Tag: tomatoes

Leftover Loving- Cheesy Chicken, Tomato, and Pea Orzo

Chicken, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Pasta

Hey friends! Happy Tuesday! I hope you have had a great 1st week of July! This week I am in another professional development class. It is the 2nd one of the summer working on my teacher Coach Endorsement. It has been an amazing experience so far, and I’m looking forward to all the work I have to do in the future to become a better teacher leader and coach!

So on the way home from class, I stopped by Publix and picked up a rotisserie chicken, some fresh prepared mashed potatoes, and a bag of Steam-fresh  peas. Fast and easy dinner on a tired Tuesday night! So when I was cleaning the dishes, I got the idea to cut up the leftover chicken (one breast), peas, some cherry tomatoes from my garden, a shallot from the farmer’s market, and a 1/2 cup of orzo pasta and make a dish for lunch this week. So simple…

First I boiled some salted water in a large pot. I cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and diced the shallot. I added them to a med. hot pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, I dropped my orzo in the boiling water.  I cooked the veggies and the pasta about the same time, 6 minutes. Then I added the chicken, peas, and pasta to the tomatoes and garlic. I added 2 spoonfuls of pasta water plus 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of  diced fresh mozzarella cheese. Mix well and add chopped parsley to the top. So yummy!

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Make It Your Own Boxed Pasta Salad

Pasta, Salads, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains, Vegetarian

Hey guys! I hope you all had a great 4th of July celebrations with your friends and family! We all got together with some friends, had a fish fry, kids played together, and had fun with cheap grocery store fireworks as well as a large firework display at a nearby park. Tons of fun! I brought a bottle of wine, a pasta salad, and some dessert. Lots of great food!

I love making pasta salads. They are so easy and fun, because the combinations are endless. Homemade pasta salad is easy, but there are a lot of great boxed mixes out there to have in your pantry for those nights when you need something fast to throw together. Here I took a couple of boxes of Simply Pasta Salad (there are lots of different kinds out there, but I just stuck to the regular Italian flavor) and added in a few fresh ingredients. I added halved cherry tomatoes, fresh cubed mozzarella, and sliced black olives (kalamata).

You could totally add in fresh basil, grilled chicken, shrimp, broccoli, chopped bacon, pesto sauce, etc. Be creative and use what you have already in the fridge! Make extra to have enough leftovers for lunch. This is a great summer meal!

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Cheesy Chicken Bake

Chicken

I was going through my new Rachel Ray magazine, and I found a recipe that looked easy and delicious; Cheesy Chicken Bake. The first time I read this recipe, I thought it was a mistake. How in the world would a chicken breast cook for 10 minutes on the first side and 8 minutes on the second side without still being raw in the middle? Then there it was…a 6 oz. chicken breast. Where can I find this mysterious 6 oz. chicken breast? The ones I ever see are at least 10 oz… even many organic ones.

I took some liberties with the recipe…I used my 10 oz. chicken breast that was on sale, but I butterflied it. Instead of fresh cubed tomatoes; not a good garden this year, and store ones are not that great, I used 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes. Instead of one chopped onion, I used 2 small Vidalia onions, thinly sliced. Then I added crushed, sliced garlic. Add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and chopped parsley. I added the chicken breasts on top and add it in a preheated broiled oven. I cooked on one side for 12 minutes and the second side for 10 minutes. Add shredded fontina cheese on top and broil until bubbly! 012

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Easy Omelet

Breakfast and Brunch, Eggs, Vegetarian

I love omelets. You can make them complicated with lots of ingredients or you can just keep it simple and add in a bit of cheese and be done. That is what I did today.

Heat up a pan with a pat of butter. Whisk 2 eggs with some salt and pepper. 001

Then once the bottom is set a bit, maybe a minute or so, add your cheese. I added feta. You can add whatever cheese you like. 003002

Then fold over one side of the omelet to the middle.004

Then take your spatula and fold it over on your plate. I topped mine with a couple slices of tomato and lots of salt and pepper. Perfect!
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Baked eggs and tomatoes

Breakfast and Brunch, Eggs, One pot meal, Vegetarian

So many tomatoes! My garden is exploding with tomatoes. We planted other veggies, but this summer has been so rainy, most the other things have not been so successful. So besides the normal summer staple, the tomato sandwich, I have been thinking of other ways to use them. So this morning, I decided to cut some up and bake them with some eggs.

First, I chopped and deseeded 3 small tomatoes, coated them with olive oil, salt, and pepper and placed them at the bottom of a pan. I took out the seeds and juice of the tomato. That way the tomatoes won’t get soggy and mushy when you bake them in the oven. Then, I added them to a small cast iron skillet. You could use a baking dish, ramekins, or even teacups if you wish.

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Then I added about half a container of mascarpone cheese with a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream. You could use cream cheese if you have that instead. You could add milk or half and half instead of the heavy cream. 005

Then add your eggs on top. I added 2 for my size of pan. 006

Then bake in a 350 oven for about 20-25 minutes. I placed my eggs on a piece of toast. I have made this for my kids before in little teacups (minus the tomatoes) and they dunked in some pieces of bread. You could add in chunks of ham, bacon, other cheese, or other chopped veggies you may have on hand. The possibilities are endless!

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