One of my family’s favorites are these amazing cheesy chicken quesadillas! We decided against creating a ‘cheesy” (a really silly and lame) video of us making these delicious quesadillas together. We were tempted however.

These quesadillas are always a delicious side, appetizer, lunch, or even a quick dinner. We love making them on days when we don’t have a lot of time to cook. I usually serve it with a salad.

I just love how the grated cheese on the corner of the tortillas browns up when it hits the heat. I love the crispy texture and flavor! That’s what gave me the idea to make my inside out grilled cheese with bacon sandwiches.

Watch how easy these quesadillas are to make!

Prepare your filling:

In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil. (I used the Portuguese olive that I purchased on my last trip to my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts. It’s so good!)

Add your onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add your chicken, tabasco sauce, oregano and salt. Cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, but certainly not dry.

Coat a skillet with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on top of a flour tortilla. You can use less cheese if you’d like, but why would you want to?

Now add one quarter of your cooked chicken, a touch more cheese, cover with another flour tortilla and brown on each side.

Cut your quesadilla in quarters and top with a nice dollop of sour cream and salsa or pico de gallo!

Enjoy!

From our hearts to yours,

Elise and family

Here are more cheesy favorites from my friends:

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Fresh Tomato Burrata Cheese Pesto Dip
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Roasted Asparagus With Balsamic Vinegar and Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
Red or Green: Grilled Vegetable and Cheese Quesadillas
Feed Me Phoebe: Skillet Lasagna With Zucchini, Arugula and Fontina Cheese
Weelicious: Cheesy Corn on the Cob
Domesticate Me: Seared Scallops With Spring Vegetables
Devour: Cheese-Filled Summer Side Dishes
Made by Michelle: Broccoli Cheese “Meatballs”
The Heritage Cook: Creamy and Cheesy Potato Casserole (Gluten-Free)
Dishin & Dishes: Baked Squash Casserole
FN Dish: Cheesy Spring Sides

The Sensitive Epicure: Frico: Parmesan Cheese Crackers
Virtually Homemade: Easy Cheesy Enchilada (Gluten-Free)

While my southern friends get a kick out of my attempts to use the word y’all. They also chuckle at my loud laugh and what can sometimes be a thick New England accent.

Living in the south has allowed me to experience some wonderful southern cuisine and amazing culture.

One great southern classic is banana pudding.

I am so thankful for the lovely sunny morning and my time in the kitchen experimenting with a recipe for this southern classic. I love leaving my back door opened and listening to the birds singing away. Izzy loves it, too.

I think I’ve made my southern friends proud and I know that they will let me know. I can always count on ‘em. : )

My spin on this classic was to add fresh orange zest and a tablespoon of good old rum.

In the words of Ina Garten, ‘How bad can that be?’

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Divide your egg eggs. Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl and egg whites in the bowl of your standing mixer (or mixing bowl with hand held beater ready).

In a medium saucepan combine 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add milk and then the rum stirring over medium heat until your mixture comes to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

Temper your yolks by adding a little of the warm pudding over the yolks and stir. Now add all of the yolks to the pudding and stir. Place back on the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Remove from the heat and vanilla extract and butter. Mix in well.

In a 1 1/2 quart round baking dish, place one layer of wafers, one and half bananas, sliced and half of your pudding. Repeat with final layer. Spread the beaten egg whites over your pudding.

Place your baking dish into the oven and bake for 7 minutes or until the top of the pudding browns a bit. This is such a pretty and delicious dessert!

I promise you will like everything about these.

This week the Food Network has asked bloggers like me to share our favorite salad recipes. Although I love my grilled romaine salad, my wedge salad with cucumber ranch dressing, my tropical tossed salad with a citrus vinaigrette, a kale and berry salad, and my baby spinach salad with cranberries and a maple vinaigrette I immediately thought about my garden spring rolls, as they are one of our family’s favorites. It is salad wrapped in a lovely rice paper. This would be a great appetizer or a side dish.

Get your noodles cooked and drained and all of your ingredients measured out chopped and make an assembly line. Everyone can then gather in the kitcehn or around the table to make their own rolls.I have seen the dipping sauce with peanuts mixed in, but with allergies, I prefer to separate the nuts from the dipping sauce.

People can always combine it on their plates.

My favorite way to eat these rolls is to place a dollop of sauce on the side, then a few peanuts next to it. I dip the roll into the sauce and then into the peanuts and devour them! Sweet, salty, crunchy, soft, spicy…amazing!

