The first week back to the hustle and bustle of the school year has me longing for the ease of meals the past couple of months. Summer has seen a few trends in food – scrambled egg recipes, smoothies, watermelon, peach, and corn recipes. We have tried a few, and some are worth giving a second glance as quick meals for the school year’s start.

The Hulk Smoothie
Awhile back, Mom In Timeout posted this Green Peanut Butter Smoothie. We tried it and it has been S’more Mom approved as The Hulk Smoothie. I had to have some explanation for the green….I added in my normal extras of cinnamon and ground flaxseed to bulk up the nutrient content.

Chive and Herbed Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs
I believe scrambling eggs is an acquired culinary skill that does not need a recipe, but rather ideas of what to do with the eggs to dress them up a bit. Many Food Network personalities, bloggers, and magazines have featured scrambled eggs this summer. Here are some I found inspiring for my chive and herbed goat cheese version.
Ina’s Slow Cook Scrambled Eggs with Green Herbs
Bobby’s Vermont Cheddar and Herb Scrambled Eggs

Most of my herbs look a little sad by this point in the summer but after our rainy August, my chives are happy, happy, happy – so I thought they would be a great addition to my usual cheese laden scrambled eggs. Where there are herbs, goat cheese will soon come to mind. Sometimes goat cheese can have a little too much twang for me, but I recently tried a variety Sprouts had (and I forgot to snap a pic of). It has all the creamy goodness without the after bite. Just add in the chives and cheese just before plating. Throw carb caution to the wind and pile on a great artisan toast.

Pasta with Green Stuff

Gather:
1/2 # pasta (I like cellentani because they are pretty)
1/4 c finely grated parmesan cheese
1/2 bag frozen peas
2 large handfuls fresh spinach
2 strips uncured bacon
Fresh cracked pepper
1/4c shredded mozzarella

With kitchen shears, slice bacon into thin ribbons. Sauté in pan over medium heat. When bacon is crispy, remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Add spinach into pan and sauté until wilted. Remove to paper towel with bacon. In a separate pot, in rapidly boiling salted water, add pasta of choice. When the pasta is a couple of minutes from done, add the peas. Scoop out the pasta and peas, reserving the cooking water. Sprinkle hot pasta with 1/4 cup of cooking water, finely shredded parmesan cheese. Add in spinach and bacon. Toss. Season with freshly cracked pepper and mozzarella. Toss until blended. Use more pasta water until pasta is creamy. Trust me; it is NOT the same without the pasta water.

Roast Chicken

Gather:
1/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 fryer/roasting chicken
Salt & pepper

Chili oil, brown sugar & cracked pepper version
2T chili oil
2T brown sugar
Fresh cracked pepper, on coarse setting

Rosemary Thyme version:
2 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
1 long sprig fresh rosemary, minced
3 large cloves garlic, minced

Cover a baking sheet in foil (way less work cleaning up). Place bird on baking sheet and season outside and inside cavity of chicken liberally with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine seasonings for version you chose. Working between the skin and meat of the chicken, spread butter mixture all over bird. With a rubber scraper, slide seasoning under skin and work around to coat bird. Tie up chickens legs. Roast at 425 for an hour and a half.

The Rosemary Thyme version is the perfect base for this super simple Classic Pot Pie – just add another hint of fresh herbs when you make the sauce and you have a winner!

Pound Cake with Whatever!

Keep some homemade or store bought pound cake in the freezer. Thaw, slice, and grill it. Serve it with whipped cream, any dessert sauce, macerated berries…endless possibilities for a sweet ending on the fly.