Soon I'll be irrelevant

The Ocho and I share many common interests. One happens to be watching The Food Network. Rachael, Paula, Giada, Ina and Bobby all love to give advice, especially when Ocho's watching with me. "It's fun to let kids help with the cooking!" they say. And The Ocho never forgets.

She's assisted me on several occasions, usually with something easy like spaghetti or chili. And I've allowed her to make cupcakes and cookies when she has a friend over. But I've never given her full command of a meal until last night.

I found a recipe online that would combined the things we love most: tortillas and melted cheese. It was for Stacked Chicken Quesadillas. It seemed like something she could do on her own (with a little supervision) so I psyched myself up, laid out the ingredients and stood by with restraint and patience that was clearly a result of the prayer I had said beforehand. Here's how it went down.

First she shredded the chicken:

Then she stirred it back into the Rotel:


Next came the layering process:

She brushed the top with a little butter:


And they were ready for the oven:


The taste test at dinner resulted in
A unanimous vote of approval.

Honestly, they were absolutely delicious and really easy to make. Here's the recipe if you're interested and have a child old enough to try.

The Little Ocho's Stacked Chicken Quesadillas

3 boneless chicken breasts
1 10 oz. can of Rotel
2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese
8 tortillas
small can green chiles (drained)
small can sliced black olives (drained)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsps melted butter

Preheat oven to 325

Bake chicken in Rotel for 1 hour. Shred chicken and return to Rotel.

Increase oven temp to 350. Spray 2 pie plates with cooking spray.

Layer 1 tortilla, 2 tbsps chicken mixture, 1 tsp green chilies, 1 tbsp. green onions, 1 tbsp olives and 1/3 cup cheese. Repeat layers 3 times and top with tortilla. Brush top with butter.

Bake for 25 minutes or until heated through. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole.

For those worried about the spice factor please know that Handiman at 3 servings without incident. Normally Mexican food is reserved for nights I am trying to murder him in his sleep but these had no adverse affect whatsoever.

With this little adventure many things were gained. The Ocho had a tremendous sense of accomplishment. We all had a very tasty dinner. And I could check one more thing off my list.

Now we can add dinner to the growing list of things she can do around the house. Once she can do laundry and grocery shop, I'm done here.

P.S. When I asked what she'd like her cooking show to be called she hesistated with her answer. Then Handiman suggested "Half Baked". That just about said it all.