Quesadillas will get your kids out fast for trick-or-treating
If you have kids, then you know that thinking about dinner on Halloween is not easy.
Getting the kids out the door with a little something in their stomachs besides candy is one of the few things you can do to wrangle a bit of order into this free-for-all holiday.
My kids are too old to really rein in their candy consumption, so I just make something simple, think of some faraway yoga pose and look forward to rooting around in their bags when they get back.
Quesadillas fit the bill nicely for Halloween: Kids can pick up the cheesy wedges by hand and eat while they look around for the missing pieces of their costumes. After they are on their way, the quesadillas pair nicely with a glass of wine for the grown-ups left manning the door at home (and the friends who are willing to hang out with them).
This recipe's particular combination of cheese, chicken and vegetables makes my family happy, but quesadillas are a wonderful springboard for combining all kinds of ingredients, so feel free to use what you like and what's in your fridge. If you have leftover, simply cooked chicken, use it here. If not, this is what rotisserie chickens were meant for. The olives are optional, but my kids love them.
These make fat quesadillas, which are so much more soul-satisfying that flat, underfilled ones. I'd much rather have two wedges of slightly overstuffed quesadillas than four wedges of skinny ones. If you prefer differently, use more tortillas and fill them with less stuff.
You can keep the quesadillas warm on a baking sheet in a 250-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Cut them into wedges just before serving.
In addition to sour cream and salsa, guacamole or diced avocado makes fine toppings.
• Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” She blogs at http://www.themom100.com/about-katie-workman/.