Turkey Ranch Quesadillas

My kids are picky in weird ways - they will eat spinach but not rice, cottage cheese but not potatoes, pineapple but not beef ... In short, the stuff that other kids live off of, they won't touch! Some of those choices are good, and some are not. I guess I just do what every mom does and hope for the best! The recipe I'm sharing today is a guaranteed hit with my kids. It combines many of their favorite ingredients so they're sure to gobble it up!

Turkey Ranch Quesadillas

4 thin slices smoked deli turkey
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons Ranch dressing
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
Half and apple, your favorite, cored and thinly sliced
4 flour tortillas, fajita size

Spread Ranch dressing on two tortillas, sprinkle with half the cheese. Cover with spinach leaves, layer with turkey, apple slices, and remaining cheese. Top with remaining tortillas. Heat a medium skillet over medium hat. Add quesadilla, cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until heated through. Cut each quesadilla into quarters and serve warm.

They're He-ere!

You can have your very own copy for just $10! If you need it mailed, be sure to include your address and $2.95 for shipping. All you have to do is email me, using the handy-dandy "Email Me" envelope over on the right-hand side of the blog. You can also order through Cookbooks4Sale.com, but it's just going to give you my email address and contact information, too.

Summer's Bounty

Ah, summer ... the time of year when all manner of veggies and fruits are in season! Of course, in today's world our diet can be more varied than ever before, with nearly every type of produce imaginable being available year-round. But, there's nothing like being able to get fresh, local fruits and vegetables in the summer.  The problem I find is that we can't eat it all fast enough! Often I find myself scrambling to use up that lone zucchini or the handful of grapes or the solitary kiwi before it's too late. There are lots of ways to make your produce last, though, so be proactive and plan ahead not only what recipes you'll use the produce in, but what you'll do with the leftovers.

Canning - I'm not a "canner" myself (too lazy!), but I know lots of people who are, and it's a great way to preserve summer's bounty.

Freezer Jam - A delicious, simple way to use berries and other fruits. My favorite is Strawberry Freezer Jam.

Creative Salads - "Lettuce, tomato, cucumbers and Ranch" doesn't have to be where your salad ideas end! Think outside the box with different combinations of veggies, fruits and dressings.

Smoothies - A great way to use up not only fruits, but vegetables, too!

Freezing -  The link I've provided leads to a really comprehensive site on freezing all kinds of produce! It's a good site, overall, too, and is the same one I recommended for canning.

I hope these suggestions help you make the most of the beautiful, delicious abundance of summer!

And The Winner Is ...

So, the contest is over! First of all, let me say, in my very best Valley Girl impression ...

Grody to the max!

I had a wonderful time reading all the crazy concoctions/weird foods y'all enjoy. I got some good laughs out of this, for sure. Now, on to the giveaways! I wrote the name of everyone who entered on slips of paper...

Then I hired a subcontractor to do the highly scientific, impartial drawing ...

And the winner of the apron is ...

Dana Ward!

Dana, I will get your contact information to Leah so you can plan your new apron!

Now for the cookbook ...

And the winner of the brand new Barefoot in the Kitchen cookbook is ...

Cindy Sakovich!

Cindy, if you will email me your contact information, I'll send your new book out to you as soon as I can!

Last Day to Enter!

Today is the last day to enter this giveaway for your chance to win a custom apron or one of my new cookbooks! I'm closing it off at 6:00 p.m.

In other news, I found my birthday cake for next year! This Chocolate Hazelnut Cake looks amazing! I've told y'all before that I am just not good at baking, and my birthday cake from 2 years ago is proof. I found a recipe for German Chocolate Cake that seemed easy and perfect. Unfortunately, it overflowed the pan (yes, I used the size listed in the recipe!) and got all over my oven! That was just over halfway through the cooking time, so I had to throw the whole thing out. The next day I went out and bought a boxed cake mix and canned coconut-pecan frosting. I managed to bake that one just fine!

Anyone else want to share a cooking disaster?

Monday Tradition?

I'm thinking that on Mondays I'll do a post about what I served our college/singles crew the night before. I've mentioned before some of the restrictions I work around, like making sure it's something somewhat universally liked, fairly cheap, and easy to do either quickly or ahead of time. Last night I served hotdogs, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, chips, and strawberry shortcake. I think that marks the first time I've served them hotdogs, but they were on sale and I couldn't resist!

So, for the hotdogs, I boiled them to heat them through, then crisped them up on my grill pan before serving. Still not as good as grilling them out, but since we don't have a grill ...

I used my standard Coleslaw recipe. I used a head of cabbage and a handful of baby carrots and made it up in the afternoon.

I love Slow-Cooked Mac 'n' Cheese for occasions like this, when oven-baked just isn't practical.

This was my first experience making Strawberry Shortcake, and it turned out really well. I doubled the cake recipe and baked it a little too long, so it was a touch dry. Next time I'll be more careful! I also used fresh whipped cream. I've given the basic method in my Cinnamon Cream Fruit Dip. Just use powdered sugar instead of brown, and omit the cinnamon.

Don't forget to enter your comment on my Giveaway! post for a chance to win a custom apron or one of my new cookbooks!

Giveaway!

To celebrate the fact that my cookbooks shipped yesterday ... I'm having a giveaway! I'm very excited about the cookbook - It's published through a service that produces church or school cookbooks. Titled "Barefoot In The Kitchen", it's a softcover, coil-bound book that contains 134 recipes. To order one, you can email me by clicking the "Email Me" envelope button on the right-hand side of the blog. The books are $10, plus $2.95 for shipping if necessary, cash or check. You can order anytime! In a few days, after I receive the books, I'll share a link with you where it will be available to order on-line, too.

Now, on to the free stuff!

The first item will be a handmade apron from my best friend of more than (gulp!) 20 years! She's an accomplished seamstress with a terrific sense of style. Here are some pictures of an apron she made as a gift for me, though you’ll get to choose your own fabric from the options in the final picture.

Close-up of the pocket detail

Fabric choices for the apron

I will also draw a second name and that person will win a copy of my cookbook!

All you have to do to enter the drawing is comment at the end of this post with your answer to this question: 

What is the strangest food you love?

Can you not get enough of it or is it a once-in-a-while special treat? Is it a weird combination of two ordinary foods? Are you the only person you know who loves it? I will go ahead and confess that one of mine is ... Corned beef hash. Yes, the stuff in a can, with little diced potatoes. I only buy it once in a blue moon because I'm the only one in the family who eats it! I love it mixed with rice and cheddar cheese. Please don't hate me now.

I’ll choose a winner through the highly scientific process of writing all the names down and drawing two from a hat. You may only enter once, and the giveaway ends Tuesday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m.! Winners will be announced by Wednesday morning.