AND perfect for summertime!
And if you're a vegetarian? Just leave out the chicken! Easy-peasy!
Tasty Chicken Skillet
ingredients for four servings:
4 boneless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 - 2 cups chopped zucchini
1 teaspoon oregano
2 cups diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
Using one Tablespoon oil in a skillet, cook the chicken until done, browning on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate and keep it warm...
Actually, since I cut the recipe in half, I just shoved the chicken to one side in my skillet and cooked the sauce on the other side!
Add the other tablespoon oil to the skillet and add the onions, garlic, zucchini and oregano. Cook and stir about two minutes, or until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and rosemary. Cook for an additional two or three minutes.
Place the cooked chicken breasts in the sauce, turning once to cover in the sauce, and simmer for a few more minutes.
Serve with pasta (or spaghetti squash) of your choice and a nice salad.
We enjoyed this simple supper on our deck, complete with our view of Mt. Rushmore. *sigh* It is my happy place!
And speaking of Mt. Rushmore, things are getting interesting as we prepare for Independence Day around here. For the first time since 2009 there will be fireworks at Mt. Rushmore!
Why the gap? For a decade, the state, local, and federal powers that be were fighting the pine beetles. Large areas of the forest were devastated by this little creature.
I took this picture in 2011 - at the height of the pine beetle infestation. It was so sad to hike through an entire forest of dead trees!
But after years of work and mitigation, the forest is healthy again. A couple years ago the forest service announced that the pine beetle was under control!
So, with careful eyes watching out for possible problems, the fireworks are on again this year. President Trump is planning to attend, and I can't imagine how crowded the place will be!
We're planning to watch from our deck. The view won't be as good as it would be close up, but the traffic congestion will be nil!
Are you planning to watch the fireworks this year?
Jan Drexler is an author by day who is addicted to counted cross stitch and sauntering through the Hills with her dear husband and their puppies - goofy corgi Jack and growing-fast border collie Sam. You can find Jan's books and other fun things on her website: www.JanDrexler.com.
Why Jan I have a spaghetti squash in the fridge waiting to be used. This also looks new diet friendly! I am glad we won't be in the hills this year. As exciting as those fireworks are this holiday is a RUFF one with a scared pupper. So we will snuggle up and see if the new relaxing supplements help. Hopefully your boys are troopers!
ReplyDeleteWe're not sure how our pups will react to fireworks - but we also live in a different neighborhood this year. Hopefully it won't be the all-out war zone like a couple of our former neighborhoods!
DeleteWe endured ten years of neighborhood fireworks with a thunder-phobic dog...I can't imagine what it's like for war veterans and others. I'm content to watch the pretty colors from seven miles away.
This recipe has Ruthy must try written all over it, and I love that you can see the boys on the mountain top.... that's so cool!
ReplyDeleteThere are some folks that are making pine beetle pine furniture in the west.... and it's very cool looking. Making lemonade from very sour lemons. And we've got the Emerald Ash Borer here, killing all the ash trees, so it's kept Farmer Dave busy, taking them down for people and cutting them up. We sell the ash for beautiful firewood and folks are already putting in their orders for facecords of campfire/fire pit wood and winter wood.... so when nature messes things up one way, human intellect finds a way to make the best of it.
And the president is coming??? THAT IS SO COOL!!!!!!!!
Hooray for fireworks and I hope it's a wonderful Independence Day weekend there!
Yes, the pine beetle trees make beautiful lumber. Coffee tables, bedroom furniture, and even paneling is made from it. I would trade it all for controlled pine beetles, though. Vast areas of dead forest weren't just ugly, they were a huge fire danger.
DeleteThe emerald ash borer is another one. Ugh! We don't have many ash trees in the wild around here, but there were many in the city. When the city officials realized the ash borer was coming our way and that 100% of the ash trees were expected to succumb, they cut them all down before the insidious insect could do its work. Hopefully that move made a dent in the infestation - no surviving insects to travel to the next place.
And yes, this recipe is SO easy and healthy! I'm considering it for supper again tonight!
I remember watching a show on television about five years ago where they were putting in cabinets made of pine beetle wood into this massive lodge in Colorado. Talk about gorgeous (the cabinets and the house). Lots of visual interest in an otherwise blah wood.
DeleteExactly.... That hue is a tragedy of nature and a bonus for a savvy home owner.
DeleteThat sounds really interesting, Jan. I've never tried mixing oregano and rosemary. They both have such strong flavors, but I'm guessing it works.
ReplyDeleteMacy*s says they are going ahead with the fireworks, but frankly I've had enough of them already. NYC is having a major controversy with people lighting fireworks from midnight to 4am or so in protest against the protests. *sigh* It's complicated.
I was surprised at how well those two flavors blended together! Because you're right - one of them is usually the star that won't share the stage with anyone but their supporting cast. But in this one they worked together beautifully.
DeleteI hope you can get some sleep eventually. Fireworks to protest the protesters? I know they won't, but everyone just needs to observe a week-long ceasefire. Clear some hot heads. Let conversation and discussion have their chance. Spend an afternoon in the park enjoying the sunshine.
Keeping you in my prayers.
Mary, that's so crazy. We've got middle-of-the-night fireworks here, too... But yours are crazy because they go for hours and isn't this all tough enough?
DeleteI'm so, so sorry.
What is the matter with people?
I'll have to try this, Jan. But I think instead of cutting up the zucchini, I'll zoodle it and use it in place of the pasta. Maybe I could substitute mushrooms for the chopped zucchini. Whatever the case, it looks yummy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Another substitute could be chopped spinach along with the mushrooms. Or diced peppers - red, green and yellow.
DeleteThis is one of those recipes that lends itself to a plethora of variations. :-)