Grilled Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

Being from Texas, alot of our dishes have a Mexican influence;  Growing up I remember eating tacos of all sorts (puffy, crispy, soft)...as well as, chalupas, flautas, chimichangas, gorditas, and pretty much any other variety of "a tortilla wrapped around something"...lol    Inspired by a childhood favorite coupled with the start of some summertime grilling, I thought I would take a stab at these spinach quesadillas.  They're fun to make, and of course you can add the fillings that you desire.  I don't really like mushrooms or tomatoes, so I didn't use them but by all means modify the ingredients as you wish.

Here in Texas we absolutely love HEB supermarkets.  They have fresh produce and meats, and their prices are fair.  They carry a variety of pre-seasoned chicken breasts for convenience.  I chose the ones seasoned for fajitas (of course :)  

If you purchase fresh chicken breasts that are not pre-seasoned, I suggest just seasoning them with fajita seasoning or ground cumin, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

I also picked up some flour tortillas, which are made fresh daily in my HEB.  You may also used the packaged ones, usually sold on the bread aisle.  Local restaruants in your area may sell fresh tortillas for as little as $.15 cents each.  Taco Cabana is a local Mexican fast food chain that sells them here in Texas, and they are very good.  

Tortillas come in so many varieties.  I've seen spinach, tomato, wheat, and even pesto. You can most definately use these flavors as well.  I went the traditional route with this dish.

Fillings:  This is what I used, but as I stated earlier you may use any fillings that you wish. 

1 white onion 

1 green or red bell pepper

2 1/2 cups of shredded colby or monterray jack (or mixed) cheese 

1 bunch of fresh spinach leaves (or the ones in the bag can be used as well)

1 pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Other popular options for fillings:  mushrooms, jalapenos, pico de gallo, tomatoes, beans (black, pinto, kiney, etc.), 

Cheeses: smoked gouda, swiss, jalapeno jack

Meats:  ground beef (with taco seasonings or groud cumin), meatballs, diced ham, shredded chicken.

Sooo let's get started!

1.  Chop bellpepper and onion corsely.  Place in a 'bundle' of foil paper for easy grilling.  Spray foil paper  with non-stick spray or olive oil to prevent sticking.

2.  Prepare charcoal or gas grill cooking (375 degrees F.) 

3.  Place bundle of onion and bellpepper on grill, as well as seasoned chicken breasts.

Note:  I placed my chicken breasts on foil paper because it makes for easier clean up.  You don't have to do this;  You may place chicken on grill grates if preferred.

4.  Grill chicken for about 6-8 minutes on each side.  In the meantime, while chicken is grilling, prepare your sauteed spinach (or whatever other veggies you have chosen).  I sauteed spinach in a small skillet on the stove with a tiny bit of olive oil and pinch of pepper.

5.  Set oven to broil. 

6.  Once chicken is grlled an ready, remove from grill and place on a place or cutting board for slicing.

7.  Also remove bellpepper and onion from grill at this time.  Sprinkle with pinch of salt/pepper.

8.  Slice chicken and set aside. 

9,  Take out tortillas and brush with a little butter or butter subsitute of your choice.

10.  Place vegetables on top of tortillas as shown.

11.  Top off with cheese. 

12.  Place a second tortilla on top, and place in oven for a minute or two (until cheese melts.) Then flip the quesadilla on the other side and repeat.  This step can be done on the grill as well, if you choose to use it instead of a conventional oven.  The nice thing about the grill is that you get the infamous "grill marks" on your tortillas...  which makes them look extra 'special'... hee hee.

13,  Cut finished quesadilla in fourths.

And Voila!  you're done!   

You know the drill.....Drumroll please!  


He likes it!  He likes it!  (Mr. Sherry Berry poses for the camera in his 'Turkey Day' shirt we got at a Thanksgiving volunteer function.  Yes, it's May and he's still wearing that tshirt.)

