Cooking on a Newlywed Budget: Quick Chicken Quesadillas

Tired of the same suppers of salads, spaghetti, soup and frozen pizza, I wanted to come up with something using ingredients I had on hand. My husband and I don't like to spend a lot of time preparing dinner after work, and these quesadillas can be as simple or elaborate as you want them to be.

I make them using a Presto Pizzazz Pizza Oven, but I'm sure it'd work just as well to use a cookie sheet and bake them.

Ingredients

• Cooked, shredded chicken (I use canned chicken and just drain it -- any leftover chicken would work too)
• Your favorite salsa
• Shredded cheese (I use a Mexican blend, but almost any kind of cheese would work. Suggestions include Cheddar, Colby-Jack or Monterey Jack)
• Other toppings as desired: Refried beans, peppers, onions, bacon bits, diced tomatoes, lettuce, taco sauce -- pretty much anything you want

Assembly

1. Place one tortilla flat on pizzazz pan or baking sheet. Tortilla size doesn't really matter.
2. Start with the chicken - put as much as you want over the whole tortilla.
3. Spoon salsa and/or taco sauce over chicken.
4. Add any additional ingredients you want, and top with cheese. I use about a cup and a half per quesadilla, which is a lot, but I really love cheese.
5. Top with another tortilla.
6. If using the Pizzazz oven, I set it on dual for about 6 minutes.
7. After it starts to brown on top, use tongs and a spatula to carefully flip the quesadilla. This step isn't required, but it offers more even browning of each tortilla.
8. If baking in a regular oven, set it at 350-375 and watch to make sure the tortillas don't burn.
9. It's done when the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crispy.
10. Cut into quarters and serve with salsa/and or sour cream for dipping. Experiment with other dips if you want -- Ranch or Western dressing, taco sauce, etc.

This is a yummy, filling, quick and simple lunch or supper. I almost always have all the ingredients on hand in the fridge or pantry, so it's become a weekly staple for a slightly healthier dinner option.