Quesadillas or Grilled Cheese Made on a Tortilla

So what's a quick and easy meal when you have hungry kids, really don't feel like cooking but want to do something other than pizza?

Think quesadilla.

Yes. Quesadilla.

It is about as easy as it gets. Of course, in our house, we only put cheese on our quesadillas. But, you can certainly fill them with a couple of other things (veggies, chicken if you like, etc.) I wouldn't recommend more than 1-3 items as it gets to "full" but once you master the technique - you can pull this out quickly.

Add a quick salad, some condiments (salsa, guacamole, etc.), cut up some mango - and you have a great easy weekday meal.

Easy Quesadilla

1 cup shredded cheese (or slices that you cut up... just lay them in one layer)
4 tortillas (I used whole wheat)
Non-stick frying pan

1. Warm frying pan.
2. Put down one tortilla in pan.
3. Put cheese on tortilla.
4. Put other tortilla on top of cheese.
5. After about 1 minute, flip quesadilla. Cook for about 1 minute more or until it is slightly browned and cheese has melted.
6. Remove from pan, cut into triangles.
7. Repeat and serve.

(Yes - it is really that easy, and no the type of cheese doesn't matter. Whatever you like that melts easily or can be shredded. My kids like cheddar, mozzarella, havarti, swiss)

Spinach.

Well, I haven't written anything since December. Sorry about that. We were visiting family, and then January just pounded down like nobody's business. But that doesn't mean we weren't eating, cooking, etc.

Actually, we have been doing what most folks do during the winter months - comfort food and easy.

However, we have also been trying to get our youngest to eat more veggies. As I have said before, both kids prefer veggies when they are not cooked and don't have lots of sauce. A good thing!

And, we have been eating lots of salad.

So, how do you get a 2 year old and almost 6 year old to eat salad? Put fun stuff in it! We mix in dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and cut up cucumbers and tomatoes. I chop up crunchy lettuce like romaine, and mix in some different flavors like radicchio. And, I have discovered that if I use baby spinach (and don't call it that) - the kids love it!

How do we dress salad? I don't. It keeps better if there are leftovers without dressing.

For the kids I get some sort of "spray" dressing - it is fun for them. And, although I don't make it myself - they are eating it - who cares. They love the "Ken's" Italian.

As for the adults, simple is always best - vinegar, chopped shallots, mustard, honey, olive oil - pinch of salt and pepper. If I hit it with an "immersion" blender, it emulsifies really well. If I am simply too tired, I put it in an old jar kept for such purposes (cleaned out mustard jars are great) - and shake, shake, shake.

Yum!