I liked the quesadillas too.. they were really a good snack.. I even had one for breakfast the next day. 

- Oh and in case you're wonding what refreshing beverage that is sitting next to his plate.. that was a glass of peppermint green tea I made.  Follow the link for instructions on making the tea.

Enjoy!

~S

Iced Peppermint Green Tea

I got inspired to make this tea from reading an article in Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

It's really simple.  Just buy some peppermint tea bags from your grocer.  If you choose to use loose leaves, use a strainer. 

I used the Lipton Green Peppermint tea.  Use four teabags and steap in a pot of boiling hot water or a tea kettle for about ten minutes or so to allow for the peppermint to infuse the water.

Remove teabags and pour into a pitcher for serving.  Add sugar to taste (I used 3/4 c of raw sugar to a two quart pitcher.) Fill pitcher with ice cubes and stir to dissolve sugar.  Serve in a glass and garnish with mint leaves.  Enjoy

~S

Fresh Strawberries n' Creme Cake

It's that time again :)  Mr. Sherry Berry and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary this year.  As part of a tradition we started three years ago (due to the the cake top we froze on our wedding day not tasting up to par)- we usually order a small cake from our baker done in our wedding cake flavor, strawberries and creme.  I usaually call a couple of months ahead of time to order, because they are usually booked this time of year, due to weddings.   Well, lets just say the date slipped my mind, and we weren't able to get our cake in time :(  Sooooo... I decided to try to make my own ('try' being the operative word here...lol)   Yes, it's not "home made" and yes the icing if from a can,....but who cares right?

Ingredients: 

1 box of Betty Crocker SuperMoist Vanilla Butter Recipe White cake mix

2 round cake pans

1 can of Betty Crocker buttercream frosting

1 Pint of fresh, ripe strawberries

Red gel food coloring (I used Wilton brand)

1.  Prepare cake mix according to box instructions.   Let cake cool on a cooling rack and remove from pans.  Once cooled, mix one drop of red gel color with frosting/icing to make a light pink color. (This step can be omitted;  I just wanted a pink cake, like our wedding cake (see picture in link above) so that's why I used the red coloring.

If top of cake is domed, use a long knife to cut and thin layer off the top of the cake to make it level. Smooth a thin layer of icing on top of one of the cake layers.   This will be the base for your strawberry layer.  

Slice strawberries... 

...then layer them in a circular pattern between the cake layers.

Then, place the other cake layer on top, and smooth icing over the entire cake in a swirling motion.  Enjoy!   --- wasn't as good as our wedding cake, but it will do for this year :(... next year I'll make sure I call our baker waaaay in advance....lol

General Tso's Chicken

As promised I bring you General Tso's!  :)   This is one of Mr. Sherry Berry's favorite dishes, so I thought I'd attempt to make it at home, instead of getting PF Changs take out (I'm joking...kinda.)    Soooo... without further adieu, let's get started-

What you'll need:

• 1 packet (1 - 1/4 oz.) Sunbird General Tso's seasoning (found in the Asian section of your supermarket.)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 lb chicken breast chunks or boneless chicken thigh chunks.
• 2 tbsp. oil (I used Canola)
• 1/4 cup sugar (you may use raw sugar or Splenda as substitute)
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce ( I used low sodium version)
• 3/4 cup water
• Fresh vegetables of your choice.  I used carrots and broccoli, since that's what I had on hand in the crisper :)
• 1 cup of rice (I used Mahatma Whole Grain rice)
  

Directions:

Bring 2 cups of water in a saucepan  to a rolling boil.  Add rice and stir.  Turn heat to low temperature, cover, and let rice cook. 

Whisk water, soy sauce,  sugar and seasoning packet together in a bowl  (or in my case, a Pyrex measuring cup) and set aside for later.

Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat.

Coat chicken chunks evenly with flour.  You may use a ziplock bag or bowl (as I did).

When oil is hot in frying pan, carefully place chicken in oil.  