Directions:

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.

2. Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the warm water for a couple of seconds to soften. Do not leave in to long. The wrapper will continue to soften as it sits.

3. Lay the wrapper flat. In a row across the center, place a handful of vermicelli. Add a few pieces of grated carton. (TIP: Be sure that the grated carrots are in between the rice noodles and the other ingredients. They will tear the rice paper otherwise.) Now add a basil leaf or two, chopped mint, cilantro and lettuce leaves, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on each side.

4. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

5. In a small bowl, make the dipping sauce by combining fish sauce, garlic, garlic chili sauce, hoisin sauce and lime juice.

6. Place chopped peanuts in another small bowl.

Here are some other fabulous salad recipes for you to try!

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Mexican Chopped Salad With Lime Cilantro Dressing
Feed Me Phoebe: Grilled Chicken Paillard With Chopped Nicoise Salad
The Cultural Dish: Arugula Salad With Beets and Goat Cheese
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Mixed Greens Salad With Shrimp and Oranges
Red or Green?: Spring Salad Greens With Spicy Chiocciole Pasta and Pine Nuts
The Sensitive Epicure: Green on Green Chopped Salad
Weelicious: Southwestern Salad
Made by Michelle: Mixed Greens With Grapeseed Oil and Balsamic
FN Dish: Vivacious Pasta Salad Sides

You are about to taste THE BEST blueberry cake to ever touch your lips!

Let me explain…

Last year I headed to my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts for a book signing. My first cookbook You Never Cook Alone had just been released. My alma mater, Saints Peter and Paul School, welcomed my family and the book signing with open arms and lots of enthusiasm. My family and I were moved so deeply by the number of people who came out for the book signing. It was an incredible evening that my family and I will never forget!

Sister Eleanor Little whom I mentioned in my book was present that night. Sister Eleanor was my fifth grade teacher. I adored her — still do! As a child I was challenged by a horrific speech impediment. As I dealt with stuttering Sister Eleanor was always so encouraging and comforting to me. She had always told me, “Elise, you may not be able to speak well, but you sure can write!”  Seeing her after so many years was such a marvelous surprise.

Since reconnecting last year, Sister Eleanor has stopped in Raleigh, North Carolina twice on her way to meetings in Belmont to visit with our family. We have enjoyed visiting with her for the weekend.

This year our family had the wonderful opportunity to share in the celebration of Sister Eleanor’s 70th birthday (a secret she tried to keep from us). We spent the morning at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University.

How adorable is she?

Sister Eleanor and I stopped at Grill 57 for lunch.  She loves hot dogs and this was the perfect place!

I was so happy to see a 50′s disc jockey playing music outside and all of the beautiful classic cars in the parking lot. It added to the celebration, and when I mentioned that to Eleanor, she smiled and asked, “Are you suggesting that I’m as old as these cars?” : )

After asking what type of birthday cake she liked, Sister Eleanor told me that she had not enjoyed a homemade birthday cake since her father passed. Her mother had always baked her a cake on her birthday. After Eleanor’s mother passed her father kept up the special tradition for his daughter. After asking what her favorite cake was Sister Eleanor replied, “I always liked marble cake with chocolate frosting“…and so a marble cake with chocolate frosting she got! (recipe coming soon)

I’ll try to do a better job at marbeling next time, but I was happy that she enjoyed it!

Before we ate cake, we took Sister Eleanor to an Italian restaurant.

Italian food is one of her very favorites.

Sausage and pasta in particular.

I was happy. Sister was happy.

It looked great and smelled really good, that is until…

a pesky fly decided to start eating her food before she did.

After a second plate, all was well, Sister was a great sport with a terrific sense of humor. I plan to stay at home and cook her sausage and pepper sauce the next time she comes to visit.  We decided that it does make a great story.

During her visit, Sister gave me her mom’s delicious blueberry cake recipe and she is allowing me to share it with all of you! It is DELICIOUS!

I followed the pretty handwritten directions to the letter.

Mrs. Little had written it down for her daughter who graciously copied the recipe and passed it along to me – and you!

1. Place one oven rack in the middle of your oven.

2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Thoroughly grease and flour a tube pan.

