Is it a quesadilla or a panini? It's a quesanini!

I'm not sure this one actually deserves a post, but I took the picture and it was yummy, so why not!? I'm less of a bready person than most, but still love the concept of a panini.

I had some fresh mozza in the fridge, and basil, and pondered what to do with it. Pizza? Too much effort (yes, it's been like that around here lately, can't you tell?). I also had some whole wheat tortillas, and a mid-winter tomato or two lying about. I hauled out the panini press, which sadly sits unused many a night, sliced the mozzarella thinly, layered it with basil leaves and tomato slices... and voila, a quesanini!

Really, quite a treat. And something I will make again!

Fried egg quesadilla heaven

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to do justice to this little slice of heaven... but I'm going to give it a try! I swear this came to me in a dream, maybe, or in the shower? Anyway, it was percolating around in my brain for awhile and finally I thought I might as well just start experimenting... a few go-rounds with a fry pan and a few eggs later, and I think I'm ready to share my new favorite.

So I start with two white corn tortillas and some no-stick spray on the skillet.

Lay one tortilla in the sprayed pan and warm a bit. Sprinkle some cheddar around the outside of the tortilla, in a ring around the edge, to hold the egg in place. Once the cheese has melted a bit, break an egg into the middle.


Let the egg cook a bit (1-2 minutes), sprinkle a litle more cheese over the egg and then place another tortilla on top; then flip the quesadilla.

Once both sides are browned and the egg is the desired "doneness," it's ready to go. (I have returned a quesadilla or two to the pan upon learning it was too gooey for my taste. I like my egg a bit runny, but not too runny... a bit of a science to it, but I've learned as I've gone along.)

One hand on the quesadilla, one hand on the camera, here we go! You get the idea, right? Yum.

A quick Google search only returned scrambled egg quesadillas. Hmm. No so much. That's a bit too much like a breakfast burrito... fine in it's own way, but no fried egg quesadilla! Do you think I might have actually invented something? That would make my day. Especially since it's something that's so yummy, I think I ate it almost every night for a week not that long ago... sad but true. I have yet to talk my nightly dinner companions into it, they look at me a little like I'm headed for the Cocoapuffs, but maybe one of these days...

Rationalizing the cheese crave

Some nights it's all about figuring out what the cheese vehicle will be. Is it a grilled cheese panini? Cheesey pasta? Cheese with a few salad greens holding it up off the plate? You think I'm joking, but it's true. Maybe it's a fall thing. But I've had soup the past few nights and I needed a break. A cheesey break.

I had some leftover ingredients to fiddle around with too... some grapefruit and pomegranates from the salad on Sunday night. What to do?

Ten minutes later I was all settled in with my improvised grapefruit-pomegranate-avocado salsa and quesadilla, catching up on Entourage. (There are very few characters I enjoy as much as Ari Gold, the amazingly crass agent on that show. He is so endearing in his absolute laserlike focus on whatever goal he's currently fixated on. Just brutal.) It was my last solo supper for awhile, and I savored it!

The relish/salsa (I haven't quite figured out what exactly it was) had great flavor. Again with the salty-sweet combo, oh yeah. It would also have been lovely with greens and some chevre crumbled over it too... It was essentially equal parts avocado, pomegranate seeds and chopped grapefruit segments, with a little lime juice and salt.