Rediscovering Quesadillas

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

We have a new favorite, quick and easy meal or snack at my house - Quesadillas. They are so simple to make from whatever you have on hand. I am completely surprised by families sudden enthusiasm for quesadillas. When they were little, my kids would always turn their nose up at the option of quesadillas when we went out for Mexican. The good news is that they ate Mexican food and didn't just ask for the hot dog or chicken nuggets.

Anyway, back to the quesadilla explosion. It all started one day with leftovers. We had grilled some chicken the night before and had some leftover. Most of the chicken was eaten as a topping for salad, but there was a small amount left and my husband asked for a quesadilla. We took the leftover chicken and chopped it up, placing it on one tortilla in a small skillet and then added peppers, onions and cheese and warmed it up to melt the cheese. Since that day, they have become a go to request for a leftover or grab what you want type meal.

I generally have some tortillas on hand because soft tacos are a popular go to menu option, but lately I have had to add tortillas (Chi Chi's tortillas are our go to brand) to my 'pantry' shopping and make sure that I have an extra pack on hand, so that we don't run out.

I think my favorite part is how versatile a quesadilla can be. You can chose to have no meat or whatever meat you have on hand (typically leftovers) - chicken, ground meat, sausage, pepperoni. You can use any type of cheese - cheddar, mozzarella, goat. You can add a variety of vegetables - onions, hot peppers, bell peppers, squash. You can serve it with any number of dips - sour cream, salsa, queso, ranch, pizza sauce. Essentially, you can make it your own and everyone can have their own variety with ease.

My small skillet is the perfect size to fit a soft taco shell. It's non-stick and the quesadilla only takes a few minutes to warm over a medium heat. I also like that it is easy for the kids to make their own too. It may just be a phase, but for now quesadillas are a quick, easy snack or meal option for our family.

What is your go to snack? How do you repurpose leftovers?

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some product samples for my family to try. I also receive thought starters, information and photos that can be used in a post.

Getting Ready for the Big Game #Hormel

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

I love themed parties and themed dishes for those parties. Whether it is making a cake for the kids, customizing the invitations or having a party for the football game, I love the challenge of the theme.

This is one of my favorite party serving pieces, that I pull out for any football themed gathering:

I fill the middle with chips and the two ends with dips. This year, it will be tortilla chips with Wholly Guacamole on one end and a chipotle dip on the other.

This year, I also decided to dress up the cheese and pepperoni tray (I have an addiction to cheese, crackers and Hormel Turkey Pepperoni). I had seen something similar posted by a friend.

Do you theme your gatherings? Are you having/attending a party for the game?

No compensation was received for this post. Product samples and thought starters are provided by Hormel through the Hormel Extended Family Blogger program, in which I participate. All opinions are my own or that of my family.

The Day After Thanksgiving

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program. No compensation was received for this post.

Thanksgiving was a wonderful (and quiet) holiday. It was just the four of us at home celebrating and one of my friends, whose husband and kids had traveled to his hometown for the week, joined us for the meal. Everything was so flavorful and it was nice just to relax at home and spend time together.

With a mid-day meal, we didn't do anything formal for dinner. I pulled out some finger foods and dessert (pumpkin cheesecake) for the group to munch on. Times like this my family enjoys snacking on cheese and crackers. A perfect time to enjoy a Hormel Gatherings Party or Snack Tray (we love the Snack Tray size - they are great for snacking with just the family!)

In fact, we kept and cleaned the tray from the HORMEL GATHERINGS™ Supreme Party Trayand actually as pictured here refilled it with the contents of the smaller HORMEL® Snack Tray Pepperoni Bites (the pepperoni, cheese and pretzels)

and served it with some crackers and dip to make it a one stop snack station.

I hadn't planned to go out shopping at all yesterday, but the family joined my friend for one quick stop so she could have others check out the furniture she was going to get - since her family wasn't there to help her. Then, after the kids went to bed, I ventured out to Target to pick up a few of the less popular Black Friday deals. It was strange, there was almost no lines and there were even some of the displays that were not on the beaten path that were still fully intact (I had to remove the little plastic disc from the end of the hanging posts that holds the items in place during transit in order to purchase the item - all but one post had the disc still there). I was able to get everything that was on my list and more - 40% off all clothes was a great deal, I might have gotten more if I didn't want to get home at a decent time. I was glad I didn't linger, as the parking lot and minor road ways were icy and it only got colder as the night went on.

This morning, again, no early alarm setting for me. When I did get moving, I made three quick stops - Target (10% off Target Gift Cards), Kohl's (assorted doorbuster deals through 1 pm) and Giant Eagle (Amazon gift cards, 20% Fuel Perks). I had planned to get to CVS, but was beat and decided I could go later or tomorrow.

We enjoyed leftovers for lunch and now, we are just relaxing and the kids are watching movies. I love long holiday weekends with nothing specific scheduled to be done. I think it is a wonderful contrast to our normally (over) programmed lives of sports, activities, school and work.

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some product and some of the information and images for this post.

Baked Wonton Cheese Sticks

No compensation received for this post. Complimentary packages of Frigo Cheese Heads string cheese were provided. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Now that the kids are back to school, there seems to be more snacking occasions than normal. They seem to come home from school hungry for a snack, which works out well on days when we have sports and can't eat until after. Of course, on those days, I find myself grabbing a snack to go too! Then, there are the evenings, after the kids are in bed and I am looking for a little something to nibble on with a glass of wine, as I relax, wind down from the crazy day and watch a show.

I don't know about your house, but at our house, string cheese is a favorite snack. Personally, I am a fan of cheese of all forms and find it to be a satisfying snack. I feel good providing string cheese to the kids because I feel it is a reasonably healthy option - the pack I have at home right now is only 80 calories per serving and provides 6 g of protein and some calcium. I don't know that the kids think of it as a healthy snack, but I know that they think that it is fun to eat as they tear off string after string.

As America’s Favorite String Cheese, Frigo® Cheese Heads® String Cheese is:
- Perfect for school lunches and after school snacks
- High in calcium and a good source of protein
- Individually wrapped for wholesome and fun snacking on-the-go
- Easy to use in recipes the entire family will enjoy

Typically, I think of string cheese as a stand alone snack or an accompaniment to a bowl of crackers. But last weekend, as we geared up for the official start of football season, we decided that it would be nice to have a little snack while we watched the games. We had had our fill of chips the prior day as hosts of the fantasy football draft, so I decided that I could use string cheese as an easy way to enjoy baked cheese. I decided that breading them and trying to fry/bake them would likely turn into a mess, but figured that wrapping them up in wontons would allow us a way to have baked cheese with less mess. When I suggested the snack and started to pull out the ingredients, both of the kids were anxious to help, so I let them help me roll them up and took over when it came to bake.

Baked Wonton Cheese Sticks

Wonton Wrappers
String Cheese
Oil
bowl of water

Open the string cheese and cut each piece into three equal sections. Place on the wonton wrappers and roll up like an egg roll, using the water to wet the edges to help the wrapper seal.

Place the wrapped cheese in a skillet with oil, over medium heat. Turn until browned.

Place the cheese sticks into an oven safe glass dish and bake for 10-12 minutes at 375.

Serve with a side of marinara.

Everyone liked the baked wonton cheese sticks and agreed that we should definitely make them again.

No compensation was received for this post. Complimentary packages of Frigo Cheese Heads string cheese were provided for the purpose of sharing. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.