Why We Love Our Quesadilla Maker

The Salton Santa Fe Quesadilla Maker is one thing I simply could not live without. We bought it almost two years ago, right before we started Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We knew that money would be tight in the coming months as we tried to get out of debt, so this was our one last splurge. One of Dave's sayings it to live on "rice and beans and beans and rice". We are now virtually out of non-house, non-student loan debt and this has been one key. For us, instead of rice and beans, it's been cheese quesadillas.

All three of our girls - ages 5.5, 3.5 and 2 - love the cheese quesadillas. They are inexpensive and easy to make. They are wonderful to take 'on-the-go'. Stick one or two of the six pieces in a baggie and you're set! They are great for kids in the car. Though they can leave crumbs from the tortillas, there's no peanut butter or jelly to get sticky.

Cheese quesadillas, of course, are not the only kind. The favorite ones for my husband are chicken. We use grilled chicken, cut up and mixed with Old El Paso taco seasoning. We combine the chicken and Wal-Mart's Great Value Fiesta Cheese Blend and stick them on the Maker for about 4 minutes. They are wonderful!

My personal favorite is breakfast quesadilla. The Quesadilla Maker is a great way to cook scrambled eggs. Crack a couple of eggs, pour in a little bit of milk and mix with a fork. Pour on the Maker and wait about a minute and a half or so. That's enough eggs for about two quesadillas. Take the eggs, some bacon and some cheese and grill for about four minutes. They are delicious!

Overall, the quality of the Maker has been quite good. We've had it replaced twice, but those were both because my husband or one of the girls dropped it on a tile floor. While it stands up quite well to regular use, that was a bit much. Our current one needs replaced as well - partially because of another drop and partially because it is used, on average, about 6-7 times a week. We've had it for about 18 months and it's just plain getting worn out.

If you're not careful about the amount of cheese or liquid materials that you put in the quesadilla it can be difficult to clean. However, with a little practice, it's not too hard.

About the only thing I would change about it is a bit more durable, but that would likely raise the price. At about $20, we have gotten more than our money's worth out of it. It has, in the past, come in combination with one of the George Foreman Grills. It is currently available on Target.com for 19.99.