Spice Things Up...With Peaches!

It's still Peach Week (just like Shark Week but tastier!) and today I decided to share a recipe that my hubby and I tried last week as we slowly finished off our crop of peaches from Eckert's.  Sure, I have been slaving over a toasty oven making delicious peach desserts for the past couple weeks since we went peach picking but this time I decided to trade in the oven for the quesadilla maker.

That's right folks, peach quesadillas!  When I first saw this recipe in this month's Cooking Light, I questioned it.  Then I remembered, hello, peach salsa, why wouldn't that flavor work in a quesadilla?!  Here's the recipe for Cooking Light's Pepper Jack, Chicken, and Peach Quesadillas.   I would have loved to try this recipe just as it is written but I didn't have any pepper jack cheese or cilantro (and then I got sidetracked and completely forgot to make the honey sour cream...holy smokes I can't wait to try that!)  So in true Lauren's Leftovers style, I made it up. 

Lauren's Peachy-Keen Quesadillas (inspired by Cooking Light)

6 small flour tortillas
1 large, ripe (but firm) peach
2 chicken breasts (of the boneless, skinless variety)
2 Tbls. Homemade Gourmet Chicken Enchilada Soup Seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Grill chicken breasts on a Foreman Grill or grill pan.  When cooked through, sprinkle each chicken breast with 1/2 Tbls. of seasoning, turn over, and sprinkle the rest of the seasoning.  Slice into thin strips (or you can use two forks to "pull" your chicken) and set aside momentarily.  Peel and slice peach thinly.  Place one tortilla on quesadilla maker surface, sprinkle cheese on top, add a layer of chicken, then a single layer of peach slices.  Place another tortilla on top and close quesadilla maker for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.  Repeat with remaining tortillas, chicken, and peaches. 

These were simple, quick, and delicious!  Remember you can improvise with any tasty recipe you find if you don't have all the ingredients.  Experimentation is the name of the game!  Not sure where to start?  Find a recipe you love or a food you like to eat and then think about the flavors involved and go from there!  I can't guarantee you'll get a winner every time but starting with something simple, like this quesadilla recipe, is a great place to get started!  Good luck and happy eating!

Cinco de Mayo!

I love me some Mexican food so naturally I love me some Cinco de Mayo.  I've tried out Hacienda on this momentous occasion but it has proven to be way too crowded for me...and I'm sure they had a heck of a day today with the weather as gorgeous as it was. 

Instead, we stayed in tonight and made quesadillas with Homemade Gourmet's Black Bean Salsa.  Oh yum yum yum...I bet if you found another really good black bean salsa (or other chunky salsa) you could make these like that.  All you have to do is slap some Mexican cheese blend, a few heaping spoonfuls of salsa and some grilled chicken (or not) between two tortillas and there ya go.  You can make it work in a frying pan but if you have a quesadilla maker like I do it's even better. Give it a try next time you've got a hankering for some quesadillas...I promsie you won't be disappointed!