Because "I Go To The Restaurant For Quesadillas" Just Ain't Right...

...I'm going to repair that little deficiency in the ol' arsenal.

The difference between fancy quesadillas and easy quesadillas is basically a matter of preparation, as you will see.

The most basic things you need?

A frying pan, some flour tortillas, and some shredded cheese of your preference, although asadero and jack cheeses are the most "authentic," I suppose.

More fancy ones, you can add shredded steak or chicken, or... I suppose... hamburger *shudders theatrically.*

For really snazzy ones, you'll need more stick-to-it-iveness than just a plain flour tortilla gives you all by itself, so you can get some refried beans, and chili powder; you'll also need some pico de gallo, which you can make yourself from tomatillos (or tomatoes in a pinch,) onions, fresh cilantro, garlic, and jalapeno peppers (to taste; this is highly individual, as you can guess.)

The fancy ones are where I'm going with this; making the basic ones is the same as, only with less crap in the middle, so once we get to the cooking stage, you'll be set.

First, the pico de gallo; dice - finely - the tomatillos, onion,  garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro and mix it together. Let it chill.

Go ahead and start the refried beans heating in a small pot; nothing fancy, because you're just basically going to use these as glue to hold all the rest of the stuff onto the tortillas.

Get your meat ready; either steak or chicken should be cooked and drained, then shredded by hand.

An easy way to mix your chili powder into this concoction is to put your shredded cheese in a freezer bag and put chili powder in with it, then shake it.

Once you're ready to go, heat up a big, flat skillet. (I would go shead and put it on medium-high heat.)

For each quesadilla, spread a (thin) layer of beans on one half of the top side of the tortilla.

On this, add the meat, pico de gallo, and cheese - heavy on the cheese.

Slap it into the frying pan, just long enough for the tortilla to go soft; then fold it like an omelette, so that the "toppings" half becomes the middle. Press down on the top with the spatula to make sure it all sticks together, for maaaaaaaybe 25 seconds, then flip it over and do the same on the other side. If the tortilla gets a bit dark, that's fine, but you don't want to burn it.

Once each side has been toasted, scoop it out and start up the next one.

You can see how the simple versions go; toss some cheese in it, fry away.

At any rate, once cooked, cut it up and serve hot with sour cream, picante sauce, or guacamole. (I would use all three, but then that's me.)

Enjoy!