Meat Quesadillas

Don't worry-- it's not labeled "meat" because it's unidentifiable, but because this recipe works equally well for chicken and beef. I'm not intentionally writing chicken bias into this blog, you know. It's just a side-effect that you get from learning to cook from someone who doesn't eat red meat. I use a George Foreman grill to make mine because it cooks both sides at once, though they can be done on the stovetop if you remember to flip them over.

Again, remember that the meat will require advance preparation!

You will need:
Stovetop and skillet, or electric grill
Small flour tortillas (easier to handle)
Pack of shredded Mexican blend cheese+ pack of shredded Sharp Cheddar (because cheese graters are a terrifying thing)
Pack of Fajita Seasoning (I use McCormick)
Can of salsa (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Chicken breast or beef cuts, thawed (think what you'd use for fajitas. Ask a butcher if need be.)

Quesadillas!

Advance Prep: Cut the chicken or beef into strips. Prepare the Fajita seasoning and let the meat soak in it for at least two hours. Pour the whole mess into a wok or small skillet and cook through, chopping the meat into smaller portions as it cooks. A little oil on the bottom of the pan will keep it from sticking if it gets dry, and if any excess liquid is left after cooking, be sure to drain. At this point, the meat should be bite-sized and easily fittable into a quesadilla. I'm sure you can figure it out.

Plug in the electric grill or get a skillet heated. Stove should be on medium heat, but you may need to experiment a little because this varies widely from stove to stove.

Place a tortilla on the hot surface and let it warm a little. Add cheese, meat, and salsa to taste. For an electric grill, fold it in half and shut the lid. For a skillet, keep the quesadilla open so both sides start to brown. This may make it harder to fold over later, but it's the fastest way to cook it, and I highly doubt presentation is a big part of what you're going for here.

Electric grills will cook quickly. Be prepared for some funny noises. It's done when the cheese is bubbly and the tortilla is nice and firm. Same goes for a skillet, though cooking may take a little longer. Top quesadillas with sour cream if desired and consume, consume, consume!

Greek Chicken

I got the idea for this one from a dish served by our university cafeteria, of all places. I highly recommend it in conjunction with the new potatoes, or some green beans. Since it involves meat, remember that some advance planning will need to be done to prepare the chicken! This recipe doesn't have set measurements for any of the ingredients, so if you're a cook that doesn't yet feel comfortable doing things "to taste," I'd start out elsewhere and come back here when you've developed some confidence.

You will need:
Oven
one chicken breast per person (or two, if you're hungry/like leftovers)
fresh lemon
lemon juice
olive oil
feta cheese crumbles
dried basil
foil

Greek Chicken:
Prep work: Wash and trim the fat off thawed or fresh chicken breasts. Place in a shallow dish and stab with a fork until the novelty wears off-- this is called tenderizing and will allow the chicken to take up more flavor while soaking. Pour enough olive oil in to coat the breasts, but not leave them floundering in a pool of oil. Let sit for at least two hours so the chicken has ample time to absorb the flavor.

Preheat the oven to 400.

Switch the chicken breasts to a baking dish large enough to hold them side-by-side with no overlap. make sure some olive oil comes with. Squeeze lemon juice liberally over the chicken. If you desperately want a measurement for that, I'd say at least 2TBSP lemon juice per chicken breast, but I really think you can eyeball this one. Lightly cover each breast with the dried basil by shaking it out of the spice jar. Turn the chicken over and coat the other side with basil, too.

Slice the fresh lemon in half through the middle (widthwise, not lengthwise). From the center cut, slice off two thin circles for each chicken breast. (When I was teaching this recipe to one of my guy friends, we came across some problems in the lemon slicing area. I'm going to warn you right now-- if you have cheap knives, this might be a bit of a pain. Because of this, don't bother getting them microthin.) Place two lemon slices on top of each slice of chicken, over the basil.

Finally, top the whole thing with feta cheese crumbles, cover the dish with foil, and place in the oven. Check after thirty minutes, but they probably won't be done for at least 40. To test for doneness, stab the middle of each chicken breast. If the fork goes through easily, the meat is cooked. For the exceptionally picky, just cut and peek (that's actually what I do to this day. Food poisoning makes for careful chefs).

To serve, remove the lemon slices, add a little more feta cheese, and devour. Be prepared for a very citrus-y, extra tender meat.

Chicken Packets

This is an easy recipe that allows you to cook more than one thing at a time with very little effort. I'd call that a win.

Preliminary work:
If I were you, I'd check to make sure you actually have the ingredients you're planning on using. There's nothing like being halfway through cooking something and discovering that you're missing the key ingredient. I always get exactly everything I'll need set out and measured before I start any cooking. It may seem silly, but it's efficient, it saves time, and it prevents catastrophic failure, which is something I know at least a few of you need all the help you can get with.

In this case, you'll want about one cup of side item per chicken breast. Anything more will take too long to cook. One packet should be enough per person.

Cooking utensils needed: Tablespoon, sharp knife, baking pan or dish (a cheap foil one will do nicely.

Note: All these recipes require an oven temp of 350F. Remember to preheat.

Cook time: 15 minutes prep, 45 to cook. This is not a meal for the desperately hungry.

Mediterranean Chicken Packets
This is something I pulled out of one of my favorite cookbooks. The great thing is that it's easily customizeable, so if you've got a random assortment of stuff lying around, chances are you can make it work. And since it all cooks at once, this is pretty easy for how tasty it is.

Base recipe:
Take a thawed chicken breast and cut three slashes into it. Insert slices of cheese into each wedge. (If you're lazy, just top them with cheese, but be warned that it will slide off and form a sort of half-assed cheese sauce.) Take a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to cover the chicken breast+ stuff you want to add into it completely. Place the chicken breast on the shiney side of the foil. Top the chicken with some basil, oregano, and pepper.

Here's where it gets fun. Basically anything can go in that chicken packet as long as it hasn't been pre-cooked. Remember to place the chicken on top of the other ingredients to really let it take on the flavor!

1) Pineapple rings with 2 tablespoons juice. Keep in mind this is going to end with a very sweet citrus flavor. Leave out the olive oil on this one, but keep the cheese and other seasonings.

2) Bell peppers. Place the chicken on top of a bed of bell pepper slices and do as stated above. This will give your chicken a little more kick, and I'd leave off the black pepper.

3) Zucchini and tomato, in a little olive oil. A lot of people like baked zucchini and tomato. I'm not one of them. Top the veggies with the basil and oregano and save the pepper for the chicken.

4) Green beans. Don't add any oil, or they will turn out greasy and nasty. After it's all done baking, you'll probably want to salt them. Add 2-3 TBSP water to help them steam and keep the chicken moist.

5) New potatoes. Cut them into 1-1/2 inch cubes so they cook quickly. I like mine with olive oil and a little rosemary, so leave out the basil and oregano and just double up on this spice. If you have any thyme lying around, toss that in too.

Yes, I realize most of those are veggies. GET OVER IT.

Next, you want to seal the packets so the contents don't leak. Fold up the sides to make a container, and then roll the top shut to seal it. The goal is to get a good inch of foil on all sides to keep everything in and keep all the seams above liquid level. It's like a little boat. A boat that contains YUMMY.

Place these packets in a baking dish or on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for about 45 minutes. I hope you remembered to put the shiney side of the foil in, because if not it will take longer to cook-- the foil will reflect the heat!