Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, marks first years of the American Civil War. Celebrate the Mexican heritage with this menu.

Always a quick and delicious meal for lunch, dinner or an appetizer, we love these Quesadillas on nights when we don’t have a lot of time to cook. I always serve it with a side salad.

Chicken Quesadillas

1 small pkg. of boneless chicken breast, about 3, chopped into small pieces
1 tbsp. or less of Tabasco hot sauce (your taste)
½ red onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp. each garlic and onion powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
Non-stick cooking spray
Mexican cheese or Monterey Jack
Low-carb or multigrain tortillas

Coat a skillet with cooking spray or a little olive oil. Add chicken and brown. Add Tabasco sauce, onion, tomato and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Place your tortilla in another pan, sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkle a little cheese. Top with chicken filling and a little more cheese. Cover with another tortilla and cook on both sides, using another plate to turn or a Quesadilla maker if you have one. A George Foreman Grill works well with this, too!

Serve with a large green salad! Enjoy!

Yellow Rice

½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
Medium size green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
2 tomatoes, seeded, peeled, and chopped
2 c. long-grain rice uncooked
½ tsp. saffron
2 tsp. salt
4 c. chicken broth
Frozen green peas
Chopped parsley

Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onions, green peppers, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, and saffron. Add rice, salt and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook until rice absorbs liquid and is tender. Garnish with peas and parsley.

Mexican Cookie Rings

1.5 c. all-purpose flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. butter, softened
2/3 c. granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1 t. pure vanilla extract
5 T. colored jimmies.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift baking sheet or stone. Shape into balls. Press thumb in the center and dip topside of cookie with your thumbprint. Lightly press cookie top side down into colored jimmies.

Place on cookie sheet and baked 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on wire rack. Enjoy!