4. Wash and dry your blueberries and set them aside.

5. Beat the egg whites until stiff and also set aside.

6. Cover your blueberries with one tabelspoon of flour. This will keep them suspended in your cake.

7. In your mixing bowl, cream together shortening, vanilla, and sugar. Add your eggs and beat again.

8. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add your dry mixture alternately with the milk, scraping down the sides once or twice.

9. Fold in your beaten egg whites. Now fold in your blueberries.

10. Pour half of your batter into your prepared pan.

11. Sprinkle two tablespoons of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon on top of your batter. (I added this to the recipe becasue my family loves cinnamon.) Pour the other half of your cake batter on top.

12. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.This recipe can be halved and prepared in a smaller baking pan.

TIPS

• Halve the recipe and make in a smaller baking pan.
• Never use a dark tube pan; things tend to burn.
• Use a long wooden skewer to check for doneness.

The egg yolks, lime zest and Mexican vanilla are superb in these wonderful cookies! We love the colorful sprinkles, too. You’re never too old to enjoy colorful sprinkles!

We also love eating our cookies with a glass of horchata or almond rice milk!

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla; beat again.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into the wet ingredients.

Stir to combine.

Grease a baking stone or cookie sheet pan with no-stick cooing spray.

Roll one tablespoon of cookie dough into balls. Press your thumb into the middle and place the top of the cookie into your sprinkle

Place two inches apart and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Your cookies will continue to harden as the cool.

Cool onto a wire rack.

Pour yourself a glass of horchata and enjoy your cookies!

When I was writing my cookbook YOU NEVER COOK ALONE, I asked my two children to each write a story which would be included in the book. I just love the chapter Grillin’ and Chillin’  because my oldest son, Nathaniel, wrote the most beautiful story. Included in some of his favorite recipes was my zesty tortellini salad. Nathaniel has requested this recipe for his birthday since he was a young child.

Today I thought I’d share with you Nate’s wonderful story which first brought me to tears. Nurturing and loving my family through their tummies has not only been so much fun, but clearly the love put into each recipe is what makes them so memorable.  This recipe will provide the color needed for any festive gathering or picky eater. The flavors will please every guest no matter what age!  It’s also a great choice for warmer months because it does not contain ingredients like mayonnaise or sour cream and can sit out a while.

Here’s what my son Nathaniel wrote for my book, You Never Cook Alone:

“Birthdays are special days, and because of that, birthday memories have a funny way of staying around in your mind. Because my birthday falls in the month of July, right in the heat of the summer, for most of my 22 years on this Earth my parties have typically been built around a favorite theme of mine–a summer barbecue. Whether we had our birthday barbecue celebration at home, a local park, or a nearby lake, we always participated in the same fun activities: bonfires, water gun fights, outdoor games, and even the occasional launching of some fireworks left over from the 4^th of July.

While I enjoyed all of those things, they were never the most amazing part of my birthday. One thing was always memorable and more brilliant than everything else—the food. There was nothing else on that day that inspired more compliments, more fun, or more memories than the delicious spread laid out on our family table. My favorite summer dishes always included at my parties were hot-dogs, baked beans, a cool summer salad, homemade burgers, and my personal favorite–tortellini pasta salad. Of course, to top everything off, there was always a homemade cake made by mom with ice cream on the side.

One of my favorite aspects of the food served at those parties is that each dish doesn’t just bring to mind birthday memories, but special highlights throughout the years. A bite of salad reminds me of my 14^th birthday, when we celebrated around a campfire the year our family moved to a new house that sat beside a lake. A bite of hamburger takes me back to the massive water gun fight we had on my 12^th birthday and the amazing baseball season I had that year when I played my personal best. The pasta salad always makes me remember my 16^th birthday, party where it seemed like the whole neighborhood turned out to celebrate. It also reminds me of my favorite days sailing on the water for hours on end.

For me, food does so much more than nourish my body. It reminds me of the best days of the past, and makes me excited about creating memories in the future. “

Directions

Cook your tortellini for five minutes or until they all pop up to the top of the water.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let hang out in the refrigerator at least two hours, but overnight is best!

This post is part of Food Network’s Sensational Side series. Be sure to check out these other sensational kid-friendly side recipes:

Feed Me Phoebe: Radish and Basil Thai Fried Rice
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Easy Stir-Fry Green Beans
The Cultural Dish: Authentically Homemade Guacamole
Devour: Kid-Friendly Baked Ziti
Domesticate Me: Skillet Cornbread
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
Red or Green? Spicy Chickpea Burgers With Cabbage Slaw
The Heritage Cook: Duck Fat Fries, a Kid’s Favorite Snack!
Virtually Homemade: Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
FN Dish: Kid-Friendly Veggie Sides

Alex and I started our Mac and Cheese by making the sauce.

