Chicken Bacon Quesadillas

If you’re in need of a fairly easy but delicious Super Bowl party appetizer, I have just the thing. Pair with some ice cold beer and everybody’s going to have a fantastic day no matter what the score is.

Every once in a while, I just throw something together for dinner and it turns out to be a total win. These quesadillas are the result of such an occasion.

Chicken Bacon Quesadillas

Ingredients

1 thin cut chicken breast
3 uncooked tortillas cut in halves
Shredded pepper jack cheese
4 strips of thick cut bacon
Red pepper flakes
Salt
Fine black pepper (like powder fine)
Chili powder
Garlic salt and parsley
Cumin
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
Canola oil

Directions

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Rub both sides of chicken in spices.
3. Heat a small amount of canola oil on a pan and add chicken once hot.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, flipping chicken only once to cook each side. (I have a sort of sense of when to turn it over)
5. Once chicken is white on both sides, squeeze lemon over chicken. Cook for a few minutes, flip, and squeeze lemon on the other side. You can check that the chicken is cooked all the way through by cutting in half. If its white and the juices are running clear, it’s done. Don’t over cook it!
6. Cook bacon and set aside.
7. Cut chicken into strips and then shred it further with your hands.
8. In a separate pan, heat a small amount of canola oil and lightly cook each tortilla half.
9. Put shredded pepper jack, shredded chicken, and bacon pieces on one side of the tortilla and fold in half.
10. Put back on pan and heat on each side until cheese is melted.
11. Serve with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.

Breakfast for Dinner!

Tonight’s meal is a reward. A reward for surviving the week. For being a grown up and making the days count. Tonight is not a night for counting calories or worrying about trans fat. Tonight is a treat, a going against the grade. Tonight…we’re eating breakfast.

I don’t really eat breakfast. Sometimes I’ll have some oatmeal or an apple to hold myself to lunch, but I normally just drink water. I know this goes against the traditional notion that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, but that’s just how it is. I do like breakfast, though. Although somehow I think the meal I’m about to share with you shouldn’t be eaten everyday.

I love Manischewitz Potato Pancakes. They’re also known as latkes, a food traditionally prepared for the Jewish Passover. But when I was growing up, potato pancakes were a special occasion breakfast. A special dish we made on someone’s birthday or on the first morning of the new year. I guess that’s why I get so happy when I make them…because they make me feel like celebrating.

Because I only cook for two, I usually only prepare half the box of potato pancake mix. I find this to be a more practical solution than making the entire amount and saving the remaining mix in the fridge. Because then you only have a day or so to use it up…and we already talked about how I hate leftovers and eating the same thing two days in a row.

Another crucial element in any American breakfast is bacon. Delicious bacon. My boyfriend discovered the perfect method for cooking bacon and I’m going to share it with all of you now.

Place a grate or cookie rack over a cookie sheet with edging, leaving space in between the rack and cookie sheet for the bacon fat to drip (Caution: Never use a flat cookie sheet. It will leak bacon grease all over your oven and start a grease fire). Carefully lay out your desired number of pieces of bacon on the rack, making sure the bacon doesn’t slip under the grating. Now place it into your COLD oven. Cold is critical, people. Then, set your oven to 425 degrees F. I haven’t been good about keeping track of exactly how long they cook, but the bacon is the first thing I start when I make breakfast. My guess is 20 minutes, but I highly recommend keeping a close eye on them until they become a nice golden brown. Once they’re done, remove them from the oven and carefully remove each piece from the rack. Then let the bacon blot dry on a paper towel. Give them a minute or so to cool. The change from the oven to the outside air will help the bacon to crisp.

Finally, what breakfast is complete without eggs? I only really like mine as an omelet or scrambled. Tonight’s were somewhat in the middle.

I start by sauteing chopped onions with a very small amount of olive oil. This brings a nice flavor to your eggs and keeps them from drying out. I cook the onions most of the way through and then add two eggs, shredded medium cheddar cheese, chopped baby spinach, salt, and pepper. Whisk it all together and you get this:

Such perfection! When I was kid, I ate potato pancakes topped with butter and sour cream. Now I eat them with Greek yogurt and the taste is pretty much the same. My boyfriend likes to toast Seven Grain bread and load his eggs, bacon, and yogurt on top while I prefer to enjoy each taste individually. Whichever you like, I know you’re in for a great meal.

Do you ever eat breakfast for dinner?