Open-Your-Face Quesadilla

The components of this recipe might seem eerily familiar to you. But trust me, this is something completely different. In a good way.

A few weeks ago I mentioned my recent work trip to California. The hotel had this amazeballs Mexican restaurant located within it, which made it all too convenient for my work buddy and I to indulge in the best of what southern California has to offer (besides sunny skies, warm weather, and fantastic views): Mexican cuisine. Margaritas, chips & salsa, and a variety of delectable Mexican dishes were ours for the taking. We made quite a few stops at Las Campanas during our weeklong stay (four, but who's counting?), and my absolute favorite dish I tried that week is what I want to share with you today. My coworker and I reviewed the lunch menu online one day, and she pointed out this item from the appetizers list called an "open faced quesadilla." She read the ingredients and I was sold! We each ordered one and were very happy we did. I knew right then and there that I would have to attempt to re-make the dish in my own kitchen.

My dad came to dinner to celebrate Father's Day, so I figured I would take the opportunity to serve this re-make dish from Las Campanas. I usually make him something hearty and manly: meatloaf, pasta with rich sauce, pizza, green beans. He does love Mexican food, so I knew he would be excited to try this dish. Since my dad doesn't eat seafood, but I do, I made beef strips to go on his and my boyfriend's, and shrimp to go on mine. (Actually my boyfriend lucked out and got the best of both worlds: a surf n' turf version with beef AND shrimp!) You can feel free to top your open-faced quesadilla with chicken or even a light white fish. Whatever floats your boat. The process and dressings will be the same, I would just vary the cooking time.

This dish calls for cilantro pesto. Being an avid cilantro hater, I wasn't familiar with the proportions I would have to use for such a thing, so I used a recipe for that, which I found online here. I have to say though, even if you don't like cilantro, you should still try this dish WITH the pesto. It complements the other flavors going on and is not overwhelming. Give it a shot.

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to pull off a replica with the same great flavors I experienced in person at the restaurant in Cali, but I am happy to report I did it! This meal was so delicious and fulfilling, you'll want to open-your-face to take the biggest bites possible! I can't wait to make it again!

Special Note: I realize that many of my recent recipes have included arugula. It's not on purpose but it's not an accident either. Arugula and I are having a moment. I'm clearly obsessed. Just go with it. I surely am!

Let's get cookin'! Ole!

Open-Your-Face Quesadilla

Servings: 3
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cilantro pesto
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into strips (bought that way if you can find it!)
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)
3 burrito sized soft flour tortillas
1 bag shredded Monterey jack & cheddar cheese mix
1/3 queso fresco round, crumbled
Juice of one lime
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 avocado, chopped
3 large handfuls baby arugula leaves
Juice of one lemon

Preheat everything! We're working with quite a few stove top items today, as well as one oven item. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Preheat one nonstick skillet (used for the seafood and then the meat) over medium heat. Preheat your oven's broiler on high.

Start by adding your cleaned shrimp to a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon FCBP.

Then drizzle with two tablespoons of your cilantro pesto and stir to coat the shrimp in the pepper & pesto.

Add one teaspoon EVOO to the nonstick skillet and spread it around the pan. Add the shrimp to the pan in an even layer. Squeeze half of a lime over the pan and stir to combine.

Cook on the first side until they start to turn pinkish white and become firm, about three minutes. Flip all shrimp and cook on the opposite side for another three or four minutes, until they become firm and opaque. Remove from the heat and set aside on a clean plate.

Wipe out the skillet with a wad of paper towels. Place the pan back on the burner and add one teaspoon of butter. Allow to melt while you prepare the meat.

Add the strips of beef (or chicken) to a clean mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each salt & FCBP, as well as with two tablespoons of the cilantro pesto. Stir to coat the meat in the sauce.

Once the butter is melted, spread it throughout the pan.

Add the meat to the skillet in a single layer. Let cook on the first side for about three or four minutes.

Turn the meat over to cook the opposite side. Sprinkle with the juice of half the lime. Allow to cook for another five minutes.

Remove the meat from the skillet by placing it on a clean plate. Set aside while you put together the rest of the dish.

Add the tortilla shells to your grill or grill pan. Cook on the first side for about one minute. Flip over to cook the second side for about thirty seconds.

Place the grilled tortillas on a cookie sheet. Top each with a handful of queso fresco, followed by a couple of handfuls of the jack/cheddar mixture.

Place under the broiler for about one minute until the cheese has become melty.

Remove from the oven and place each tortilla shell on its own individual plate.

Top the tortillas with your chosen protein, whether it be shrimp, chicken, steak, or a combination thereof.



Top each tortilla with a third of your chopped roma tomatoes and chopped red onion, sprinkling them evenly around the surface of the tortilla.

Drizzle each tortilla with about one tablespoon of the cilantro pesto.

 

Sprinkle next with chopped avocado.



Add three handfuls of baby arugula leaves to a large mixing bowl.

In a separate, smaller dish, add the juice from one lemon. Slowly drizzle in two tablespoons of EVOO while you whip with a whisk to create a dressing consistency.

Drizzle the lemon dressing over the bowl of arugula leaves. Toss to combine.

