Guilty pleasures and quaesadillas

In our house things have been a bit weird recently, food-wise. I am the Designated Cook at home and, because I've been working late at my new job, our usual dinner routine has gone a bit awry - leaving my boyfriend very well acquainted with the local turkish restaurant (www.maedahgrill.net - very good incidentally).  And when I do get home I am usually so knackered that it's all I can do to make myself a quick snack and fall into bed.

It's made me think about how people have a "signature snack" - something you always make when you get home late from work or you fall in from the pub and just have to climb onto the sofa as quickly as possible with a some food and a cup of tea. It needs to super-quick, really comforting and, I think, just a little bit embarrassingly retro. I'm thinking of a fish finger sandwich, white-bread-toast with Dairylea or that strangely soothing Knorr chicken noodle soup made from a packet (or is that just me?).

My best-ever-quick-snack is a sort-of quaesadilla. It's basically two wraps sandwiched together with grated cheddar cheese, jalapeno peppers and whatever is left lying around in the fridge. Lay one wrap into the saucepan, sprinkle on the cheese and any other fillings, place the second wrap on top, squish down a little and turn the heat on to dry-fry it for a minute or two on both sides until the cheese melts sticking the two wraps together. The sandwich should be golden brown and crisp on both sides. I serve mine piping hot and cut into wedges.

This is a great way to use leftovers - you can throw in spring onions, red onions, tomatoes or a sad old avocado with a squeeze of lime juice - just sprinkle it into the filling mixture. And you can even posh-it-up a bit by serving the wedges with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.

Next time you find yourself starving and staring into the fridge hoping for inspiration, give these a go and you'll be on the sofa, snack-in-hand, in under in 5 minutes.