Recipe: Bacon and cheese quesadilla (aka dinner for a tired boy)

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I just finished pouring Weston, my seven-year-old, into bed. He spent the day asea on the boat of a school friend, and I'm not sure exactly what they did all day (because he was way too tired for details), but he came home exhausted and hungry. On a night like this, when tired and crabby walk in the door together and quickly dissolve into frustrated tears, only a bacon and cheese quesadilla will do.

You may already have read about Mirna's squash blossom quesadillas, which still rank high among our family quesadilla requests. The other day I picked two zucchini flowers from the garden and, while washing one, found a happy bumblebee stuck inside one of the blossoms. He was so content he didn't even have the energy required to sting me before I washed him down the drain. I chopped the zucchini flowers and made the boys their breakfast, and Weston went to camp with pollen on his chin.

Tonight, though, there was neither time nor impetus to head to the garden. It was dusk, the boy was melting, and every second counted. So I put together the tried and true: a fresh tortilla filled with "Mexican blend" cheese and crumbled cooked bacon. And, after it was gone, the boy shuffled slowly toward bed.

Note: Emery, my ten-year-old (ten and a half, he'd remind me to write), likes this quesadilla with a bit of hot sauce splashed in. Their dad takes it with or without.

Bacon and cheese quesadilla

• 2 flour tortillas (I buy the unbaked ones at Costco and griddle them for 30 seconds on each side in a nonstick pan)
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or substitute Monterey Jack)
• 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon (I use the ready-to-use stuff in the bag, also from Costco - we buy it by the dozen)

Put a tortilla in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat - you can coat the pan with cooking spray if you like, but it's not necessary, and I usually don't. Add half the cheese and half the bacon. Fold the tortilla in half and grill, pressing down with a spatula, until golden; flip and do the same on the other side. Repeat with the second tortilla. Serve immediately to two hungry boys or girls.