First we melted butter in a large saucepan. Once melted we added the green onions and crumbled cooked bacon. We then added two tablespoons of flour and cooked it out for one minute, stirring constantly.

In went the milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Once it thickened a bit we added the cheese.

Once the cheese melted, we added it to our cooked elbow macaroni.

We placed seven buttered ramekins onto a sheet pan and divided the mac and cheese. We topped each cup off with some Panko breadcrumbs, sprayed them with non-stick butter spray and placed them under the broiler, watching carefully until they browned a bit on top.

Yum! What a great, easy and comforting lunch!

Place seven ramekins onto a baking sheet. Butter or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter, add scallions and crumbled cooked bacon. cook for one minuter. Add flour adn stir for a minute more to get the flour taste out of your dish.

Add milk and allow to thicken a few minutes. Once thickened add nutmeg, salt adn pepper. Add cheese adn stir just until it melts. Add cheese sauce to your cooked macaroni. Divide your mac and cheese mixture into your ramekins. Sprinkle the top of each cup with a little Panko breadcrumbs. Spray each top with non-stick cooking spray and place under the broiler for a minute being careful not to burn. Using tongs, carefully place ramekins in separate cakes. Enjoy!

With ripe bananas staring at me from a basket on my counter, I decided to try my hand at a mashed banana fritter or corn cake. Super easy to make, these savory banana corn cakes take only a few ingredients; ingredients you most likely have at your finger tips:

The addition of warm spices like curry, ginger and cinnamon make these cakes savory and the perfect accompaniment to dishes like pork, barbecue and hearty soups.

Here’s how easy these savory banana corn cakes were to make:

In a large mixing bowl, stir together cornmeal, unbleached flour, baking powder, curry, ginger, and cinnamon.

In another mixing bowl mash the bananas with a fork. Squeeze lemon juice over the mashed bananas and stir; this will prevent your bananas from browning!

Add your egg and buttermilk to your mashed bananas and stir to combine.

In another mixing bowl stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, curry powder, cinnamon, ginger.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined.

In a large cast iron skillet, place 1/4 cup canola oil. Heat and drop batter by two tablespoons. Allow the cakes to brown on one side. Using a spatula, turn over the cakes and brown the second side. Place your banana corn cakes on a plate lined with a paper towel. Enjoy!

Take a look at these fabulous “mashed” side dishes from other food bloggers!

Weelicious: Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes
Virtually Homemade: Three-Onion Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Mashed English Pea Spread on Garlic-Rubbed Bruschetta With Roasted Salmon
Red or Green? Smashed Potato Tacos With Guacamole & Tomato Salsa
Devour: Easy Mashed Plantains Recipe
Domesticate Me: Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Goat Cheese
The Sensitive Epicure: Italian Style Smashed Potatoes
The Heritage Cook: Whipped Ginger-Cardamom Sweet Potatoes
Dishin & Dishes: Truffled Mashed Potatoes With Prosciutto and Rosemary
FN Dish: Mashed Spring Sides

While shopping for the ingredients for my fajitas I found some beautiful ripe avocados. Guacamole is a delicious no-cook side dish and the perfect accompaniment to fajitas of any kind.

Now I know you’ve heard the idiom “Never judge a book by it’s cover.”  Too many people avoid eating avocados and dismiss the health benefits because of its’ high calorie count. Please don’t do that. Avocados have 54% of the recommended daily value of fiber, and although 322 calories per avocado is quite high in calories this fruit has the ability to burn fat!

It also contains vitamins A, C, E, K and B6! I think the biggest health benefit of avocados is that by adding avocados to certain foods, you can improve your absorption of nutrients. This means that when you combine other fat burning foods with avocado, you can improve your nutrient absorption up to 400%! How about that?

In addition to all of the health benefits of avocados this was super easy to prepare! It’s a great recipe for the kids to help with.

I love having a tube of Gourmet Garden garlic in my refrigerator for times like this. I also find it blends easily into the guacamole. I like to leave my guac a little chunky. Another tip is using hot chili garlic sauce in place of seeding and dicing a serrano or jalapeno pepper.

