Lori’s Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo

I’m a pretty decent cook. But not a spontaneous one. My modus operandi is to find a tasty recipe, make a shopping list, then cook or bake along with the instructions and sometimes a few additions/subtractions of my own. I’m building a small repertoire of dishes I can make up without guidance, but I’ve yet to become a completely innovative gal when it comes to meals.

So you can understand my pride when it comes to the meal I served up tonight. I created it a few months ago when I had no desire to go to the grocery store. I scoured the cupboard and came up with some of my favorites — kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, diced tomatoes and feta cheese — and combined them with chicken we already had. I had some orzo, too, which I’ve come to love as a side dish. I just stirred in some golden raisins and pine nuts to add some pizzazz.

Today I turned the mixed greens I nabbed at this morning’s famers’ market into a simple salad. The final touch was the remaining portion of the delicious wheat bread we picked up at G.B. Russo yesterday. I mixed olive oil with some Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic to top it off. And then I took a picture, of course.