So a week or so ago, I had some “rat killing” (as Clay’s Pappaw used to call it) to do around town after I dropped the kiddos off at school. Knowing my days flying solo are numbered with summer coming, I am trying to pack it all in. He had a meeting in town and we were able to meet up for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants that we rarely get to frequent because of the kids always have somewhere they want to go when we do treat ourselves to dinner at a restaurant (a rare treat since it is expensive with 4 kids and frankly, I prefer to cook). We both love Superior Grille (who doesn’t?). It is a Shreveport landmark as far as I am concerned with it’s laid back yet fun vibe not to mention the food is spectacular. We will not discuss the margaritas that will knock you on your behind after you drink half of it. They are so good. So, when he called me and told me he was near by where I was, I said meet me at Superior. I didn’t have to ask him twice. We were hungry but not starving so we decided to split an order of something. I suggested the shrimp quesadillas. I usually order the crawfish enchiladas (shocking right? Ha ha ha) and they are delicious, but I didn’t want something that heavy. On a side note, if you have never had their crawfish enchiladas, you are missing out. Anyway, he was game for whatever and let me say…we were not disappointed. Those shrimp quesadillas were full of melty, savory goodness. They were a hit!!

So cut to today, BD took the boys to our rent house to trim some bushes and start the process of cutting down a tree (yes, that’s what you get when you marry a country boy. He cuts down trees in his spare time, if he decides that needs to be done. At 8:30 in morning no less. Sigh) so the girls and I kind of hung around the house chilling. Bare with me, I am getting somewhere here. The girls have been wanting to see Legends of Oz:Dorothy’s Return. Ben said he was not interested because he had read the reviews and it was a total rip off (yes, my 10 year reads movie reviews, restaurant reviews, etc.). So I am in the movies with my girls and I will admit, I was a little bored. They loved it (which is what counts) but my mind started to wander. “What am I going to cook for supper? What is a good meal to bring to a grieving family? Red beans and rice are always good but what if they don’t like red beans?” There was no one behind us, so I will admit that I turned my phone on and immediately googled a recipe for shrimp quesadillas. Second one was PW’s quesadillas de camerones! I have her cookbooks and the recipe is in one of them (first one) but the link to the post I found via Google is here~ http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/quesadillas-de-camarones/. Bingo!!! So after the movie, the girls and I stopped at the store to get the few ingredients we needed for what I hoped were the shrimp quesadillas of my dreams. Shrimp quesadillas that were close to the fabulous Superior ones. Maybe. Did I dare hope? Oh I dared. BD was so excited when I texted him this. Ok actually, he didn’t care that much. He was still high from his tree trimming and plotting tomorrow’s “operation river burch down” with the boys to really care. BUT…when I decided to execute my make shrimp quesadilla mission…and he came inside and smelled the aroma that came very close to that coming from the kitchens in Mexican restaurants…oh he cared then. And I quote “mama. It smells like superior in here. Dang it smells GOOD!!” Yeah…that’s the stuff. Y’all. They were so good! Full of creamy, melty cheese and those savory shrimp with just a hint of spice. Sweet baby Jesus, they were divine. BD is still talking about them this morning.

So if you love shrimp, you love Mexican food, you love cheese, you adore quesadillas…these are for you. Try them. I promise. Oh I promise you…you will love them.

PW’s quesadillas de camerones or shrimp quesadillas
Makes 6 quesadillas

oh the deliciousness of it all

Stuff you need~

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 medium size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack (I used a mixture of shredded Monterey Jack and these new Velveeta Queso Blanco shreds….this was perfect!!!)
12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
7 ounces of Mexican tomato sauce or red enchilada sauce
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, ditto
1 onion, cut in half and then sliced
Butter
Kosher salt and black pepper

What to do with the stuff~

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add your little shrimpies once you have some heat. Cook them until they are opaque and pinkish. Sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper. Stir in the Mexican tomato sauce or enchilada sauce, reduce heat and let the shrimp simmer in that yummy sauce for about 2 to 3 minutes. Yeah that’s the stuff. Now, using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the skillet. Once they have cooled some, chop them up with a sharp knife. Let them alone for now (this is the hard part…BD came in a snuck several as I was in the throws of cooking, but they are scrumptious little shrimpies I cannot blame him.)
Ok in a separate skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the bell peppers and onion and sauté until they are tender and have a slight brown around the edges. When the veggies are done, remove them from the skillet, place them on a plate, and set aside. Now, take about 1/2 teaspoon of butter and plop it into the skillet. Melt it over medium low heat. Add one tortilla to the skillet. Take a handful of cheese and layer it on top of the tortilla. Now, add some of the sautéed veggies on top of the cheese. Take some of the chopped up shrimp and put them on top of the veggies. Take another tortilla and lay it in top of the whole shebang. Ok…this is the hardest part (other than not eating all the shrimp)…take a big spatula and flip the whole quesadilla over once the bottom tortilla is nice and brown. Don’t panic and just do it. If some stuff falls out, just stuff it back in. You’ve got it. Let that tortilla brown and then remove and cut into 4 pieces. Keep repeating the process until they are all cooked. Just add another 1/2 teaspoon of butter, add your bottom tortilla and go. Enjoy!!! Serve with sour cream, guacamole and some pico de gallo if you want, but to be honest…you won’t miss it. These babies are built to stand alone.

olive oil getting ready to cook those shrimp to delicious doneness

this is my favorite red enchilada sauce…found it at Brookshires

sweet babies peeled and deveined…you have been chosen to be a part of something greater than yourself

this what the shrimp look like when they are opaque and pinkish aka ready

veggies ready to be chopped

so pretty and soon to be tasty

and the tree comes down. Ben watches it. I have pics of him growing up by that tree. I choose to not think of that now. It needed to come down as the roots caused lots of plumbing issues. Still…