QUESADILLAS (OR: THE COSTCO CHICKEN RIDES AGAIN!)

Take a little left-over chicken, a few veggies, and a slice or two of cheese, slap it between two tortillas, and dinner is served. The following recipe is basic, but the sky's the limit for variations. The basic idea is to be frugal, creative and healthy; after that it's up to you. The ingredients below will make one good-sized quesadilla -- enough for all but the hungriest among us.

1/4 cup thinly sliced green pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced red pepper
2 tablespoons thinly sliced onion
2 sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup cooked chicken meat
2 slices of cheese, or about 1/2 cup of grated cheese
2 medium tortillas
Pam cooking spray
sprinkle of garlic salt

Spray a medium skillet with PAM, put over medium high heat and add the vegetables. Stir and cook until the vegetables begin to soften. Don't cook them too much; a little crunch is a good thing. When they are soft add the chicken and stir it around for a minute or two to warm everything. Wipe out the skillet, spray with PAM again and return to the heat.

On a cutting board place a tortilla, a piece of cheese, the cooked veggies and meat, another piece of cheese and the final tortilla. Carefully transfer the stack to the skillet. Spray the top tortilla with PAM and sprinkle with a little garlic salt. Occasionally lift the bottom of the stack and check to make certain nothing is burning. When the bottom looks golden in spots, it's time to turn the quesadilla over. Put your large pancake turner (spatula) underneath it, lift above the pan and tilt the pan with the other hand to assist with the process. Any goodies that escape can be tucked back under the top tortilla. Repeat browning the second side, pressing on the stack occasionally to help everything stick together. The whole process should take less than five minutes. If the tortilla wants to get too brown before the cheese melts, turn the heat down to medium.

Don't let this list of ingredients keep you from trying this. Almost anything goes: broccoli, zucchini (not again!), canned green chiles, pepperjack or cheddar, leftover steak or shrimp, etc. Just be certain that your meat is cooked before it is added as the insides of the quesadilla don't get hot enough to safely cook it.