Use tongs to spoon a handful of arugula salad onto the top of each open faced quesadilla.

You will need a fork AND a knife to eat these babies! Enjoy with a glass of crisp white wine, Mexican beer, or perhaps a smoky sriracha margarita. Salute!

Deep Creek Pasta Salad

You might be wondering about the name of this dish. My boyfriend's friend, Kacy, was getting married in Deep Creek, MD. It's a popular recreation spot in the area, boasting mountain views and peace of mind. He and a group of friends rented a house for the weekend and everyone was pitching in for a Friday night dinner barbeque. Most things had already been signed up for so he suggested "we" make a pasta salad. He knows me too well. I have a weakness for pasta salads, as you may recall.

I had a really busy night the evening before we were leaving - my mom came to dinner, I had to pack, get ready for work the next day, and make a pasta salad - so I knew I needed to come up with something quick and easy, yet crowd pleasing, that also wouldn't spoil on the three hour drive to western Maryland. That meant mayo was out of the question - I didn't want to risk it. I turned my mind to a vinegar & oil based dressing and that's how I came up with this recipe.

One of my favorite bases for pasta sauces is roasted cherry tomatoes. There is nothing like the flavor you get from simply sticking them in the oven at 400 degrees for twenty minutes, adding nothing more than some S&P and EVOO. It was the first thing that came to my mind when thinking of an easy recipe for crowd pleasing taste. I usually use this as a hot dish but figured why not use it for a pasta salad?

To add to the easiness of this dish, I decided to have the rest of the ingredients be cold ingredients that needed very little prep work that I could add to the pasta later. I knew that olives, arugula, and grated parmesan cheese would be the perfect complement to the flavors I already had going on with the tomatoes & dressing.  I made the pasta, the sauce, the pine nuts, and the dressing the night before, and packed them in a cooler the next day along with the cold ingredients. Once we arrived in Deep Creek and were ready to eat dinner, I tossed the pasta with the dressing, the chopped olives, arugula, and cheese. It worked out really well. So this pasta salad is perfect to take with you to a picnic whether it's close to your home or far away, or to go ahead and serve right after preparing.

Everyone said that it was really good, and one person in particular even ate it straight out of the bowl as a late night snack ;-) With that said, I'm going to consider this recipe a success! haha

OK, now let's get cookin'!

Arugula & Roasted Cherry Toms Pasta Salad

Servings: a houseful of people or 12-20
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 box small pasta, such as shells
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons EVOO
A splash of dry white wine
1/8 cup of whole pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (FCBP)
A pinch of red paper flakes
2 handfuls of pitted kalamata olives, chopped
3 handfuls of baby arugula leaves
4 ounces grated parmesan cheese

Dressing:
Drippings from the roasted tomato pan
1/4 cup EVOO
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place a large pot filled 3/4 of the way with water on the stove over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, add your pasta. Follow the directions on the box for cooking time.

Drain in a colander in the sink once the pasta is done cooking and run cold water over it for about 30 seconds. Set aside.

Add the chopped sweet onion, garlic, and red pepper flake to an oven safe dish (I used a pie dish). Drizzle with one tablespoon of EVOO and a pinch of S&P. Mix to coat the onions in the oil.

Place the dish in the oven for ten minutes to allow the onions to soften a bit.

Remove the onions from the oven and add the entire container of cherry tomatoes to the dish. Add the splash of dry white wine and one more teaspoon of EVOO. Top with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of FCBP.

Stir to combine.

 

Put the dish back in the oven and allow to cook for 20 minutes.

While your tomato sauce is cooking, toast your pine nuts. Place a nonstick skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add the pine nuts to the pan.

Make sure to regularly check on and stir the pine nuts. They burn very easily. Once they are golden brown, after cooking for about ten minutes, remove them from the heat and pour them onto a plate to cool. Set aside.

Place the cooked, cooled pasta in a large serving bowl (preferably plastic if you're going to be traveling with it).

Arrange a salad dressing container so that you can easily pour the juices from your tomato sauce into it.

Remove the tomato sauce from the oven and carefully pour the excess juices into your salad dressing container.

Pour the tomatoes and onions over the pasta.



Use the spatula or a fork to pop the cherry tomatoes so that their juices spill out. Stir to combine.

Next, make the salad dressing. Add another 1/4 cup of olive oil to the salad dressing container along with 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar. Shake vigorously until the two are combined.

If you are going to travel with the pasta and assemble it at your destination, this would be the end of your work for your time at home. Place plastic wrap over the top of your pasta bowl and place it in the fridge. Add the cooled pine nuts to a food storage container and set aside with your dressing.

To assemble the pasta salad at home or at your travel destination, follow these steps.

Add the pine nuts and chopped kalamata olives.

Stir to combine.

Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each S&P, and stir again. Drizzle your dressing over the pasta, a little at a time, tasting as you go along. Add as much dressing to your taste.

Next, add the grated parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

Last, add the arugula and mix in with the rest of the pasta salad.

Serve along side some (veggie) burgers and corn on the cob and enjoy!

Salute!

