberry. My mom and dad are visiting this weekend and my mom's bringing me down a small pie plate (I only have a big one), a bread pan, muffin tins and cake pans. I am VERY excited about this!! You can bet your bottom the flour will be flying in my kitchen. Yay!