Way, way back in March just before Hubby was scheduled to have hip replacement surgery, we packed as much activity as possible into the days leading up to his surgery. Everything we read, everything we learned made us believe life was going to be put on hold for a while.
Six weeks – that’s what the surgeon insisted was the minimum recovery time. Six weeks before Hubby could even think about returning to work. Six weeks before he would be able to attempt anything “normal” like accompanying me to the grocery store or attending Mass. Eight weeks before he could drive. We planned our life accordingly, never realizing that in just 2 weeks time, Hubby would be able to do just about all he did before except maybe tie his shoe.
Kiddo had never seen the point behind getting his driver’s license. Unlike when Hubby and I were teenagers, in California a teen cannot drive with other teens in the car. No heading off to the lake for submarine races on a warm summer night or a drive in movie or that Friday night cruise checking out the hot cars. If you had your license at 16, you drove alone. That put a whole new spin on dating. As far as working was concerned Hubby and Kiddo work at the same place. They have car pooled together for the last 14 years. When Kiddo has wanted to go someplace on his own, Uber was there. Hungry? Uber Eats. Need stuff? Amazon delivers. Driving was not something Kiddo felt compelled to do. However; Hubby’s surgery changed all that. He needed to be the family chauffeur, beginning with driving Hubby home from the hospital. I had given up driving years ago for medical reasons. Begrudgingly Kiddo learned to drive.
It’s amazing how driving changed Kiddo. He has confidence and a sense of independence I had not seen before. He took a week off from work to help me around the house and take over the driving. How many Saturday shopping trips did Hubby miss? Just one. Kiddo and I did the shopping that first Saturday. How many Masses did I attend alone? None. With the use of a walker, Hubby joined me at Mass just 5 days after Surgery. Today he attends Mass all on his own steam. While the road to recovery isn’t fully behind us, our life has returned to “normal”. Hubby still has physical therapy and follow up appointments to keep things on track. He cannot yet kneel during Mass. And I don’t see mountain climbing in our immediate future, but I do see strolls in the park, holding hands and slow dancing when the mood strikes.
What does all of this have to do with today’s share? One of the last things we did before his surgery was to drive to Alameda (an island in the San Francisco bay) to do a little Flea Market hunting. In addition to the rows upon rows of vendors selling everything from junk to gems, they also have food trucks. There is nothing like sitting on a rickety old bench, looking out at the City by the Bay and enjoying some authentic Mexican Quesadillas from a broken down truck. While the view is different at home, these Quesadillas are just as tasty.
Spicy Grilled Quesadillas
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Chorizo
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 (16 oz) can Refried Beans
6 large Flour Tortillas
1 cup Mexican Cheese Blend
Sour Cream as needed
Butter as needed
In a skillet cook ground beef and chorizo until no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Drain well, return meat to the skillet. Season with Taco Seasoning and keep warm.
Empty refried beans into a bowl, top with a dab of lard or bacon drippings to thin the beans. Warm refried beans in the microwave for about 4 minutes, stirring half way. Set aside.
Warm tortillas on a griddle just until easy to fold. Stack tortillas on a plate.
Working with 1 tortilla at a time, cut a single slit about half-way up the tortilla. Spread some warm beans on a quarter of the tortilla. Scatter meat mixture on a quarter of the tortilla next to the beans, fold beans over the meat. Scatter cheese on the next section, fold again. Spread sour cream over the remaining quarter section, fold over and set aside. Repeat until all the Quesadillas are made.
Melt butter in a skillet or on the griddle. Grill Quesadillas until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn over, continue to grill. Serve with Mexican Rice and a Margarita.
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