Made By Melissa

Occasionally we have Wii nights where we have some friends over, play different Wii games and munch on some snacks. I am always looking for new recipes to try. They have to be easy to make, easy to eat and taste good! Last Saturday, we had another Wii night and I decided to try these lime-marinated chicken quesadillas and garlicky beef crostini, along with some cold snacks.

I modified this recipe from allrecipes.com for the lime marinade and used it to make the quesadillas. I was a little skeptical about using the lime, but it adds great flavor and does not over-power the chicken at all. These quesadillas were delicious!

Lime-Marinated-Chicken Quesadillas

Combine first 8 ingredients in a shallow dish. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least a couple hours.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until juices run clear. Shred the chicken with 2 forks, add reserved 1/4 cup of marinade and 1/4 cup of water. Let simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed, set aside.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place 1 tortilla on the skillet, sprinkle cheese and chicken over tortilla and top with another tortilla. Heat until cheese is melted and bottom is golden brown, flip quesadilla and heat until other side is golden brown.

Serve with salsa and sour cream, garnish with green onions.

I made these beef crostini with sage whipped cream to go along with the lime-marinated quesadillas for our Wii night. I had never made a crostini before, but had been eyeing a couple recipes for a while. I decided to make this one from foodnetwork.com. I did make a few changes, noted below.

Garlicky Beef Crostini with Sage Whipped Cream

• 1 baguette, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds (about 30 pieces)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, trimmed (I used a 1 pound tenderloin steak)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper (I only used about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt  (I used 1 teaspoon sea salt)
• 1 cup sage whipped cream, recipe follows
• 30 small fresh sage leaves, for garnish (Omitted)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Lay the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Combine the butter and olive oil in a small bowl, and liberally brush each slice with the butter mixture. Bake in the top half of the oven until slightly golden, about 15 minutes.Rub the tenderloin with the garlic, pepper, and salt. Spray a large oven-proof skillet with cooking spray and place it over high heat for 1 minute. Put the tenderloin into the skillet and brown it on all sides, about 1 minute per side. I then turned the heat down to medium and cooked the meat in the skillet, turning once, until done, about 5-6 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the tenderloin until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 120 degrees F for rare, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the beef to a cutting board and rest for at least 15 minutes, or until ready to use. Immediately before serving, slice the tenderloin thinly into about 30 pieces.To assemble the hors d’oeuvre, squeeze a small dollop of the whipped cream onto the crostini. Top with a rosette of tenderloin and another dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with a sage leaf and serve.

Sage Whipped Cream

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• Pinch salt
• Pinch white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

Whisk the heavy cream in a well-chilled medium mixing bowl until soft peak. Add the sage, salt and pepper and whisk until the peaks are firm. I found the whipped cream to be a little bit bland, so I folded in the dijon mustard to add some flavor. Spoon the whipped cream into the squeeze bottle and refrigerate until ready to use. I put the whipped cream into a plastic ziploc bag and snipped off the corner to squeeze onto the the crostini. Yield: 1 cup

I was asked to make this dip for a party we were having for a co-worker who was leaving at work. This dip could not be any simpler and it is always a hit. I know there are about a million variations on Mexican layer dips out there, but this is how I make mine, based on what I like of course.

I realize the pic is not very good, but I didn’t think my co-workers would appreciate me bringing in something from home with a big scoop missing, and I did not want to take a picture at work. So you get a lovely picture of lettuce, tomato and cheese.

Mexican Layer Dip

• 1 can fat free refried beans
• 1 (16 oz) container sour cream
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cups shredded cheese- “Mexican” blend or cheddar or colby jack
• lettuce- chopped
• tomato- chopped
• black olives- I left these off this time

Heat the beans over medium heat, season with garlic and onion powder to taste. Spread over the bottom of a 9×13 glass dish. Mix sour cream with 3/4 to entire packet of taco seasoning, depending on how “spicy” you want it. Spread sour cream over beans. Sprinkle 1 cup of the Mexican cheese over sour cream. Top with lettuce, tomato, remaining cheese and olives. Refrigerate for at least a couple hours before serving. However, if it is going to be several hours before serving, remove the seeds from the tomato to help prevent the dip from getting soggy.

Serve with tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole on the side.

I copied and pasted this recipe a long time ago, well before I started this blog. So, if this is your recipe, or you have the source, please let me know so I can give you credit! These hearty little appetizers are very good, certainly better than my picture makes them look.

Stuffed Sausage Cups

• 1 pound ground sausage
• 4-5 green onions, sliced thinly (I used about 1/4 of an onion, chopped)
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 packages Athens mini filo cups

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat. Add onion and cream cheese, stirring constantly until cheese has melted. Add cheddar cheese and continue to heat through until the cheddar has just melted. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each mini filo cup. Arrange filled cups on a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown.

These veggie bars are so good! They are a great way to have fresh vegetables at a party without going the traditional veggies and dip routine. From allrecipes.com, I typically only make half of the recipe, unless there is a large group of people.

Veggie Bars (1/2 of traditional recipe w/my modifications) 

• 1 8-ounce package crescent rolls
• 1 8-ounce package low-fat cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup low-fat mayonnaise
• ½ envelope ranch dressing mix
• Assorted raw vegetables, chopped (tomatoes, broccoli, red onions, celery, carrots, cauliflower, green and/or red peppers)
• ½ to ¾ cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread crescent rolls out onto a baking sheet or a pizza pan. Crimp seams together. Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Leave on pan until cool.

In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, and ranch dressing - mix well. Spread over cooled crust. Top with assorted vegetables. Sprinkle cheese over top. Chill 1 - 2 hours before serving. Cut into bars and serve.