Improvising Martha Stewart and forgetting the chickpeas.

I am a huge fan of Martha Stewarts Everyday Food Magazine. I love getting my copy every month and flipping through the glossy pages picking out future meals for my family. Each copy I own is scarred with dog ears, pen marks, and little slips of random paper to secure that each treasured recipe is found again.

Sometimes though, I improvise a bit. I add things to take things out to settle better with my families personal tastes. For example, my version of the recipe I made this weekend Greek Salad With Chickpeas did not contain any chickpeas. I forgot to add them to my shopping list, so I just left them out and added some balsamic glazed chicken I pan fried, instead.

When I don't plan our meals properly for the week, I find no delight in cooking. All I want to do is grab some bowls, cereal, and milk. When there are fun recipes to try with new ingredients, and things I have never tasted before, it is the perfect way to:
For this particular meal, my chickpea-less version of the Greek Salad With Chickpeas, it was a late meal, so I requested everyone get into their jammies first. (Including me!) I love cooking in my jammies.
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And of course, it's always:


Two months ago, Jeff went to Buenos Aries and brought me back a whole wooden crate of imported olive oil. This guy, he knows the way to my heart for sure. So, when I cook anything, I use:

This meal was so good, I wanted to share with you.
Everyone in our family gave it a two thumbs up!

Greek Salad with Chickpeas (Balsamic Chicken)

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 T fresh lemon juice (I also added 1 t of lemon zest)

2 T extra virgin olive oil

coarse salt and pepper

1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 cup of grape tomatoes (too expensive, I used chopped Roma tomatoes)

1/2 C crumbled feta (I used the whole container, which measured 1 cup)

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (Forgot to add to my shopping list, remember??)

1/2 C kalamata olives, chopped

1/2 C lightly packed parsley leaves

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(I also added:

4 chicken breasts-- one per person)

balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper)

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In a large bowl, combine onion, lemon juice, (zest), and oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine and let sit for 5 minutes.

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Heat a medium, oiled frying pan. Drizzle your chicken breasts with the balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until the juices run clear and the outside forms a golden crust. Set aside.

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To the salad bowl, add the cucumber, tomatoes, feta, chickpeas, olives, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Put a serving of salad on each plate.

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Chop the chicken breasts and add one on top of each salad.

Enjoy!