Smoky Sriracha Margarita

Yes! It's June, which means it's almost technically summer, which means we have every excuse to make delicious, refreshing drinks any day of the week. Right? Well, those are the rules I live by! Even Milli is excited it's summertime, see:

(Ignore the fact that she looks miserable and terrified, she rather enjoyed the pool haha And yes, she's wearing a life jacket. There really is no end to the humiliation she endures.)

 

My unofficial start to summer was kicked off with a work trip to southern California. I stayed at the most amazing hotel & spa, The Mission Inn. I had a bit of a rough travel day getting out there, so the first thing I did upon arrival to the hotel, at the encouragement of my team, was order a nice, big margarita! Conveniently, there was a Mexican restaurant at the hotel (Las Campanas) and needless to say, I enjoyed quite a few of those margaritas during my week stay. When I returned home, I was still in a margarita frame of mind. My boyfriend and I promptly took ourselves (and the puppy) to our local Mexican restaurant, Guapo's, and ordered up some margs! It was on that outing to Guapo's that I conceived the notion of this drink. I had had so many margaritas in the past week that were all essentially the same (yet still very good!), so I wanted something a little different.

What could I do to make something different, I wondered? Fruit? Nah, it's been done to death. Veggie? Weird. Spicy? Now I was on to something. My neighbor and friend (friebor), Joanna, had made a jalepeno margarita at one of our happy-hours-at-home a while back, and it was really good, so I knew spicy would work. The first thing to come to mind when I thought of spicy was sriracha, naturally. But how to make that more interesting? I have also had a smoked margarita at one of my favorite restaurants in Downtown Annapolis, Level. Adding a smoky flavor would be the perfect complement to a spicy margarita. Done and done!

I made two versions of this drink - one for moi and one for the boyfriend. He likes his drinks heavier than I do and he also likes things a lot spicier than I. There are actually four ways to make the drink: the two ways I made it (light on alcohol and spice for me and heavier on spice and alcohol for him), and then you can make a heavy drink, but light on spice; or a light drink, heavy on spice. It's up to you. If you appreciate a little flavorful spice, follow the amount of simple syrup I add to my drink. If you like spicy spice, follow the way I made it for my boyfriend, and you can even add more sriracha when making the simple syrup. And then add the alcohol to your preference as well.

Making these drinks was the perfect excuse to finally pick the biggest lime from my lime tree! I was so excited. Here it is:

This drink was all the more delicious knowing that I used fruit from my very own balcony "garden."

I can't wait to share this amazing drink with you, so let's get mixin'!

Smoky Sriracha Margarita

Servings: 2 short glasses
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes

Ingredients:

Simple Syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon sriracha
8 drops liquid smoke (if your liquid smoke pours out rather quickly, just measure it instead: about 1/16 of a teaspoon (or half of a 1/8 teaspoon measuring utensil))

Rimmer
Wedge of orange
1/4 cup margarita salt (or ground kosher salt)
1/4 teaspoon orange zest

Drink
Tequila (measurement clarifications to follow) - preferably gold. I only had silver on hand, so I used that, and it was still delish
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
Ice

First and foremost, make the simple syrup.

Place a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Drizzle the agave nectar into it.

Add the 8 drops of liquid smoke and the 1/2 teaspoon of sriracha (or slightly more if you're a masochist and like a lot of spice).

Stir the liquid smoke and sriracha into the agave nectar and let that melt together for about three minutes.

After a few minutes, turn the heat off and remove the saucepan from the burner. Let cool for a couple minutes.

Place the saucepan in the freezer to cool for one minute.

Remove pot from the freezer and set aside.

Next, make the rimmer. Start by washing all of your citrus, especially since you will be using the zest of the orange.

Dry off and set aside, except for the orange. Use a grater or microplane to zest the orange.

Then, mix the orange zest in with the margarita salt on a small, flat plate. Use your finger tips to massage the zest into the salt. The salt will start to turn slightly orange and that's when you know you have done it enough.

Cut a slit into the orange wedge and wipe it around the rim of your glasses.

Place the rim of the glass into the salt mixture and twist. Once your rim is sufficiently covered in as much salt as you like, set the glass on the counter.

Fill the glasses with ice.  Set aside. 

Now for the drink!

(A shaker works best for this, but if you don't own a shaker, you can use a plastic food storage container with a tight fitting lid.)

Add a handful of ice to your shaker.

My version: add one and a half teaspoons of the spicy simple syrup, 1 1/2 shots of tequila, 1/8 cup orange juice, and 1/4 cup lime juice.

I used the shot glass I brought my boyfriend from Cali. How apropos :-)

Put the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds.

Pop the top off of the shaker and pour the margarita into your rimmed glass.

Boyfriend's version: add two teaspoons of the simple syrup, two shots of tequila, 1/8 cup orange juice, and 1/4 cup lime juice.

Put the lid on the shaker and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds.  Pop the top off of the shaker and pour the margarita into your rimmed glass.

Add a lime wedge to the edge of both glasses and you're golden!

Kick up your feet and enjoy. Salute!

And here's another picture of the puppy for good measure, while she was "helping" me in the kitchen.