Posted by Nydia Streets of Streets Law in South Florida Family Events and Recipes

This weekend, there are multiple national food days including National Quesadilla Day, National Lobster day and National Pancake Day, so our recipe line-up is full of yummy options, to say the least!

• Cherry Wood Smoked Chicken Breast Quesadillas (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• Pico de Gallo:

  • 5 Roma tomatoes, diced

  • ½ white onion, diced

  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

  • ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

  • ½ teaspoon chili powder

  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste

  Smoked Chicken:

  • 1 cup cherry wood chips, soaked in water

  • 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 

  Quesadillas:

  • 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas

  • 1 pound shredded pepper Jack cheese

  Preparation

• Combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, chili powder, and garlic salt in a bowl. Mix together and refrigerate until ready to use.

• Preheat a charcoal grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Spread the soaked cherry wood chips evenly on top of the lit charcoal. Place chicken on grill, cover, and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 10 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

• Remove chicken from grill and allow chicken to cool until safe to handle. Cut each chicken breast into small cubes.

• Preheat an electric griddle to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place one tortilla on the griddle to warm and quickly flip it. Spread enough pepper Jack cheese to lightly cover the entire tortilla and let it melt, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Spread 3 tablespoons of pico de gallo on one half of the tortilla and top with 1/6 of the diced chicken. Fold cheese side of the tortilla on top of the pico de gallo-chicken mixture, slice into 3 wedges, and serve. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

• Cantonese Style Lobster (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 small (1 pound) fresh live lobsters

• ⅓ cup peanut oil, divided

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• 1 slice fresh ginger root, minced

• 6 ounces lean ground pork

• 1 cup chicken broth 

• 1 tablespoon cooking sherry

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

• 2 large eggs eggs, beaten

• 3 medium (4-1/8" long) green onions, chopped

Preparation

• Rinse the lobster, and hold it belly up. At the bottom of the tail, there is a small opening, stick a long skewer in it to drain any urine left in its' body, then crack the tail off, chop the tail into small pieces, and crack the claws in half as well. If you know how to eat the body of the lobster, cut it up and throw it on the pile too.

• Heat half of the peanut oil in a deep heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic, and fry for about 1 minute. Throw in the lobster pieces, and fry until they are cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the lobster and garlic mixture to a dish and keep warm.

• Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the minced ginger and pork, and fry until the pork is no longer pink. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. In a small bowl, mix together the sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch and brown sugar until well blended. Add the sherry mixture to the pan, and stir-fry for a minute or two, until the sauce becomes thick and somewhat clear.

• Stir in the green onions, and turn the heat off. Drizzle the beaten eggs over the mixture in the pan, and stir until the eggs are in little pieces. Finally, return the lobster to the pan, and cook over low heat for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Transfer to a serving dish, and let stand, covered, for a few minutes before serving. Eat with steamed rice and enjoy, cause you worked hard!

• Eggnog Pancakes (found on Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, or as needed

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 ¼ cups eggnog

Preparation

• Heat vegetable oil in a griddle or shallow frying pan over medium heat.

• Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl; stir eggnog into flour mixture until batter is smooth.

• Pour enough batter into the heated griddle to make a 4- to 5-inch circle. Cook until bubbles appear around the edges and bottom is browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until other side is evenly browned, about 5 more minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Enjoy your weekend!