Do you want to know? Do ya?! Ok, I’ll tell you…in a sec.
First I have to introduce these BBQ Chicken Quesadillas I made for dinner!
These quesadillas hold a unique power at my house. A power strong enough to make my husband weed whack the entire yard, even though he hates it more than anything.
Powerful enough to make him complete his weekend “honey-do” list in record time.
Powerful enough to re-pave the driveway, as he said me he would do, if I would only make these quesadillas for him! For some reason, my man is 100%, head-over-heels, nuts for this dish!
They’re incredibly simple to make, too. All you do is cook a soft tortilla with sharp cheddar cheese, shredded chicken breast mixed with BBQ sauce and…
the secret ingredient – caramelized onions!!!!
You may think you don’t like caramelized onions – but I promise, you do!!! All you do is heat ~2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 small vidalia onion, sliced 1/8 inch thick, and sauté until the onions get more,
and more…
and more golden brown, stirring every minute or so.
The entire process took about 15 minutes, and every 2 or 3 minutes, I turned the heat down little by little. By the time the heat was around a 4, the onions looked like the picture below.
At this point, I sprinkled them with a little salt and a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and continued to caramelize until the heat had been turned down to about a 3.
The sugar created a chewy, sweet crust,
and they ended up tasting SO AMAZING!!!
Oh my dear Lord! Like a cross between a fried onion ring and sweet, chewy dried fruit! The low and slow heat + the tiny bit of sugar gave this naturally sweet Vidalia onion a taste that was out of this world!
Like I said, the secret ingredient that will make everything taste better.
It completely made this dish, as far as I’m concerned!
My only regret is that I didn’t have more to put on there!!!
Full disclosure – I was planning on making these BBQ Chicken Quesadillas tonight because Ben did indeed weed whack the entire yard yesterday (by hand, with garden shears, I might add) but the addition of caramelized onions was 100% inspired by Jessica, whose recipes have me absolutely drooling everyday of the week. That girl can COOK!
In other news, my Dad and Ben have challenged each other to a smoke off using their respective smokers. While I have complete faith in my husband, my Dad commands a MEAN smoker. He always adds a secret ingredient to the marinade/glaze he adds to the meat, then makes everyone take a turn guessing what it is. Nobody ever does and I think he just loves that.
In other, other news, tonight’s Bachelorette is supposed to be the most explosive episode in the past five years!!! Ben rolled his eyes when I told him that.
The Justin’s going to hit the FAN, people!!!
Have a good night!







































The Secret Ingredient to Make Anything Taste Better
June 28, 2010