Tex-Mex With A Twist

Spice Up Your Table With These Tasty Recipes

BY MELISSA TATE

Breakfast Quesadillas

Makes: 2 servings | Prep Time: 15 min. | Cook Time: 3 min. | Total Time: 18 min.

Ingredients: 2 flour tortillas | ½ cup breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled | 4 eggs | 2 Tbsp. bell pepper, diced | ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese | Avocado and salsa, if desired

Directions: Heat the breakfast sausage over medium heat, crumbling as you cook. Once there is no pink in the sausage, add all 4 eggs and scramble them into the sausage. Add peppers and cook the mixture until fluffy. Remove from heat. In a clean pan, over low heat, place ¼ cup shredded cheese on each tortilla. Heat until cheese begins to melt, then add half of the egg mixture to each tortilla and fold over. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until cheese melts into egg mixture. Remove quesadillas from heat and cut them in half. Serve with avocados and salsa.

Tips & Tricks: This recipe is great with leftover brisket substituted for the breakfast sausage.

Buffalo Chicken Queso

Makes: 6 servings | Prep Time: 10 min. | Cook Time: 10 min. | Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. butter | 2 Tbsp. flour | ¾ cup milk | ½ cup Buffalo wing sauce | ½ package (4 oz.) cream cheese | 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese | 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken | Ranch dressing as a topping

Directions: Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Whisk in flour until it forms a paste. Pour in milk and whisk until smooth. Stir in the buffalo sauce. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese and cheddar cheese, constantly stirring until smooth. Stir in chicken and heat over low to warm all ingredients together. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Drizzle with ranch dressing, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips and veggie sticks.

Tips & Tricks: This dip is best served warm. Serve in heated miniature skillets or straight from a small crockpot on the warm setting.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Makes: 12 servings | Prep Time: 10 mins. | Cook Time: 30 mins. | Total Time: 40 mins.

Ingredients: 2 (8 oz. cans) crescent rolls | 2 (8oz. packages) cream cheese, room temperature | 1 ½ cups sugar (divided) | 1 tsp. vanilla extract | 1 tsp. cinnamon | ¼ cup butter, melted | 2 Tbsp. honey, optional

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll one can of crescent rolls and press it into the bottom of the baking dish, pinching to seal perforations. In a small bowl, blend the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and vanilla. Spread evenly over the top of the crescent dough. Unroll the second can of crescent rolls and place it on top of the cream cheese mixture. Again, pinch to seal perforations and pull to cover all the mixture. Pour melted butter on top of the crescent dough. Combine the remaining ½ cup of sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the melted butter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and the bottom crust is slightly browned. Remove from oven and drizzle honey on top. Cool and then cut into squares and serve.

Tips & Tricks: This dish pairs perfectly with fresh berries.

Photos & Food by Melissa Tate To follow her cooking adventures visit MelissaTateTX.com or find her on Instagram at @melissatatetx!