Chickpea and tomato salad

• Here’s some photos of a great summer salad made with variegated cherry tomatoes.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  I only had crumbled feta and it worked out fine.  I heated my pitas in my toaster and oh so yummy it was.  

  
  

  A first using garlic paste.  It’s so easy to blend in.  I’ll use it again.  Thank you Aldi. That’s where I found it.

  
  

  2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed 

• 3 cups multicolored cherry tomatoes (about 16 ounces)

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves

• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

• 2 teaspoons garlic paste 

• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

• 1 (6-ounce) block feta cheese in brine, drained(I used crumbled feta)

• 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves

• 2 (6-inch) whole-wheat pita rounds, split and warmed) I used small garlic pitas.  They fit in my toaster perfectly.

Directions

1. Position oven rack in top third; preheat to 425°F. Combine chickpeas, tomatoes, oil, rosemary, vinegar, garlic paste and pepper in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; stir well. Nestle feta in the center of the mixture.

Bake until most of the tomatoes have split and the feta is very creamy, about 20 minutes. Tear basil leaves and sprinkle them over the mixture. If desired, stir the feta into the chickpea mixture until creamy. Serve with pita.

Note:  the crumbled feta slightly browned and I was able to toss it or leave as in crumbles.  Delicious!

Adapted to my liking.

Crushed Tortillas and chicken casserole

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  I have started to cook a little more and this recipe was involved a little more 😔 than I realized but I managed a delicious meal for tonight without being exhausted and the result was just what I had imagined. Creamy inside , a teeny bit of heat and a nice crunchy top.

  
  

  I followed the recipe but did change a few things.

  
  

  After it was baked I opted for sliced peaches as a side since we were still not sure about the dangerous lettuce outbreak.

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  ****Note: I used minute rice for convenience 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Heat oven to 375°. Spray 9 x 13”

  Baking dish with cooking spray 

  Ingredients:

  2/3 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded

• 3 cups cooked white rice ****

• 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, such as Rotel®

• 1 (7 ounce) can green chiles( eliminated)

• 1 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste

• 1 cup crumbled tortilla chips ( I crushed sea salt tortillas)

Whisk sour cream, ricotta, and cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in chicken, rice, pepper Jack cheese, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, and garlic salt. Add mixture to the casserole dish, and sprinkle tortilla chips over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven until it starts to firm up, 25 to 35 minutes. ***Garnish with parsley or cilantro, and serve. 

My recipes 

Bethany and Rehoboth

Photo Burst

Maddie and Me

I bought the girls a small bracelet as a token of our vacation.

Daniel and me

The above restaurant we took Maddie to when she was 2.

Maddie

Andrew, Poppy, Susan and Shelby.  Andrews soon to be fiancée 

The boardwalk games and rides.  We don't have  littles anymore so it was nice to see instead of watching them on the carousel .  Seeing them on the rides bring back so many memories.

Mark won Zoe lots of stuffed animals.  Looks like fun I'd say.

Mark and his family

Bethany beach ….3 Duck pin bowling

Our first experience with Duck pin bowling.  Fun for sure especially for us because lifting a bowling ball is a bit heavy but these were smaller and easy to bowl with.  Of course we had plenty of appetizers to enjoy while bowling.  It was another celebration for Nate.

A few more Beach vacation photos and last night dinner

You can't go to the beach without TAFFY.  Yep difficult to not eat them constantly.