Make sure all pieces are touching the bottom of pan, to insure they brown evenly.

Cut fresh vegetables and rinse them in a collander. Set aside.

Pour sauce mixture in a saucepan and heat on medium until it heats all the way through.  

It may be slightly thicker when heated, due to the sugar added. Once heated, set aside.

Brown chicken on both sides.

Next, add fresh veggies, and cover with lid.  (You may choose to steam your veggies or pan fry them in a 

separate pan.  I chose to cook them this way so that I would have one less pan to clean afterward.)  Let them cook for about five minutes or until slightly tender.

Check your rice;  It should be flurfy by now :)  Flurfy (fluffy)... I just made up that word.  Flurfy...lol

Remove veggies from pan.  Set aside.

Pour sauce over chicken.  Mix well until chicken is fully coated.

And Voila!!! You're all done!  So easy...and now for the taste test:

Another hit!  He likes it!  (So much that he didn't notice the rice he spilled on his tshirt...)

I liked it too;  Very yummy.  I would say the sauce has a slight sweet /garlic-y taste.

I would definately prepare this dish again.  

**Side note:  I actually doubled the recipe because I used a pound and a half of chicken chunks, so that we could have more leftovers for dinner the next day.  If you do this, use 2 packets of seasoning  and double the sugar, water, and soy sauce.

Enjoy,

Sher~

Asian Stir Fry with Chicken

The hubby and I were in need of some major veggie intake. I thought of going to Pei Wei to pick up some take out, but I figured we could save money buy making our own Asian dish. I came up with the idea of doing a stir fry; Hubby liked the idea. So, I picked up a pack of chicken breast tenders and some fresh veggies - a broccoli crown head and two carrots. Then, I came across the section with asian seasonings, and picked up a NOH Asian stir fry seasoning packet. I had onions, bellpeppers and rice at home already.

*I used half the package of chicken breast tenders (approx. 8 tenders) , but feel free to use more if you'd like.

1. Rinse chicken tenders, and place in a skillet. I used a frying pan with three inch sides.

2. Season chicken with a sprinke of paprika and garlic powder and a dash of salt. Cook for ten minutes on a medium high heat on both sides.

3. Add a half cup of water, and simmer chicken on low heat, covered for another ten minutes.

4. In the meantime, prepare your water for your rice and cut veggies:

• In a sauce pan, bring 1 1/2 cups of water and a dash of salt to a rolling boil. After water starts boiling, add 3/4 cup of rice. I used Mahatma Whole Grain rice. Simmer covered on low heat for approximately 12-15 minutes.

• Julienne one bellpper.
• Coarsely chop a half of onion.
• Cut off the stem of the brocolli and break or cut the individual heads off.
• Use a potato peeler to remove outter skin from carrot (I used one carrot, but again, you may use more if you'd like.) Cut the ends of the carrot off, and proceed to shave the carrot in short strokes until all the carrot is complete. {Note: I shave my carrots for a stir fry because it takes less time to cook. You may prepare your carrots any way you like.) It's easier to shave if you cut the carrot in half.
• Please all veggies in collander, mix and rinse with water.

5. Chicken breast should be tender and moist at this point. Break up chicken into bite-sized pieces with a spatula or fork. Prepare seasoning packet according to instructions (You just have to add water and whisk in the powder in the packet.) Add all veggies to chicken in the skillet and increase heat to medium temperature. Pour in sauce mixture.

Cover and cook for about 5-8 minutes, or until the veggies are tender enough to stick a fork through, but still firm and bright colored.

6. Check rice to make sure it's fluffy and no water remains in saucepan. If there is still water in the pan, replace cover and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Serve stir-fry over rice in a bowl. Add salt/pepper or low-sodium soy sauce to taste if needed. Yummy, quick and healthy.

**I also purchased a General Tso's seasoning packet as well. I'll let you all know how it comes out!

Enjoy,

Sher~