recipes

KNR, p. 305 “Quesadillas”

Professional sports seasons are several months long, what with pre-season, in-season, and playoff games to watch. If you have a favorite team, and whether your buddies agree or loudly disagree with your choice, weekends can involve lots of noisy gatherings. Whether parked in front of the TV or at a tailgate party, in our opinion it’s not possible to watch a game without great food.

When we’re in the mood for Mexican flavors, Quesadillas hit the spot. We keep the prep simple and pick up a cooked chicken at the store. The filling can be made ahead of time, then left in the fridge for a day until we’re ready to put the tortillas on the griddle or in a large frying pan.

This recipe is for two 10” quesadillas, with combined servings for 2-4 people.

Quesadillas

Sheila & Charlie Kerrian
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican

Equipment

  • Large, flat bottom frying pan with lid
  • large bowl
  • Wide spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
  • 1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup Celery, diced
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Onion
  • 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 2 cups Roast Chicken, shredded or diced
  • 1/4 cup Chilies
  • 1/2 cup Mayo
  • 4 extra large Flour Tortillas (10" burrito size)
  • 2 cups Shredded 4 Cheese Mix
  • 1 cup Black Beans, cooked

Instructions
 

  • Place vegetable oil in frying pan, on medium heat.
  • Add red bell pepper, green bell pepper, celery, garlic, onion, and sea salt and stir until well mixed.
  • Lower heat, cover and cook until celery translucent, about 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
  • Place diced/shredded chicken in large bowl, add cooked peppers, celery, chilies, and mayo and stir together.
  • Place one extra large tortilla in frying pan and turn heat to low medium.
  • Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese evenly over tortilla, leaving an inch all around the edge bare.
  • Divide chicken mix in half and place one half on top of cheese, spreading evenly, leaving an inch all around the edge bare.
  • Spread 1/2 cup black beans evenly on top of chicken mix.
  • Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheese on top of black beans.
  • Place second tortilla on top.
  • Cover and let cook for about 3-4 minutes until bottom tortilla begins to brown and cheese begins to melt.
  • Using the wide spatula, carefully flip the entire quesadilla in order to brown the other side.
  • Cover again and continue to melt the cheese and brown the tortilla, another 3-4 minutes.
  • Uncover the quesadilla, slide onto a large plate and divide into four pieces.
  • Repeat the entire process to make the second quesadilla.
  • Serve with chips, salsa, guacamole, and whatever else you like to pair with your quesadillas.

Notes

The bottom tortilla may shrink while cooking, but so will the other tortilla when flipped. Cook each side the same amount of time and they will be the same size when done.
The photos show chicken as well as beef quesadillas.
Beef quesadilla ingredients: Eliminate the celery and the mayo from the chicken quesadilla list above and substitute a pound of browned ground beef for the roast chicken.
Beef quesadilla instructions: Exactly the same as the chicken quesadilla, minus the celery & mayo and using ground beef instead of the chicken.

Enjoy!

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KNR, p. 297 “Tuna Croquettes”

We acquired about 20 family-sized cans of amazing canned tuna that originated in the Azores – islands 850 miles from the coast of Portugal. The sea surrounding the nine islands is abundant with dozens of varieties of fish, some of which are only served locally. But, lucky for us, Portuguese tuna is shipped globally. After eating some on vacation, we made sure we always have the deeply flavorful fish on hand.

 

One of the recipes we created is this easy croquette, cooked in a pan on top of the stove for a quick lunch or light dinner. Portuguese tuna may not be available everywhere, but your favorite brand of chunk light tuna (not Albacore) will work just fine.

Tuna Croquettes

Sheila & Charlie Kerrian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 12 oz cans chunk light tuna
  • 3/4 cup garlic and herb Progresso bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Gulden's mustard
  • 1 teaspoon avocado oil (or favorite frying oil) to coat pan

Instructions
 

  • Drain the tuna. Place all the tuna into large bowl.
  • Add bread crumbs, celery, beaten egg, onion powder, sea salt, mayo, and mustard to the tuna, and mix together completely.
  • Divide into 4-5 patties.
  • Brush frying pan with avocado oil and arrange patties evenly spaced in pan. Cover pan with lid and cook on medium heat.
  • Brown each side (about 5-6 minutes each side) to doneness you prefer.
  • Serve with a salad and chips, or with sliced tomato in a sandwich.

Enjoy!

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KN, p. 285 “Top Ten New Posts 2021”

Thanks to the thousands of Kerrian’s Notebook readers who have spoken! Here are the Readers’ Choice Top Ten new posts for 2021. Read them for the first time or enjoy them again.  🙂

#10  "Tomato Basil Chicken Soup"

 

 

 

 

 

#9  "Was It Medical Malpractice?"

#8  "Hurricane Season Opened June 1st"

 

#7  "About the Bats"

 

 

 

#6  "Recovery Times for On the Job Injuries"

#5  "Visiting Detective Kylee Kane - HOA Murder"

#4  "Chicken Pot Pie"

#3  "The Impact of Weather on Guns and Bullets"

#2  "Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Bars"

and the most read new post in 2021 was:


"Visiting Detective Quinn Sterling"

Here's to a great 2022 and Happy Sleuthing!

 

 

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