In a food processor with your knife blade attached, finely chop the tomatoes and cilantro. Add Gourmet Garden garlic and pulse just to mix. Halve your avocados and remove the pits. With a spoon, scoop out the avocados into a large bowl.

Add your cilantro mixture and your remaining ingredients. Mash the avocados with a potato masher or the back of a fork. To retain the nice green color, cover the guacamole with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

This post is part of the Food Network Sensational Sides series which I am so happy to be a part of. Who doesn’t love having a collection of no-cook recipes on hand? Be sure to check out these no-cook sides from other happy-to-share contributors below!

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Mixed Fish Poke Tower
Feed Me Phoebe: Smoked Tofu Summer Rolls
The Lemon Bowl: Asian Cabbage Slaw With Mint and Scallions
The Cultural Dish: Caprese Salad
Cooking With Elise: Good for You Guacamole
Dishin & Dishes: Chicken Salad With Dried Cherries and Walnuts
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Cilantro, Ginger and Garlic Dip
Red or Green?: Avocado and Three Chile Salsa
Weelicious: Avocado Honey Dip
Devour: No-Cook Kale Salad Recipes
Made By Michelle: Swiss Chard Pesto
The Sensitive Epicure: No-Cook Vietnamese Spring Rolls
FN Dish: Go Raw With Shaved Salads

I was inspired to create this side while my hubby and I enjoyed a lovely dinner at a local bistro in town. I ordered my usual veggie sampler plate which included yummy grape leaves, falafel and baba gannoush with a nice warm pita on the side. A nice warm pita on the side is essential to a good Middle Eastern meal!

One of the side dishes Mike ordered was an orzo salad. We had never tried this side dish at the restaurant before. You just know I had to survey all of the ingredients. We thought this side lacked a bit of flavor and so I happily went into my kitchen to get started. This would be the perfect recipe for this week’s sensational sides series! Orzo is a pasta which resemble grains of rice.

With good quality ingredients and a few easy tricks up my sleeve, I maximized the flavors in this orzo salad:

• I used the same pan to saute my veggies and to cook my orzo in.
• I sauteed my veggies in a roasted garlic olive oil by Colavita  (I LOVE this olive oil). i save money by buying it BJ’s Wholesale Club.
• I toasted my orzo just a bit in the roasted garlic olive oil to give it a slight nutty flavor.
• I cooked my orzo in water flavored with a bit of good quality chicken base (already made low sodium organic chicken stock can be expensive)
• A bit of fresh lemon zest brightened the dish.
• Spanish olives and chick peas added flavor and texture.
• A little grating of a good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese was the perfect finish.

In a large saucepan, heat up a tablespoon of roasted garlic olive oil. Add your onions, red bell pepper and the dried red pepper flakes. Cook for only two minutes. I like a little bite to my sauteed veggies. Transfer to the bowl your orzo salad will be served in.

Add another tablespoon of the roasted garlic olive oil. It smells so good! Brown the orzo just a bit, stirring constantly.

Add 4 cups of water, your chicken base and turmeric. Stir well and simmer, uncovered, until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed into the orzo. Wanting to keep your salad creamy, remove it from the heat while it is still a bit moist. The orzo will continue to soak up the broth after it is cooked.

Place your orzo in your bowl, add your Spanish olives, chick peas, fresh lemon zest and freshly grated Parmeggiano-Reggiano cheese.

Stir and enjoy!

From our hearts to yours,

Elise and family

Another of my other favorite sides is this farro with cherry tomatoes and a lemon basil pesto!

This post is part of the FN Dish Sensational Sides series. Be sure to check out the other delicious sides shared by my friends at the Food Network and other bloggers who love food and family as much as I do!

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Chinese Shrimp Fried Rice
Devour: Farro Salad With Greek Yogurt
Dishin & Dishes: Kale, Quinoa and Black Bean Salad
The Cultural Dish: Lemon Risotto
The Sensitive Epicure: Stir-Fried Quinoa With Chinese Vegetables
Virtually Homemade: Spring Couscous Salad With a Citrus Vinaigrette
Made By Michelle: Really Good Granola
Weelicious: Mushroom Barley
Thursday Night Dinner: Quinoa Salad With Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Mint
FN Dish: Good Grains Make for Balanced Meals

Feed Me Phoebe: Millet Salad With Roasted Fennel and Tomatoes