Cooking, and Other Stuff

Wednesdays are usually quesadilla night here, so sayeth DS#2. Last night I took pics during the process.

First, the ingredients:

Southwest Chicken Quesadillas

(I tend not to really measure when I make these, so the amounts are best estimates. If you like less spicy, use less chili powder, chipotle, etc. You really can't go wrong with just winging it.)

3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 green bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 large onion, sliced medium thin
2 tbl chili powder
2 tbl powdered chipotle pepper
1-2 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp black pepper
1-2 tbl dried cilantro (or sub fresh if you have it, I didn't last night)
one 16 oz can tomatoes (I usually buy "chili" tomatoes)
one-half* 16 oz can yellow corn (drained)
one-half* 16 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 small can green chiles

2-4 cups shredded cheese (I use a "fiesta" pre-mix)
10-15 10" flour tortillas
cooking spray

Optional: sour cream, jalapenos, and Kraft Spicy Ranch dressing for garnishments

*I store the other half of the can contents in plastic containers in the fridge and use them the next week.

Spray large skillet with cooking spray and cook chicken on medium heat until pink is gone. Drain. Add all of the remaining ingredients, except cheese, tortillas, and spray, and continue cooking until bell peppers and onions are soft.



Place tortillas in a stack and spray one side of each with cooking spray. Using a second skillet, lay one tortilla spray side down. Add a small handful of cheese to one half and then a scoop of the chicken mixture. Fold over and cook at medium heat until brown on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and brown the other side.





I usually do two at once. I add the second to the pan after the first has been flipped once, which makes it easier for timing and for flipping a weird shape. ;-)



The rest is DS's job. He uses a pizza cutter and slices each quesadilla into 3 sections. And then arranges them all on a serving platter, as in the first photo above. As you can see, we make lots. But DS likes them for his lunch so some go for that the next day and the rest get eaten over the weekend. Cheaper than prepackaged microwave meals, and much tastier!



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Sqeamish Alert!

Instead of quesadillas, Chili had other plans: Fresh lizard (apologies to Geico!).







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And, finally, one reason it's been fairly quiet around here. DS#1 (2d from right) and his band left "on tour" last Friday. They've been through North Florida, Alabama, and are now in Nashville, Tennessee. They'll be gone another 3-4 days. DS promised that he'd call every day and so far he has. They're having a ball! Oh to be 18 (19 this weekend) again, without a care in the world!



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Now I'm off to Joann's to pick up muslin.