Tomato Basil Chicken

{originally published in 2015 and updated in 2023}

When I originally made this, I breaded the chicken and this time around I wanted to update it with grilled chicken. I served it over pasta (these kids love love love pasta) and would also be happy to serve it over parmesan orzo like the first time around.


Grilled chicken felt so fitting to top with tomatoes, basil, and a balsamic reduction.

Tomato Basil Chicken
Ingredients: (for 4 servings)
4 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons Italian Seasonings
1 large tomato
~6 basil leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tbs balsamic reduction
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Directions:
Marinate the chicken in the seasoning, salt, and pepper and preheat the grill.
Grill the chicken to cook through fully.
Chop the tomatoes and basil. Add the olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and stir.


Serve the chicken with a few spoonfuls of the tomato basil mixture.
Enjoy!

Pan frying cutlets was really good last time, but both the patience and mess doesn’t feel worth it, especially during the season of fresh tomatoes and fresh basil.


The balsamic reduction is from the grocery store lasts forever and is great on salad or sandwiches. Reducing balsamic is easy too.

BBQ Deviled Eggs

These deviled eggs are summer in a bite with BBQ sauce, corn off the cob, and crunchy onions. Normally I’d think of them in the app category but we ate them beside the pool one hot night as a dinner side dish which had me wondering why we haven’t done that sooner! 

The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Deviled Eggs

BBQ Deviled Eggs
Ingredients: (for 6-8 people, 12 egg halves)

6 eggs
3 tablespoons mayo
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon relish
1/2 – 1 teaspoon BBQ rub (or mix of chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder)
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
2 tablespoons bbq sauce
1 tablespoon corn
fried onions

Directions: 
Hard boil eggs for 12 minutes then add to a bowl of ice water for at least 1 hour. 
Peel eggs, slice them in half, and pop the yolks into a food processor (or into a bowl for a hand mixer/immersion blender). 
Add mayo, mustard, relish, rub, liquid smoke, and salt & pepper to the food processor with the yolks and blend well.

The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Deviled Eggs

Spoon the filling mixture into a zip-top bag inverted into a glass to hold it open. Seal and refrigerate until serving. 

The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Deviled Eggs

To serve, snip the corner of the bag and pipe into each egg half.
Top with corn, a drizzle of BBQ sauce, and fried onions. 

The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Deviled Eggs

Enjoy!

Before a meal, with a meal, it doesn’t matter. Anytime you serve them, they’ll be delicious. The idea came from our hard boiled-egg-loving guy when we talked about ways to use the 2nd BBQ sauce we opened by mistake which had an expiration date coming up. This doesn’t use much, but the flavors were fun. 

BBQ sauce in the filling would taste good but might turn it a funny color. They travel well unassembled and take just a few minutes to put together. 

The Three Bite Rule - BBQ Deviled Eggs

Need some other ideas? Bacon Ranch Deviled eggs are always a hit! Caesar Deviled eggs would go well with a summery meal too.

July Recap 2023

Wrapping up July has me feeling like time is flying by. Our vacation is August so there’s a lot to look forward to but I’m here wanting to fit in all the summery things before time gets away from me. That also has me tired yet antsy. With work having a fiscal year ending June 30th, I don’t feel like it is summer until July 1 so time’s ticking!

In July we had a beach day and went to some town events and dog sat! I was at a conference, went to the Red Sox, and went out with friends. 

I made a chopped BLT sandwich which was so so good. I plan to repeat as an Italian sub or maybe caprese. 

The Three Bite Rule - Chopped BLT Sandwich

I made a Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad to feel ohh-so-summery. 

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

Breakfast Crunchwraps were the most exciting thing to come out of the kitchen! (Shhh! You can always form as a burrito or quesadilla if the folding throws you off!)

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Crunchwrap

The Big Kid: 
He has been loving camps. They’re all repeats from last year and he’s had friends there! Packing lunches is 90% easier this year. I love seeing him endlessly jump into the pool and his swimming strokes are looking great! He is always wanting very specific coloring sheets and is very into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  

The Little One: 
She looooves swim lessons and is really proud of herself. Her interest and willingness is what we want. Her birthday is so soon – she has a lot of ideas for themes for this family party…mermaids, wearing her Elsa dress, unicorns and she may have spouted ideas to others.

Next month will include a week at the beach, C’s birthday, more time at the pool, and as much fun as we can pack in!

Year of workwear! I used some store credit to get 2 tops.
Salads or side-dishes: Pasta Salad seems like a side! I had it as lunch, but there are no rules!
prep ahead bfasts or lunches for weekdays: I’ve not been on top of this but need to. 
Monthly dates: We fit in 2! We went to El Centro and Myers & Chang!
Declutter/cleaning: umm, I don’t think I really did.
Workouts as a routine: Yes! I’m doing one that has good workouts but I like the down out the leader with my own playlists.
What I’m reading: I read I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jenette McCurdy for bookclub and we had a lot to talk about. I read Every Summer After and think it was overhyped. Vera Wong’s unsolicited Advice for Murders was kind of fun – the food references and the elderly main character. I thought The Admissions was going to be very different so being so-so on it was prob my own expectations.

Breakfast Crunchwrap

This is such a fun breakfast and the format is the nudge to Taco Bell’s version. The filling is bacon, eggs, cheese, and nacho chips!

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Crunchwrap

Fill with beans, or sausage, or avocado, or whatever fillings you like!

Breakfast Crunchwrap
Ingredients: (for 2)

2 burrito sized flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheese (white cheddar and mild cheddar)
2 eggs (scrambled eggs & everything bagel seasoning)
2 tablespoons salsa
4 strips of bacon crumbled
~8 nacho flavored chips

Directions:
Scramble the eggs until cooked through, but not dried out. Sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning, if desired.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Crunchwrap

Assemble the crunchwrap with the tortilla, cheese, eggs, bacon, a spoonful of salsa & hot sauce, chips, and extra cheese. Leave plenty of space around the outside.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Crunchwrap

Warm a pan to medium heat with a drizzle of oil.
Carefully fold the outside edges inward, working your folds around hanging onto the beginning. Gently put the crunchwrap face down and let crisp for ~2-3 minutes. Then flip to cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Crunchwrap

Enjoy! Serve with extra salsa on the side.

The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Crunchwrap

I loved this! The chips in this are such a pop of flavor and great texture.

If the folding around feels daunting, these could definitely be formed like a burrito. They won’t freeze well with the chips, but I’ll make them again.

Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is packed with serious flavor and is anything but forgettable. There’s nothing worse than pasta salad that has some dressing but doesn’t actually taste like anything. This has lots of lemon and mustard. There are a bunch of herbs and pancetta too.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

These are some starting points but customize as you like!

Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad
Ingredients:

1/2 pound of pasta
1 cup raw pancetta
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of ~1/2 lemon
lemon zest
1-2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt & pepper
herbs – chives, basil, and mint.

Directions:
Boil the pasta and let cool. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil as it is cooling so it doesn’t stick together.
Pan fry the pancetta and drain.
Mix up the mayo, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, dijon, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper to taste. Taste it and see substitutions below if it is too strong.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

When the pasta is fully cool (don’t rush it, let it truly cool) mix in the dressing and the pancetta.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

Refrigerate until serving and then top with herbs.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Dijon Pasta Salad

This was a really great lunch and it packs well. Swapping dijon with honey mustard would mellow it out a bit or adding something sweet – like a teaspoon of honey or sweet relish or maple syrup would make it a bit more mild and less lemon.