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Quick dinners for a busy family

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By Patty Inglish, MS

MENU MIRACLE:

A Meal for 4 in 25 Minutes!

  • Very Quick Dijon Chicken with Tomato Pesto

  • Tomato Salad

  • Milk, Iced Tea


Very Quick Dijon Chicken with Tomato Pesto

  • Preparation Time: 5 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 10 minutes
  • Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 tsp minced garlic (jarred pre-minced is fine)
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
  • 1 large can undrained, diced or crushed tomatoes in purée pesto
  • 1 cup French's French Fried Onions (divided)
  • 4 servings of your favorite pasta
  • 1 container of ready-prepared pesto sauce
  • 2 tsp prepared Honey Dijon Mustard
  • Grated cheese.
  • Parsely flakes.

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill a pasta pot with water, bring to the boil and place 4 servings of your favorite pasta in with a pinch of salt and some EVOO to keep it from sticking. Boil it to al dente (about 7 minutes) while you are preparing the chicken.

  • Heat the EVOO in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, using high heat.
  • Add garlic and sauté it for only 30 seconds.
  • Add the chicken breat halves and sauté about 5 minutes or until chicken is moderately browned on both sides.
  • Add the tomatoes with juice, the pesto sauce, the mustard, and 3/4 cup of french fried onions.
  • Immediately reduce the heat from high to medium-low.
  • Simmer the dish for 5 minutes or until the chicken reveals no pink at all next to the bone.
  • Meanwhile, remove the past form the stove and drain in a collander.
  • Remove chicken from the stovetop and arrange the chicken mixture over the hot pasta on a serving platter.
  • Top the dish with pot sauce and sprinkle with remaining french fried onions, some parsley and some sprinkled grated cheese.

Tomato Salad

  • Preparation time: 10 minutes
  • Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

  • Lettuce leaves, your prefences of type
  • EVOO
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • Black pepper
  • 4 to 6 medium sized tomatoes, of a different type than in the chicken dish
  • Pre-chopped chives
  • Balsamic or red wine vinegar
  • Parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Cut the tomatoes into slices ¼ to ½ inch thick.
  • Lay lettuce leaves in an attractiv emanner over the surface of a large salad serving platter.
  • Lay the slices in a neat circle or oval around the edge of a salad platter, on top of the lettuce, placing slices in the middle as well.
  • Sprinkle EVOO onto the tomato slices; making sure to get them all covered lightly.
  • Sprinkle balsamic or red wine vinegar onto the tomatoes.
  • Season the whole with the salt and pepper to taste.
  • Chop a small bunch of chives or use pre-chopped chives and shake them over the top of the seasoned tomatoes.
  • Garnish with parsley.

Quick Dinners in the News

  • Quick action averts hanging tragedyPlainview Daily Herald1 second ago

    It was a parent’s worst nightmare for Mike and Liz Rangel: their son nearly died after getting hung on a rope in the backyard. Thankfully, a couple of quick-thinking individuals were there to help save his life.

  • Project Green: Keeping Christmas dinner localWHAS TV11 Louisville18 hours ago

    In this Project Green, WHAS11’s Monty Webb challenged a local chef to prepare an all local Christmas dinner.

  • Church robbed during dinnerThe Cincinnati Enquirer29 hours ago

    Worshippers at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church were savoring their Christmas dinner Sunday night while, unbeknownst to them, someone slipped into the unlocked building and stole $2,500 worth of computer equipment.

  • Food writer suggests grilled cheese, soup for fast winter mealErie Times-News3 hours ago

    Winter is soup season, and nothing makes a quick, hearty dinner amid the holiday rush than tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.

  • Cut fat, not flavor, out of holiday mealThe Oregonian8 hours ago

    Fit for Dinner: Special holiday entrees don't have to rely on fat for flavor. In this recipe, lean, quick-cooking pork tenderloin gets dressed up with a rich tasting and low-fat prune-mushroom chutney.


Comments

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Bob Ewing profile image

Bob Ewing  says:
2 years ago

quick and tasty!

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
2 years ago

Thanks for the comment! I love tomatoes and chicken.

mgwhite profile image

mgwhite  says:
2 years ago

mmm ... sounds great.

nina hirnido  says:
17 months ago

all th recipes taste very delicious yummy.....

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
17 months ago

Thanks, I enjoy all of them.

B.T. Evilpants profile image

B.T. Evilpants  says:
17 months ago

I love chicken! In fact, I'm making a lovely chicken sushi at this very moment!

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
17 months ago

Hmm, Jackalopes have a special stomach enzyme that kills salmonella and other nusiances in the digestive tract. Lucky you! - When you are president, we will institute a chain of Chicken Sushi Retaurants.

B.T. Evilpants profile image

B.T. Evilpants  says:
17 months ago

If you enjoy Italian cuisine, I also do chicken carpaccio. It's to die for!

Patty Inglish, MS profile image

Patty Inglish, MS  says:
17 months ago

I must check my recipe card files and find my recipes for more of this luscious cuisine. I have many italian recipes and think I will do some cooking this weekend.

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