By Ricinda Perry

Smooshed together like a yummy quesadilla.

Have you every felt like things are a little messy at home?  I’ve been feeling like my church, family and work life are all mixing up together.  As I was working on dinner, I suddenly realized we were functioning like a smooshed up yummy quesadilla with the cheese running down the sides.  My husband and I are the two pieces of flour tortilla (the reduced carb brand of course), the cheese (the glue in our quesadilla) is our life in Jesus, the chicken (our work), and the fun part is the sour cream … our sweet daughter.  Ok, so maybe I was standing in the kitchen over a hot stove too long, but hear me out. Not one of these ingredients can make you a meal, or at least one you can enjoy.  If one of these ingredients is missing, a quesadilla it does not make.

FLOUR TORTILLA:  To be a fully functioning quesadilla family, I need my husband!  Who wants to eat an open-face quesadilla?  It’s messier and harder to handle.  Together, my spouse and I can hold the family and all its daily parts together.

CHEESE: To me, the cheese is the best part of our quesadilla meal.  Without it, the tortilla and chicken are pretty boring and fall apart.  (Believe me – I’ve tried to avoid the extra Weight Watchers Points … chicken crumpled everywhere.) That is how life is without Jesus.  When I add Jesus into my family life recipe, He improves the texture, makes the meal interesting and is keeps everything together.

CHICKEN:  For those of you who do not like chicken, sub in your other choice of meat, and for those of you who are vegetarian, this analogy is a tough one for you.  Financial strain is very challenging for families.  My husband and I are blessed to have careers and jobs we love … it has not always been so.  To the spouse who works at home (cooking, cleaning, caring for the family) – you are critical and appreciated. To the spouse who wakes up every day and works at a job to provide for the family – you are also critical and appreciated.  When times are tough or overwhelming, we can cut back on this ingredient, but when we are blessed in our jobs (bonus check, house is squeaky clean, kids succeeded on a project from the parental work), oh how great it is to enjoy that extra piling on of tender, juicy and flavorful chicken!

SOUR CREAM:  We can all do without this side item to the quesadilla, but how much better is it to dip that delicious and hot quesadilla into a cold spot of tangy sour cream?  It tempers the dish and adds something so special.  Children are a blessing from God and make our family recipe richer … even when they may be a bit “sour.”

All smooshed together with cheese oozing out the side, these ingredients are so delicious and the perfect combination.  Take a time out and enjoy “family” from this food perspective.  Speaking of food, here’s a quick recipe for you and your family to enjoy together.

Ingredients: 

Jar Salsa

Chicken

Cheese

Flour Tortillas

Sour Cream

Extra toppings

Throw some fresh or frozen raw chicken into a crock-pot.  Dump in the jar of salsa.  Fill the jar halfway up with water, shake and dump into the crock-pot.  Turn on for 4-8 hours depending on setting.  Remove cooked chicken and shred with fork.  In a skillet, pour a tablespoon of olive oil into a hot skillet and heat two tortillas.  Take tortilla one and top with chicken and cheese, cover with second tortilla.  Cut into triangles with pizza cutter and serve with sour cream and any other toppings desired.

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