It was one of those chaotic evenings last week when the kids needed help with homework, laundry piled up, and I totally forgot to prep sides for our fajita dinner. The skillet was already sizzling with chicken strips when panic hit. No way I had time for complicated recipes. Here’s exactly how I scrambled together three decent sides in under 15 minutes flat.
Raid the pantry situation
Dumped my entire cupboard onto the counter like a madwoman. Spotted that half-used bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa past its expiration date (still smelled fine though). Grabbed them plus the lone lime rolling around in the fruit bowl. Fridge had sad-looking cilantro and a plastic tub of sour cream hidden behind juice boxes.
Emergency guacamole
Found two avocados turning brown in the veggie drawer. Cut ’em open – total luck they weren’t rotten inside. Smashed the flesh with a fork, squeezed that lime juice all over it, and sprinkled salt like I was punishing it. Chopped whatever cilantro leaves hadn’t wilted yet and stirred them in. Not my prettiest guac, but hey, dip is dip.
Chip rescue operation
Those stale tortilla chips? Dumped ’em on a baking sheet, sprayed olive oil from that aerosol can I keep for emergencies, and threw on garlic powder and chili flakes. Shoved the tray into the oven already preheating for fajitas. Two minutes later – crispy spicy chips. Almost burned them pulling out hot pans with oven mitts.
Salsa hack
That boring jarred salsa? Emptied it into a bowl with desperate creativity:
- Splashed in juice from pickle jar because we had no vinegar
- Chopped up random radishes sitting in the crisper
- Mixed in sour cream until it looked pink and weird
- More chili flakes because why not
Called it “creamy fiesta dip” and prayed nobody asked questions.
Dinner table verdict
Kids dunked everything into that Frankenstein salsa without blinking. Guacamole vanished before I even sat down. Fajita fillings got scooped up with resurrected chips instead of tortillas. My partner asked if the pink dip was new – just grunted “experimental recipe” while shoveling food. Mission accomplished with zero grocery runs and 12 minutes flat. Pro tip? Always hoard limes and tortilla chips.
