Party Quesadillas ~ page 134

Do you sometimes make a recipe you haven't made in a very long time, then when it turns out so delicious and easy you wonder, "Why did I wait so long to make these again?" Although it does seem like these quesadillas could be everyday fare, I really do only make them for summer parties outside. Maybe that is because I first ate them at my nephew's daughter's first birthday party, packed out with lots of family. My nephew cooked these on the outdoor grill. They were so wonderful, I got the recipe from him. Really though, it is not so much a recipe as simply a list of ingredients and a method.

 To make the chicken quesadilla mixture, add whatever amount of cooked chicken hunks (rotisserie chicken works well) and some black olives into the food processor and give it a whirl to coarsely chop everything.

Now add either red or green canned enchilada sauce--just enough to hold everything together. After another quick whirl, then dump out the mixture into a bowl and stir in the grated cheeses. I use sharp cheddar cheese, and then the Mexican cheese, queso fresco, if I have it, or else mozzarella or Monterey jack--basically, any white cheese.

I usually add in some bean and cheese quesadillas along with the ones with the chicken mixture. This can all be assembled outside, if you are cooking on the grill...or in this case, on a pancake griddle!

This was my first time to try these on the griddle. It was too much work to start the grill (which is charcoal, ugh!) and too hot to use the oven inside, so I came up with the idea of using the pancake griddle moved outside. This worked so well, I think I will always cook Party Quesadillas this way! Oh, I also used two kinds of tortillas--a spicy jalapeño tortilla, and a regular white flour tortilla.

I tried using refried black beans for the first time, and liked them just fine. I used a fire roasted enchilada sauce, and added some of this sauce to the beans, along with the cheese. It is nice to be able to offer a platter of two kinds of quesadillas to your guests. Notice in the background is a pizza cutter--great for cutting the cooked quesadilla into quarters.

Here are some of my toppings: pico de gallo, avacados (that were supposed to become guacamole, but didn't make it that far), and a homemade green tomatilla sauce. An offering of sour cream would have been nice if I had some...

And here all the leftovers after the party was all done.  Pop them in a covered container in the fridge, and later heat them on a baking sheet and you can have another party the next day! Not only do these heat up nicely, but they also freeze beautifully and thaw quickly for a fast snack. Oh, just one more thought--I served these at my party with fresh corn on the cob, iced tea, and watermelon.  It was a perfect hot-weather light meal. ~Janice

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ~ page 208

I know...this recipe has been blogged about, but I have to let you know what I did with half of this dough. I made a cookie cake for a friend! It turned out so well, I think I will be doing it again soon! This recipe has all shortening in it which keeps it from spreading, causing it to really keep its shape. I just patted the dough out in a circle on a baking sheet. I have a friend that did a half marathon last weekend...This was her good luck cookie. (The half marathon is 13.1 miles total, in case you are wondering what the numbers mean) anyway...it was a nice crispy texture that made it firm enough to handle so I could transport it easily to the friend's house. So, give it a try next time you want to make a plate of cookies for a friend, and instead surprise them with a cookie cake! --Carissa

Chunky Guacamole ~ page 13

Sorry for the huge delay in posting here on the blog! Somehow the last month just got away from me. I'll admit, one thing that has kept me away is a new cookbook that I got. It is a Cook's Illustrated cookbook called "The Best 30 Minute Recipe". With 3 kids...30 minutes is all I have most days to get dinner on the table. So, yes, I have had my nose in the new book quite a bit lately. Also, we are getting close to blogging about most all of the recipes in our book. My mom and I need to sit down and figure out what has yet to be blogged about. If you know of something that you haven't seen on the blog yet, shoot us an email and let us know. We will get it made and posted for you, so you can see pictures.

Anyway...last weekend us Johnson's got together for Adam's birthday and Julia's birthday. I was in charge of making the guacamole. So...here it is! Sorry that the picture turned out a bit blurry. It has such a nice chunky texture. I guess the reason I like mine so chunky is that now days it seems most people buy that prepackaged stuff when they are in charge of bringing guacamole to the party. I'm sorry to all of you out there that love that stuff...it just has this slimy texture that I have a hard time handling. I guess I like my homemade stuff super chunky so that it could be as far from the store bought stuff as possible. So next time you offer to bring the guac....try this recipe. Your tasters will thank you! --Carissa