Giada De Laurentis makes very healthy, flavorful Italian recipes. Her recipes are crisp, clean, and fresh and she makes tons of vegetarian options, too. I only have one of her recipe books, because, I confess, her style is not my style. I like the more rustic, hearty looking food--food that will fill you up and warm your soul. But, as I said before, sometimes I get into different moods for different foods. And as I was searching for some new ideas for Randy's birthday meal(s), (see yesterday's post) I picked almost all of them from Giada's cookbook. Maybe it's because Randy's Italian? Remember that chicken tetrazzini dish I shared back in November? I had a story that went with it about how I saved the recipe especially for Randy because it stood out to me as something he would love, even though we weren't together at the time I found it. That was a Giada recipe, and so is this baked orzo, and they are very similar. In Giada's original recipe for the orzo, there is no meat. I added some shredded chicken to mine, but the dish is delicious either way. So here is dish #2 of Randy's birthday week of meals!
Baked Orzo (with chicken)
This makes a enough for a crowd. I made it for our small family of four and there was so much leftover that I had Randy take the whole thing to work the next day and put it out for everyone. When he went back at the end of the day to get the dish, the food was all gone. I've found a new way to help get rid of leftovers! :)
2 chicken breasts, cooked with salt and pepper, and shredded
1 lb orzo
4 cups chicken broth
2-3 TB butter
1 onion, diced
8 oz small white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup marsala wine
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz fontina cheese, shredded
4 oz mozzarella cheese, small cubed
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried thyme
Start by baking your chicken or however you like to do it before shredding it. I prefer chicken breasts with the skin and bone because they bake more flavorfully. I seasoned them with oil, salt, and pepper and baked them until cooked through. Then they cooled on a plate and I shredded them with my hands. On to the baked orzo...
Boil the 4 cups of chicken broth in a stockpot and add the orzo. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the orzo thoroughly cooked. Meanwhile, saute the onion and butter in a skillet over medium heat. After about 3 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the marsala wine and cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 7 minutes.
Transfer the shredded chicken, cooked orzo, and mushroom mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the peas, heavy cream, and cheeses. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and place in a baking dish (13 x 9 pan works, or a large round casserole dish).
In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and dried thyme. Sprinkle over the orzo. Bake in a 400* oven for about 20-25 minutes.
Serve! I sprinkled pecorino cheese over each portion.
I haven't shared any pictures of Abby and I doing school for a while. We took 2 weeks off for Christmas/New Year's and we're back at it this week with a new schedule. Since Noah is no longer taking morning naps, it threw a wrench in our morning school time. Now we do school in the afternoons with tea. Abby's nap usually isn't as long as Noah's, so it's a nice way to transition from napping into that awful late afternoon time period that every mother dreads. ;) At this stage in the home school process, I feel like forming a good schedule and sticking to it is 75% of the battle!
Although we do more "formal" school in the afternoon, we do lots of activities in the morning when we are home, and Noah can participate, too. We've been into patterns lately. Take a look...
Finished! She's at the silly face stage. I can almost never get a NICE smile out of this girl.
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