St. Paddy’s Day Havoc

UGH!  The March winds are rearing their ugly heads today.  The roaring sound is relentless, the phrase wind-blown is in effect, and my hair is tousled, to say the least.   The twenty-seven mile per hour winds are wrecking havoc on my bee adventures and I am not happy about it.  There are bee affairs that need tending to and time is of the essence.  Yesterday I discovered queen cells being built by the girls and Mr. Floyd decided I would start another colony with them.  If you are not into bees this may not mean a thing to you but to a bee keeper this is big stuff!  It means I will instantly acquire a new hive, more bees, and thus the possibility of more honey later this summer. I know some of  you are looking forward to tasting my delicious, sweet, sticky honey and having more bees and hives will hopefully produce more of that glorious nectar.  To accomplish this I will need to open my hive and remove the queen cell frame, placing it in another hive and add a few thousand bees.  If I were to try to pour bees from one box into another on a day like today I’m bettin’ I’d lose a few thousand bees.  This endeavor will require much less wind and will be postponed until a calmer day.  Patience, patience, patience… my mantra for this day.

So what do I do on a day when I can’t do what I want to do?  Cook!  With spring break winding down I wanted minimal time in the kitchen.  Despite the ridiculous wind speed it is warm and beautiful outdoors.  I relish spending time with a glass of vino and adoring hubby soaking up the warmth provided by the sun and possibly watching a golden sunset. I’m finding myself in the mood for Mexican food, simple, easy, tasty Mexican fare.  My apologies St. Patrick – no Irish fare this year for the Orange Bee!

Having roasted a whole chicken recently, and finding myself with left-overs, I decided to make chicken quesadillas.  Now, with the warm temps and bright sun shining through my kitchen windows I needed fresh and light fillings to go with the appetizing chicken.  Below is my recipe for Chicken-Papaya Quesadillas.  Quesadillas are what I call a perfect food. Easy to prepare with whatever ingredients you may have on hand, satisfying and liked by most everyone. These quesadillas are so tasty with sweet, juicy bites of papaya, piquant peppers, gooey cheese, tender chicken, fresh cilantro and the wholesomeness of whole wheat tortillas.  Deciding to prepare this “perfect” distraction is making me feel less anxious to play with bees.  Ahhhhh….but maybe I need wine to extend this feeling of calm. Surely a glass of wine and reciting my mantra of the day will keep my feathers unruffled.

Enjoy!

Chicken-Papaya Quesadillas

Chicken – Papaya Quesadillas

Ingredients:
2 Whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup Papaya, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, peeled, seeded and diced
1 Anaheim chile, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
1 Chicken breast, cooked and diced ( I used roasted chicken but you can use grilled, broiled, boiled, or baked)
1/3 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
1/3 cup grated Pepper Jack ( if you do not like pepper cheese just increase the plain cheese)
1/2 cup Cilantro chopped
Avocado Slices

Place each tortilla on a medium hot grill or into a skillet over medium heat.  Divide the cheese, papaya, chili, red pepper, chicken and cilantro and sprinkle over each tortilla. When cheese begins to melt and tortilla starts to brown, gently fold tortilla in half. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 4 slices.  Garnish with sliced avocado and papaya slices.