Noah's Honey Quesadillas

first attempt

second attempt

final product :)

Well, we tried to make this three different times, and the third time was successful :).  Noah wanted honey quesadillas, and so we played around with the recipe until everyone thought it was delicious.  We tried to first make our own corn tortillas, but they were a little thick, so we used flour instead.  Our caramel sauce was too hard at first, and by the third try we got sauce rather than caramel candy :).  Notice how the caramel gets lighter every time.  And our filling became progressively sweeter with each attempt, but by the third try it was honey-ey and delicious.  Aaron and I gave them a 9, Noah gave them a perfect 10, and Owen gave them an 8.  Here's what Noah and I came up with:

4 T cream cheese, softened
4 T honey (more or less depending on desired sweetness)
4 tortillas

3/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
2 T butter
1/2 c cream
2 T honey

Beat together the cream cheese and honey, tasting as you go.  Spread the cream cheese mixture on the tortillas, and toast them on both sides.

Caramelize the sugar and water together, then when the sugar is a light amber, add in the butter and cream and honey, stirring until the sauce comes together.

Bobby Flay's Hummus and Zucchini Quesadillas

We really enjoyed this, as you can see from my messy baby :).  Having the hummus and the bean relish made for a different kind of quesadilla, and it is always fun to have something different around here.  Plus, we really like hummus.  We found this recipe in Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill cookbook, and each quesadilla was 621 calories.  Noah and I gave this a 9, and Owen and Aaron gave it an 8.  Here's what to do:

Hummus:

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
6 cloves garlic
1/2 t ancho chili powder
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T tahini
2 T olive oil
3 T cilantro
salt and pepper

Quesadillas:

6 flour tortillas
6 oz cheddar cheese
1/2 c shredded zucchini
8 oz goat cheese
salt and pepper
Dipping Sauce or Relish to serve

Combine all the hummus ingredients in a food processor, and combine well, adding water if needed.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Spread hummus on three of the tortillas, spread the goat cheese, the cheddar and the zucchini among all the three tortillas, then season to taste, then top with the second tortilla.  Cook in the oven or on the stove top until the cheeses are melted and the tortillas are crispy.  Serve with dip or relish of choice.

Rachel Ray's Shrimp and Chorizo Quesadillas

We love shrimp, and we love chorizo around here, so I found this recipe from Rachel Ray, and decided to try it.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly, especially the guacamole.  We prefer our guacamole a different way, so I didn't make the chipotle guac, but I did make the quesadillas.

I had already taken a bite when I realized I hadn't taken a picture, so sorry for the ugly picture, but these were outstanding.  Each quesadilla and guacamole serving was 791 calories, sigh, but so delicious.  The boys and I gave this a perfect 10, and Aaron gave it a 9, he said the quesadillas weren't the awesome part, the guac made it amazing, but they are still great.  Here's what I did:

1 c pico de gallo (chop 1/2 onion, 2 tomatoes, 1/2 lime juiced, 1 pinch New Mexico chili powder, some cilantro and salt)

3 avocados

salt

5 flour tortillas

1 T olive oil

1/2 lb chorizo

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined

salt

10 oz grated Pepper Jack chese

Mix the avocados and the pico de gallo well, the season to taste.

Heat the oil in the pan, add the garlic and shrimp, and season well.  After about 2 minutes, remove the shrimp from the pan, then cook the chorizo in the same pan.  In another pan, layer cheese, chorizo, shrimp, and cheese on half of the tortilla, then fold the tortilla over the top.  Cook on both sides until crispy, then repeat five times.  Serve with the guacamole.