Steve Freides wrote:
> Start with frozen chicken quesadilla from Trader Joe's - had them at
> the sampling table at the back and they were OK but boring. Did the
> following that me and both my boys thought tasted excellent:
>
> Frying pan with 1/4 inch (or so) of olive oil + 2 cloves worth of
> frozen garlic cubes - heat on medium-low so that the garlic cubes thaw
> completely and are evenly distributed in the oil. While this is
> happening, defrost quesadillas in microwave.
>
> Turn heat up to medium or medium-high, add quesadillas to frying pan,
> pour a little mild "buffalo wing" sauce on, plus salt and pepper, cook
> until golden brown on bottom side, probably 3 minutes.
>
> Turn quesadillas over, cover liberally with grated sharp cheddar, add
> a generous amount of dried oregano, and a bit more black pepper. Turn
> heat up for a minute or two to brown, then turn heat down and cover
> with a lid to help the cheese melt. NB: It's good if some of the
> cheese falls off the quesadilla and fries in the olive oil.
>
> Remove from pan, not forgetting any fried cheese on the bottom of the
> pan. Cut up into bite-sized pieces and serve.
>
> Yummy!
>
> The same approach would work just fine with scratch-made quesadillas -
> flour tortilla, fill as you like, but that was more work and all this
> was happening after 10 PM last night.
>
> -S-

I would never think to buy a quesadilla unless perhaps I had a coupon for it
and could get it for cheap or free. They are just sooo easy to make to
start with!

One thing I make that we all like is a tamale casserole using canned
tamales. And yes, I know they in no way resemble a real tamale. I put them
in a baking dish with some form of tomato product. Either salsa, chopped
tomatoes (fresh or canned), tomato sauce, etc. Whatever I have in the
house. I also put a goodly layer of while onion and bell peppers in this.
I prefer the green but daughter prefers red so I use both. Cheese is really
good in this too. Bake or nuke until heated through. I like the veggies to
remain somewhat crispy. Then top it with a mess of black pitted olives and
serve.

This really isn't something I make very often because although the other
ingredients in it are all healthy, I'm not so sure that the tamales are.
But we do like it!