This is another one I found on Annie's Eats while playing around on her blog last week. I have really been trying to like tomatoes lately. I knew I would be successful if I paired them with asparagus and feta cheese! Not only is this side dish fresh and flavorful, but its so pretty to look at. I love the way the colors really pop on your plate. Giada from the Food Network says you always eat with your eyes first, and I couldn't agree more. I think that the plating of your food is almost as important as how it tastes. That's why I love going out to eat at pricey restaurants. They always plate your food like an art masterpiece! With this side dish, you can plate yours at home for a lot less than going out to a white tablecloth restaurant. Fix your asparagus however you'd like. Steam, grill, broil. However. Its all going to be delicious when topped with tomatoes and feta!
1 bunch asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped (onion can be a substitute)
2-3 vine ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 oz. crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus stems. Drizzle the asparagus with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay in a single layer in a baking pan. Roast in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the shallot or onion until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes, just to warm and wilt very slightly (I used halved grape tomatoes). Remove the mixture from the heat, stir in the feta, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the warm asparagus on a serving platter (or individual plates) and top with the tomato-feta mixture. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Annie's Eats)
This was the first time I've ever had this kind of pizza. I've seen it before on Menus, but I've never given it a try. I knew I was going to have to come up with something different for Clay if I was making a Mushroom Garlic Pizza for me! This one sounded perfect, especially because Publix had the crust, cheese and BBQ sauce on sale this week. I think they had the bacon on sale too! Homemade pizza is so much better than frozen or delivery. In fact, the other week I had a headache from you-know-where, so we ordered some pizza. Ella was shocked when she realized that somebody was delivering it to our house. "They're bringing it to our house??" she asked. "Yes, baby, they do that!" was my response :) I would rather have this pizza than Pizza Hut any day. There is a few steps involved but don't let that deter you from making it. Once its in the oven you can forget about it and get the table set. This would be great for "Movie Night" with some friends. You know they will be impressed when you made the pizza! And don't forget about the other pizza I've made, the Hawaiian Chicken Alfredo Pizza. All different, but equally delicious!
1 14-oz. can Pillsbury Pizza Crust
6 slices bacon
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced thin
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the dough out over a large baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Pull out and set aside.
Heat the oil over medium heat in a skillet. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion until it has softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and dark brown, about 10-15 minutes more.
Meanwhile, slice the bacon into bite-size chunks and cook over medium heat in a large skillet until browned. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Pour off some of the fat the accumulated in the pan- all but about 1 tablespoon. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper and cook in the pan over medium heat about 5-6 minutes per side, or until no longer pink. Remove from the pan and shred when cool enough to handle.
Spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the crust and sprinkle with the shredded chicken, caramelized onion, bacon and feta cheese. Top the entire pizza with shredded mozzarella. Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and the pizza is golden brown around the edges, about 15 more minutes.
Enjoy!
(adapted from All Recipes)
Oh. My. Gosh. This pizza was SOOOOO good! I love mushrooms, but Clay can't stand them. That's why I made 2 pizzas tonight. I made the BBQ Chicken Pizza for him and this pizza for me. Yes, all for me! The Worcestershire sauce gives the mushrooms a beefy flavor and I love the combination of the cheeses. This pizza was out-of-this-world good. I'm speechless.
1 14-oz. can Pillsbury Pizza Crust
2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 8-oz. containers sliced white mushrooms1/4 cup onion, diced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I used Monterrey Jack)
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the pizza dough out to cover a large baking sheet, then brush with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 of the minced garlic. Bake for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes, until onion starts to soften. Add mushrooms. Saute until golden and moisture has evaporated. When they're just about done, add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Sprinkle the baked dough with the Swiss cheese, then the mushroom mixture and the feta cheese. Top the entire pizza with the mozzarella cheese (use more or less to your liking). Return the pizza to the oven and bake until the cheese is golden and melted, about 15 more minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Rachael Ray)
After last night's flop of a salad (it was good last night, not for lunch today) I was very excited when this turned out as great as it did! The feta cheese was great. My husband ate it too...he didn't know it had feta cheese in it :) It wasn't his favorite, but he picked out the zucchini and ate some. That's progress, right?!? I bought the chicken sausage from Sam's. I buy the big pack and freeze them in two's or three's. The sausage is fully cooked, so I just sliced it in half-moons and browned in the skillet. By changing the flavors of sausage, you could really change up the dish. To be honest, I don't remember what kind mine was. It had a slightly sweet background to it. I pulled it out of the freezer tonight and thawed it in the sink in cold water. This is a refreshing change on the noodle casserole dish! I've got some already packed for lunch tomorrow. Oh, and Rusty...you're getting a container too!
2-1/2 cups uncooked ziti (I used whole wheat rotini)
8 ounces chicken sausage (I used 4 links)
5 cups zucchini, thinly sliced (I used 4 medium)
2 cups vertically sliced onion (didn't have this)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 ounces) feta cheese (I used the whole 4-oz. container)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (you could use 1/2 cup)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.
Slice sausage in half-moons. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage to pan; cook until browned. Remove from pan. Wipe out skillet.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan. Add zucchini, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes or until veggies are tender and zucchini begins to brown, stirring occasionally.
Combine broth and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan with the veggies; cook 1 minute. Combine zucchini mixture, pasta, sausage and feta cheese in a large bowl or the pasta pot; toss well. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 X 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly and light browned.
Enjoy!
(adapted from Cooking Light)
I get so tired of fixing chicken the same way. I buy a lot of chicken breasts, because when you can catch a sale they are very affordable for quick dinner options. So, finding new tasty ways to fix them is a happy day in my house! Not everybody is a fan of feta cheese. If you're wanting to branch out and try new cheeses, feta is a great place to start. Its a milder cheese (unlike blue cheese) and its great on salads. I found out tonight that its also great melted on top of tomatoes and a chicken breast! More like awesome. This is also a great meal to entertain with because it looks like it took you a lot longer to prepare than it really did. The presentation is pretty. Serve it with a green salad to really make the colors pop. Publix has their feta cheese on sale this week. I had chicken breasts in the freezer, and had cherry tomatoes leftover from the Bacon and Tomato Frittata. You will love this change on the chicken breast!
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Italian dressing
1 large Roma tomato, sliced (I used cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Preheat oven to broil. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pound chicken breasts slightly in a large zippy bag to even the thickness for easier cooking. Season with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet on one side for approximately 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip over. Baste the cooked side with Italian dressing. Cook for approximately 4-6 minutes. Place chicken in an oven safe dish (if your skillet isn't made to be put under the broiler- I don't know if any are!) Top chicken breasts with tomatoes and feta cheese. Place 4 inches under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with rice and green beans or a salad.
Enjoy!
(adapted from BettyCrocker.com)
