School House Rockin’
In our household, a week from today marks the start of school. I gotta say I’m looking forward to it. It will be nice to get back to the routine. Well, at least it will be nice for me and it is, after all, all about me. (HA!)

Back to school gets me thinking differently about my grocery shopping. I’m focused on lunches instead of what’s going on the grill tonight. And dinners need to be quick, to make time for homework and soccer season.

The good news? There are so many places to find interesting, quick dinner ideas. Food Network has a 30 Minute meal section, Epicurious has their Quick and Easy section. And there are more and more recipe sites popping up all over. Now I wish I had an iPad so I wouldn’t need to print every recipe I find (and it would keep my laptop cleaner…nothing worse than Marinara on your keyboard.)

I have developed my Back to School Lineup to reduce the frenzy for the first couple of weeks of school. After that it will be anarchy and maybe (gasp) chicken nuggets. Here’s one of my more promising recipes, and it’s a great way to use up tomatoes from your garden. 

Chicken with Herb-Roasted Tomatoes and Pan Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appétit
Yields 4 servings

Roasting tomatoes intensifies their flavor and coaxes out their sweetness.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes or other small tomatoes on the vine
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Make the Tomatoes
Place the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons oil, and herbes de Provence in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper; stir to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet until the oil shimmers. Gently add the tomatoes to pan (Be careful! The oil may spatter.).

Transfer the skillet to your oven and roast, turning once, until tomatoes burst and give up some of their juices. This should take about 15 minutes. Transfer everything to a medium bowl, and drizzle with Worcestershire sauce.

Make the Chicken
While the tomatoes are roasting, rub the chicken all over with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken on both sides until golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and roast chicken until cooked through, 8–10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet; heat over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze pan with vinegar, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan; add tomatoes and their juices and simmer until sauce is just beginning to thicken, about 1 minute. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice chicken; divide among plates. Spoon tomatoes and sauce over; garnish with herbs.