Finally being able to christen my new kitchen, I wanted to make something summery, different and delicious. As I drove from our old house to our new with a car load full of stuff, I started dreaming up dinner ideas. Obviously it needed to be quick as well as the above three mentioned criteria since my time is definitely stretched in a million different directions right now.

So based on what I knew I had in the fridge, I settled on quesadillas as the perfect option. When I got home and took an official inventory of what I had, the idea for Chicken Ranch Quesadillas sprang to mind. It met all my needs and it just sounded so good to me. When I simply said the name to my husband and oldest daughter, their reactions told me I had a winner in the making.

And it was! Served alongside a nice wedge of watermelon, it was a perfect summertime meal and the perfect way to christen my new kitchen.

Chicken Ranch Quesadillas

• 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 – 3 c. shredded cheese
• Ranch dressing
• 8 tortillas
• Butter or margarine, for cooking

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet until desired crispness. Remove to drain with a slotted spoon. Pour out all but 1 T. of the grease. Add the sliced green peppers and onions to the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes, until crisp-tender.

2. Add a handful of cheese to the tops to 4 tortillas. Top each with chicken and bacon, then lightly drizzle some ranch dressing over that.

3. Top each tortilla with the cooked peppers and onions. Then add the remaining cheese on top of each pile.

4. Top each tortilla with the remaining four tortillas. Melt a little butter or margarine in a large skillet and cook the tortilla stacks one at a time over medium heat, about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown and cheese is melted. Add more butter or margarine to the skillet as needed.

5. Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve with extra ranch for dipping, if desired.

A few notes about this recipe:

• The veggies are completely optional. In fact, I only added them to the quesadillas that my husband and I ate. Also, we both agreed that a few thin slices of tomato would have been a nice addition inside the quesadilla, if you like tomatoes.
• Lightly frying in a skillet is the only way that I’ve ever made quesadillas. But I am in love with the idea of grilling them and Erin has a great recipe featuring grilled quesadillas over at $5 Dinners. That method would definitely work with this recipe too.
• Leftovers reheat beautifully when warmed in a dry skillet for a few minutes. They taste almost as good as fresh!

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