There’s nothing better than a good weekend brunch.

{Except for sharing it with even better friends}

I decided to make these breakfast-friendly quesadillas after seeing them on one of my favorite blogs. I owe you a back-story here, as this was the very first food blog I ever discovered – and partly what inspired me to start my own. I was watching Ina on the Barefoot Contessa one day, and she had a special guest on the show. Her name was Phoebe, and she was was a writer for a fabulous food blog all about cooking in the quarter-life. I didn’t really know what a food blog consisted of at that point, but the idea seemed really cute so I went to check it out online. I probably don’t have to tell you that I have since fallen in love – but I will anyway. I was so into all of their great recipes, and most of all the fact that it was solely dedicated to cooking for women in this stage of life. After exploring more food blogs, and eventually other fashion and lifestyle blogs, I had an idea.

I thought, wouldn’t it be great if there was a blog that combined all of this *fabulousness* into one place for women exploring this stage of life? I thought about the quarter-life, and how so many call it a crisis – and I thought about how I couldn’t disagree more. I wanted to share that. And thus, 20something cupcakes was born.

I digress. But you did desperately want to know, didn’t you?

So. The quesadillas. As soon as I saw them, I knew I had to make them. Not only am I a huge quesadilla fan, but I’m a huge breakfast fan, so the combination is kind of ridiculous. And what’s even better is you can totally play around with the ingredients. That’s what I did on the second variety – they had used caramelized onions (which is always delish and since I usually have onions on hand, easy) and mushrooms, and as Daniel doesn’t eat mushrooms, I decided to throw in some prosciutto and switch up the cheese to Gouda. Still, I totally recommend making the first one just as they did. SO yummy. D-I-E for the chipotle crema.

Note: In case you’re interested, “crema” is a Mexican version of sour cream, kinda like the French have their version called “crème fraiche.” It can be difficult to find, so you can easily use regular sour cream, like I did.

I made 4 servings of each of the below quesadillas for a total of 8 servings. We had one couple over, so there were only 4 of us, but extra food is better than not enough (and we happen to love leftovers in our house). Quesadillas aren’t the greatest for large groups, as they’re best when made to order, but you can always keep them warm in your oven (at 200 degrees) if you want to make them ahead of time.

What’s brunch without the perfect cocktail? We enjoyed my deliciously spicy Bloody Mary’s with our quesadillas, of course. And it was pure perfection.

Scrambled Egg Quesadillas with Cilantro Chimichurri and Chipotle Crema

Recipe courtesy of Cara & Phoebe, the Quarter-Life Cooks

Makes 4 servings

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pinch cayenne
• 4 8-inch tortillas*
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

For the chimichurri:

• 2 cups cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt

For the crema:

• 1/3 cup sour cream (I use light, always)
• 2-3 small canned chipotle chilis, minced
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the can (I may have added a little extra – I like it hot)
• Pinch of salt
• Hit of lime juice

Combine the ingredients for the crema in a small bowl, set aside. This can be done days in advance.

In a mini food processor, pulse the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and vinegar until roughly chopped. Add the olive oil in a stream until the mixture becomes a finely chopped paste, but not too thin. Taste for seasoning and add salt accordingly. This can be stored in the fridge for a day or so.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and cayenne. On a cutting board arrange the tortillas side by side. Slather the chimichurri on each round, just enough to cover them with herbs but not make them soggy (you may have leftovers). Divide a 1/2 cup of cheese between two tortillas.

In a small non-stick sauté pan, scramble the eggs over low heat until just coming together (they should still be pretty wet and gooey). Spread half the eggs between the two tortillas, cover with another 1/2 cup cheese, and fold them in half, pressing down so they are glued together.

Clean out the pan and return it to the stove over high heat. Get the pan hot, then toast the tortillason both sides, until dark and crispy with cheese oozing out the sides. Serve immediately with a generous dollop of chipotle crema and some extra cilantro leaves for garnish. Repeat the process with the other 2 tortillas.

Scrambled Egg Quesadillas with Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, and Prosciutto

Makes 4 servings

• 2 cups chopped cremini, white button, or portobello mushrooms
• 4 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 4 8-inch tortillas*
• 2 cups Gouda cheese, shredded

For the caramelized onions:

• 2 onions, thinly sliced (I like to make extra and use for other things like burgers or sandwiches)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Caramelizing onions is super easy, it just takes a few minutes. Melt the butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add your onions, brown sugar, and vinegar; sauté until onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Try to keep them spread about the pan as they’re cooking. Remove from the heat, and let them cool to room temperature.

Add the mushrooms to the pan with a little additional butter or olive oil and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the onions back to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple more minutes, allowing the flavors to combine. Now your filling is done.

In the meantime, arrange two tortillas side-by-side on a cutting board. Divide a 1/2 cup of cheese between them. Add the eggs to the pan and toss until just combined—they should be very moist. Spread half of the egg-onion mixture over the two tortillas in one layer. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese over the top and fold in half, pressing down so the sides adhere.

Clean out the pan and return it to the stove over high heat. Toast the tortillas on both sides, until dark and crispy with cheese oozing out the sides.

Repeat the process with the other 2 tortillas. Serve immediately, and enjoy.

*Note: I use Mission Carb Balance Plus Flour Tortillas. They taste absolutely identical (we did a taste test to prove it) to regular flour tortillas, only they have 5g of protein and 11g of fiber per tortilla. Kind of obsessed.