In the winter, I'm always more apt to fire up my oven (homemade breads are my fave) or whip up something hearty on the stove. There's just something about chilly weather that channels my inner chef — either that, or simply because I'm eternally cold from December through March and enjoy nothing more than the excuse to heat up my kitchen to searing temps.
But when springtime finally takes root, I'm wont to swap my more intense culinary duties for something a little less taxing. (In other words, I get tired of cooking every single night, dagnabbit!)
Lucky for me, my kids have solved that issue quite handily, and it involves — you guessed it — the humble quesadilla. Not only is it a budget-friendly option, but it's also one of the few dinnertime foods that doesn't elicit the “What?? We're having that [insert name of detested dinner item here] again?!” Plus, they take ownership of the whole deal, which makes them feel good and me feel giddy.
As a matter of course, I always pick up a packet or two of tortillas during my weekly shopping nightmares … er, I mean, excursions. (The only thing I detest more than shopping for groceries is paying for them at the end of the ordeal. Grocery baggers, however, love me in that they never have a problem loading my $97 worth of stuff into all of three measly bags.) Now that my kids are — egads! — of the age where they can cook some things themselves, they've become enamored of making quesadillas for dinner. And I'm not complaining.
Whether you stuff them with cheese (just about any kind will do) and meat (great way to use leftover chicken; I cut it up, they pile it on) or go the non-carnivore route with refried beans and cheese, quesadillas make quick work of dinner. We prep ours on a large electric skillet, which works well when you have multiple mouths to feed. (Growing boys can scarf stuff down with alarming speed.) You simply brown lightly on both sides (no butter or oil needed), transfer to a plate and slice into quarters (a pizza cutter works perfectly).
To round out the meal, I serve quesadillas with add-ons like salsa, avocados and sour cream, cut up some apples and heat up some refried beans (Sprouts makes a very decent fat-free canned variety). Brown rice and a fresh fruit salad are nice accompaniments. (Parents: A glass of wine is optional, but highly recommended.)
Will they eventually tire of this stress-less meal? No doubt. In the meantime, though, I'm going to eke as much mileage from my kids' newfound food obsession as I possibly can. Feel free to follow my lead.
