autumn quesadilla . . . .

caramelized mushrooms and onions . . .
fresh sauteed asparagus . . . and a bit of parsley . . .

a little "Guinness" beer to deglaze the pan . . .

mix in a handful of our local "Beechers" flagship cheese - which has a robust, nutty flavor . . .

and add a bit of tangy goat cheese . . .

fold it all up in a fresh locally made corn tortilla . . .

and you have a very tasty . . .

Autumn Quesadilla!!

 

YES - life just got a little better!!  :)

. . . . . . .

 The inspiration for this dish came from a recent trip I took to LA 

with my best bud Maresa!  She and I both like good food . . .

with fresh ingredients and amazing flavor!!

One of our favorites spots that we always like to stop by is . . .
"Joan's on Third"!!

One of the things we ordered this time was . . .

a wonderful and mild mushroom, mozzerella and goat cheese quesadilla.

We also ordered some curried chickpeas that were to die for!!

Maresa and I enjoyed every minute of it . . .

sitting around watching celebrities stopping by, talking about how amazing the food was . . . and wishing there was something similar here in Seattle!

A lunch at "Joan's on Third" is always a memorable one . . .

and this time - I just couldn't get this quesadilla out of my mind!

So - I bought some fresh local mushrooms . . . and some tangy goat cheese . . .

as well as some local "Beechers" flagship cheese (as I wanted to give it a more hardy flavor). 

I also looked around the internet and found similar recipes adding spinach, asparagus, fresh herbs, etc.

Well - I looked in the fridge and found an onion, some fresh asparagus and some parsley - a combination that sounded perfect as far as I was concerned.  

I also wanted to pair it up with a plum chutney that my friend Rick gave me recently . . .

and I thought this combination might just be perfect.

One recipe I found said to deglaze the pan with some white wine which does sound wonderful . . .

but in this case I wanted it to be a bit more earthy . . .

My dad happened to be visiting and he always loves a good dark Guiness beer . . .

and since it is still October - I thought this made a much better choice.  :)

Well - we made a bunch of these up . . .

and it will now be on our favorite recipe list - forever!!

These are Perfect for Football Sundays . . . or even Football Mondays!!

 I am sure you all know how to make quesadillas . . . 

but - I am adding these photos to show you how quick and easy it really is!!

caramelize onions and mushrooms in some butter . . .

add some sliced asparagus . . . cook for a bit longer . . .

throw in a bit of chopped up parsley . . .

then deglaze the pan with a bit of "Guinness" beer (or a dark beer of your choice) . . .

cook until the asparagus is cooked - yet still has a snap to it . . .

and the alcohol from the beer has been cooked down!

put a tortilla in a heated pan . . . warm it up and flip it once . . .

add the "Beechers" cheese first and a bit of goat cheese . . .

and then add the mushroom-onion-asparagus mixture . . .

top with a little more goat cheese . . . and the "Beechers" on top . . .

you can now top it with another tortilla . . .

 or . . .

in this case . . . I just fold it over for a easy hand-held treat.

This is definitely my preferred way to make these - as you don't have to cut them up

and the presentation is already perfect!!

And there you have it . . . one of the best little recipes I have made in a very long time!

I guess I should go to LA a little more often!!  Maresa??? :)

And - if you want to add an even more complex flavor to this . . . 

just knock on my friend Rick's door for a bit of his amazing plum chutney . . . 

the perfect finishing touch to this little meal!!

Thank you again Rick!! :)

Well . . . I hope that you are now inspired as well!! 

Fall is here . . . Football season is here . . .

and my Favorite recipes of the season are also here . . .
right here on this little blog of mine.  :)

I hope you will join me from time to time and see what we are up to!!!

now for another one of these yummers . . .

yes I know, I know - I got a little carried away with the cheese on this one . . .
I guess salad is definitely on the menu for tomorrow . . . :)

until next time . . .

. . . . . . .

food dreams and a kiss . . .
from my kitchen . . . to yours!!

xoxo - liz