Recipe and My First Giveaway

When I was little, it was a big deal to go to Wal-Mart.  Now that all of them are "super centers", I really can't stand going in one!  They are always so crowded and rather than being a "one stop" convienence, for me it is overwhelming and gives me a headache.  I still go in Wal-Mart for some things, but I no longer do my main shopping there.  I have found that with making a really organized grocery/household item list, taking advantage of BOGO deals, and using coupons, I save more money in the long run shopping at Target, Publix and WinnDixie.

My husband told me the other day that I needed to come up with another way to get my grocery list made so that it doesn't take two hours out of my day to make one.  If that stinker only knew how much money I was saving his sweet self...

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Publix and they had Barilla pasta as part of their BOGO specials.  I had never really noticed Ditalini pasta before, but when I saw it on this occasion, I thought it was just the cutest thing!

Ditalini pasta is a small tubular shaped pasta.  I had no idea what to do with it, but I went ahead and got it along with my box of Lasagna noodles.

When taking inventory of the pantry on a grocery list project a few weeks later, I came up with a recipe to try using the Ditalini.  I cooked this for our supper last night and the family liked it so I thought I'd share it here.

Ditalini with Pan Seared Chicken

1 lb. Ditalini Pasta

2 14.5 oz. cans Hunt's Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic

4 tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 lb. Chicken Cutlets

Grated Ramano Parmasen Cheese

Seasonings:  Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, pepper, salt

I used Chicken cutlets (really thin cut chicken breasts) because they were on sale at Publix, but you could just use boneless/skinless chicken breasts just as well.

Coat the bottom of a non-stick skillet with the olive oil.  Dust both sides of the chicken with the seasonings.  Let the pan get a little hot and place the chicken in the hot pan.  Do not move the chicken around, but let it sear well on one side and then flip over.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to box directions.  When it is done, drain well.  Then mix pasta and diced tomatoes (undrained).  Drizzle a little olive oil in this mixture and stir gently so as not to brake apart the pasta.

Cut chicken into bite size strips and mix with the pasta mixture.  When served on individual plates, sprinkle with a little of the grated cheese.

*I served my family this dish with bite sized Eggplant Parmasen, which can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store.  The ones I had came from BJ's Wholesale.

  

GIVEAWAY INFO:
On Monday the 15th, I will be posting a review of a new series of videos by Phil Visher.  You may know him as the creator of VeggieTales.  He has a new series called "What's in the Bible?"  I was given the opportunity by Tyndale Publishing to not only review this product, but I have been given a copy of the first two videos in this series to give away to you!  So, come back on Monday for a chance to win these copies.

Blessings,
Jennifer