Slow Roasted Tomatoes

My mother-in-law, Liz, comes out a couple times a year and turns our kitchen into *heaven*. I totally get spoiled with all the fantastic and healthy things she does. When she leaves, I go into withdrawals trying to copy what she's made and usually fail at it. Slow roasted tomatoes are one of those things I could never get quite right. You'd think it was simple.. but you're reading a blog of a girl who has mastered the art of burning water.

This is the recipe that I make - it's really yummy and almost Liz-quality!

Small Roma tomatoes
Whole unpeeled cloves of garlic
Thyme
Rosemary
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.

Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and place them and the garlic cloves on a parchment-covered baking sheet.

Lightly baste the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle a small amount of herbs on them.

Depending on how small/large the tomatoes are, bake them for 3-4 hours, keeping an eye on them toward the last hour. You want to make sure they're shriveled on the outside but still a little moist on the inside.

You can freeze them for winter, but they don't last that long in my house. I love them as snacks by themselves or with a little fresh mozzerella, basil and pimentos as a modified Caprese salad.

Seared Chicken & Garlic Sauce

We love garlic in our house, there is no such thing as too much. Okay, maybe there is such a thing, but not with this recipe! The hubby actually goes back for thirds on this one.

1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into four 4-ounce pieces
1 teaspoon olive oil
12 garlic cloves, cleaned and halved
1 cup chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Combine the first five ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the herb mixture into both sides of the chicken pieces.
3. Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook two minutes on each side. Add the garlic and 3/4 cup of the broth. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until chicken is done and the garlic cloves are soft.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the chicken to a platter; keep warm. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the pan and mash the garlic with a fork. Cook garlic mixture over medium heat for two minutes or until heated through; stir. Serve the garlic sauce over the chicken.