Orzo with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Mushrooms

I love reading food blogs! I get so many great food ideas as I'm sure you all do too. Recently, Karen posted a recipe using orzo and sun-dried tomatoes and cooked it like a risotto. Now orzo is a small, rice shaped pasta that is wonderful in many different dishes. I've cooked orzo like risotto before for this recipe, and I loved how it turned out. Well, yesterday I needed a quick side dish to go with a rotisserie chicken I purchased at the supermarket for lunch, and I thought of making a quick orzo dish using ingredients that I had on hand. It was delicious and it only takes about 15 minutes to cook. The earthy mushrooms paired with the tangy sun-dried tomatoes is wonderful. Give it a try!

ORZO WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND MUSHROOMS

from Lynda's Recipe Box (inspired by Karen's recipe)

1 cup orzo

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 large clove garlic, minced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used white mushrooms)

1/3-1/2 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes

3 cups chicken broth or stock

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped-optional

salt and pepper to taste

Slice onion, garlic, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Heat the chicken broth in a sauce pan or the micro wave. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and the onion. Cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and stir until mushrooms are cooked. Remove mixture to a bowl. Add the orzo to the skillet and stir until lightly toasted. Add 1 cup of hot broth to the skillet and stir the orzo until the broth is absorbed. Add more broth, 1/2 cup at a time until all the broth has been used and the orzo is cooked al dente, about 15 minutes. Add the mushroom mixture and the sun dried tomatoes back into the skillet with the last addition of chicken broth, along with the parsley. Also stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper if needed. I didn't need to add salt because the Parmesan made it plenty salty for us. Enjoy!

NOTE: This also makes an excellent main dish, served with a good salad.

Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts (slightly adapted from Steven Raichlen)

I've been wanting to try this recipe for awhile, so Saturday was the day, although it was very cloudy and looking like it could rain. The rain didn't come, but the dark skies sure made my photos dark. I tried to lighten them a bit, but then the chicken looked pink! Not very appetizing at all! Now today, I had some computer problems, but I think it's OK now, so I get to share this delicious recipe for Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts with you! It is from the book, "How to Grill", by Steven Raichlen. This is an easy, moist and very flavorful chicken; the hardest part is cutting a pocket in the chicken breasts without cutting through it. Even if there is a mishap, all is not lost! I did that to one breast, so I grilled it with the lid down so that it would cook through without having to flip it over. It was saved! To begin, with a sharp knife, cut a pocket on one side of the breast, but do not go all the way through the meat. Stuff with basil leaves and sun-dried

tomatoes. Top with a couple of pats of Goat cheese. Cover this with the other side of the breast and fasten with toothpicks that have been oiled with vegetable oil. The oil helps you to be able to push them through the meat. Marinate for at least 1 hour. Grill over high heat until done.

GRILLED STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS (slightly adapted from "How to Grill")

4 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

8 sun-dried tomato slices, soaked in hot water for 1 hour

8 larges basil leaves

4 ounces creamy goat cheese

3 T. olive oil ( I used 4T.)

2 T. fresh lemon juice (I used 3T. )

2 large cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

sea salt and pepper to taste

Each breast half will have a chicken tender on the cut side of the breast, so pull this off and save the tenders for another use. Rinse chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. On a cutting board, remove any fat from the breasts. Carefully cut a pocket in 1 side of each chicken breast and lay it open. On one side place 2 sun-dried tomatoes, 2 basil leaves and a couple of pats of goat cheese. Fold each breast back over the stuffing and use 2 oiled toothpicks to close the chicken. Place chicken in a non reactive pan. Mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper and pour over the chicken. Cover and marinate 1 hour. I marinated this for 2 hours and loved the extra flavor. If using a charcoal grill, set up for direct grilling over a hot fire. Oil the grill well. Place chicken breasts over fire and grill for 4-6 minutes per side. Remove breasts from the grill to a plate and let rest about 5 minutes before slicing. It looks wonderful sliced on a platter garnished with more basil, but would be fine just to plate it whole too. Enjoy!

The lemon and garlic marinade was perfect with this chicken! The combination of goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and basil made for a perfect meal for family or company. We had 7 adult family members present, and 3 of them did not care for the goat cheese, and 1 or 2 didn't care for the tomatoes. But they all tried something new! Those of us who loved this dish were wanting the leftovers, which made a really great addition to a salad the next day! So next time I'll change to Mozzarella or Parmesan, but otherwise, this dish was a hit. Hope you give it a try!

Chicken and Penne with Pesto Cream Sauce

A couple of weeks ago I tried to recreate a pasta dish that I had recently at a restaurant in a nearby city. The dish was full of flavor, the type where you want to savor every bite, and when you are done you desire to have it the next day too! Well, I came close and this pasta dish got two thumbs up from everyone at dinner! This is fairly quick to put together, only taking about 3o minutes, which is perfect for weeknights, but it is delicious enough to serve to company. I used a purchased pesto, but if you make homemade of course it will be great. I've also used fresh herbs in place of the pesto and this also works well. First, you will slice some chicken breasts and saute

them in olive oil. Remove chicken from skillet and add more oil, or butter, and some garlic and saute a minute. Pour in the cream. Add pesto and some sun-dried tomatoes, sea salt and pepper. Stir well. Bring to a simmer.

Add the chicken back to skillet and simmer just until the sauce starts to thicken. This is not supposed to be a thick sauce, and it will thicken some when you add it to the pasta.

Taste sauce before you add the pasta and add more salt and pepper if needed. Mix pasta and pesto sauce together. Pile on plates and top with lots of grated Parmesan cheese. Chow down! It will make enough for 6 adult servings.

CHICKEN and PENNE with PESTO CREAM SAUCE

16 ounces penne pasta, cooked to package directions and drained

4-6 boneless chicken breast halves, sliced crosswise into strips

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

4 T. olive oil or butter

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup chicken broth or pasta cooking water

3 T. purchased pesto ( you may want to taste sauce as you add this to find the strength you like)
3 T. or more of diced sun-dried tomatoes

sea salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet, add 2 T. of olive oil and saute sliced chicken breasts that have been salted and peppered, til barely done. Remove from pan to a plate. Add 2 more T. olive oil to skillet and the minced garlic. Stir until garlic is very fragrant, but do not brown. Add the cream, chicken broth or water, pesto, and sun dried tomatoes. Bring to a low simmer and add chicken back to pan. Simmer only until sauce is slightly thickened, as it will thicken more after the pasta is added in. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. I wanted the sauce to be slightly thickened, but thin enough to run into those delicious tubes of penne and coat them thoroughly! If your sauce gets too thick, add more chicken broth to thin it a little. I did not add cheese to the sauce, but instead added lots as a topping on the pasta. I actually added more after the picture was taken! I made a fresh salad and garlic bread to accompany this meal. Enjoy!