Given how close we are to year’s end, I have the rest of this small skillet year planned at this point, and I know that next week’s recipe is going to be time-consuming. So, I went with something simple this week.
I realized after the fact that though it was called “skewerless stovetop kabobs” from Taste of Home that it’s basically just fajitas with a few more vegetables. But, you know what, it’s been a long year and it’s fine.
Skewerless kabobs ingredients.
This was in the vein of some of my favorite simple recipes, in that it uses fewer ingredients by including salad dressing. Easy flavor works for me.
I did change the recipe in one notable way: it called for pork tenderloin as the meat but that seemed like an expensive and fancy cut for something that was ultimately going to be smothered in Italian dressing. So, I just went with chicken, making it even more like a fajita. I also left off mushrooms, and added a little more vegetables.
While it wasn’t the most exciting of dinners, it did the job. It fed us, it was healthy enough, and it was quick and easy to pull together.
Simple and scrumptious.
Here’s what I did:
Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breast, cut into ¾ in. cubes
½ c. Italian dressing, divided
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
In a medium skillet, 8- to 9-in., cook the chicken over medium-high heat in half the dressing until cooked through. Remove from pan.
In the same skillet, cook the vegetables in the remaining half of the salad dressing until the vegetables are tender. Return the chicken to the skillet, heat through, and enjoy!
OK, so maybe I spent an evening last week going through my Betty Crocker cookbook since I didn’t have the brainpower to read a book nor the mental health state to keep up on Twitter but had the anxious energy to do more than simply watch TV.
That’s just maybe how last week’s and this week’s recipes came to be the top of my queue of food to make. Even better, both last week’s 5 ingredient chicken and this week’s orzo vegetable side dish were simple to make, and (full disclosure) went well together.
Veggie orzo side dish ingredients.
The original recipe is for a main dish that uses plain sauteed chicken tenders that are first cooked and then mixed into orzo mixture. Since I planned to use it as a side dish with chicken, I skipped the chicken in the recipe and made a nice vegetarian side dish (or main dish but with fewer servings).
Anyone who owns a Betty Crocker cookbook knows that the recipes are not often the most exciting, but they’re also not the most difficult. They’re perfect, in other words, for a weeknight dinner when you want something homemade but don’t want to be cooking all night.
This one in particular was a nice reminder to me that orzo is a great pasta for a fast, tasty side dish. I think it’s one I’ll play with and enjoy over and over again.
So simple, so tasty.
Here’s what I did, adapting the Betty Crocker main dish:
Ingredients
14 oz. (1 can, or homemade) vegetable or chicken broth
1 ⅓ c. uncooked orzo
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, chopped (yielding about 1 ½ c.)
1 ½ c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small bell pepper, chopped (yielding about 1 c.)
1 c. water
~1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
½ t. salt
Directions
Heat a 9- to 10-inch skillet on medium heat. Stir in the broth, pasta, and garlic. Heat to boiling, and then reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 8 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add in the vegetables, water, rosemary, and salt, and stir together. Heat to boiling, and simmer another 5–7 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp and the pasta is cooked through. Let cool slightly, and enjoy!
I’ve loved Pixar’s “Ratatouille” since it first came out and I saw it in theaters. But it’s a movie that’s only grown on me since then.
Of course, I’ve come to love cooking even more, so that’s no surprise, but it’s really the movie’s messages that have grown in importance to me.
There is the message (*spoilers ahead*) from the critic at the end of the movie that “Anyone can cook,” which isn’t to say that we can all be great chefs but a great chef can come from even the humblest of beginnings.
But if I’m honest, it’s the message from Remy walking away from his dad to pursue his passion despite his family’s wishes that really gets me.
Screenshot from IMDB.
I won’t get overly sappy here, but I’m coming up on a year since leaving journalism, and that scene has been making me think and challenging me to move forward. That’s no less true of our current political climate as we approach another election. Things can change, as long as we decide to step up.
So, to readers, please vote and convince your friends and family to do the same. And, to myself, who voted last weekend, I am reminded to step up and try to help bring about that change by working for it.
Now, I’ll step off my pedestal and get back to my recipe.
Sheet pan ratatouille ingredients (please note, this is way too much to fit on one sheet pan).
I’m embarrassed to say how many years I’ve wanted to make the eponymous ratatouille from the movie, and I finally did it during my year of casseroles. And while it did not achieve the picturesque quality of the movie, it was a delight.
I thought it could be replicated on a sheet pan, albeit a smaller amount, and I was not wrong. However, I did buy way too much of the required vegetables, and so I had to make it on several sheet pans over multiple days. And yet, I’m not complaining.
I tried a few different methods to see what would work best — sauce on top, sauce on bottom, baked at a slightly lower temperature, and came up with what is my favorite. It’s also pretty easy, to boot, except the slicing, but it’s made easier if you have a mandoline slicer.
It looks classy, but it’s also easy and delicious.
Here’s what I did (using the best version of my tests):
Ingredients
About 2 small summer squash, sliced ⅛ to ¼ inch thick
About 2 small zucchini, sliced ⅛ to ¼ inch thick
About 2 medium Chinese eggplant, sliced ⅛ to ¼ inch thick
About 3 medium Roma tomatoes, sliced ⅛ to ¼ inch thick
Salt, to taste
Olive oil, for coating
1 jar (16 to 20 oz.) arrabbiata sauce
Basil, to taste
Thyme, to taste
Minced garlic (I used dried), to taste
Directions
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray or brush olive oil on a large sheet pan (about 15 ½ by 12 inches)
Pour the sauce on top of the oiled pan, enough to coat but not necessarily using it all. Place a layer of vegetables on top of the sauce, slightly overlapping like shingles, and in any pattern you like — I did a row of each except tomatoes and put tomatoes on top but do whatever makes you happy.
Oil the top of the vegetable layer and add some thyme, basil, and minced garlic. Add another layer and repeat with the oil and herbs and garlic. If there’s still room, you can add a third layer (with oil, etc. on top) but my edges are not high so two layers was about all I could handle.
Top with parchment paper.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are cooked, with some browning around the edges (trust me, it tastes delightfully smoky). Serve with more sauce, if desired, and enjoy!
