rachelle

I am not responsible for this tragedy.

 

 

 

 

These used to be tomato plants.

 

 

 

 

It isn’t my fault!  I promise!

 

 

It got cold here!  And there was no sun.

 

 

So it didn’t come as a complete surprise to me when the tomato plants bit the dust.

 

 

 

 

Everything else (except sunflowers — see above — no sun) is doing great!

 

 

 

 

I have Romaine growing like crazy!

 

 

 

 

And butter greens!

 

 

 

 

I have already harvested these once!

 

 

It must be time to have salad again!

 

 

 

 

Carrots!

 

 

 

 

Beets!  Yeah man!  I can’t wait for these!

 

 

 

 

Cauliflower!

 

 

Or maybe those are Brussels?

 

 

Beets me.  hardee har har. Beets me.  Knee slap.

 

 

Welcome to Hee Haw.

 

 

Anyway, the garden is doing great.

 

 

Except for the tomatoes.

 

 

 

 

 

I think these are radishes.

 

 

I guess we will find out together.

 

 

Stay tuned for the next episode of the Winter Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t judge me because I made a Campbell’s Soup casserole.

 

 

 

 

But you can trust me.  It’s good!

 

 

This casserole actually comes with a funny story.  Yesterday was my friend Jen’s birthday.  Not to be confused with Jennifer.  Jen is an old friend that I met when she moved in next door to Chris and me about 15 years ago.  This recipe comes from her family.  And since it was her birthday, I was thinking of her.  And the famous (infamous?) Chicken Goop.

 

 

 

 

Jen has 2 sisters and a brother.  When they were kids their parents went out of town and left them with a nanny that was something less than Mary Poppins.

 

 

 

 

The description probably got more exaggerated over the years, but she was depicted as someone who had more in common with Curella deVil.

 

 

 

 

 

Granted, she had 4 kids under the age of 14 to take care of that were not her own.

 

 

 

 

Maybe those little monkeys were unruly.  Maybe not.  If you ask them, they were all angels.

 

 

 

 

So, Cruella was supposed to fix them dinner and Jen’s mom left some options in the fridge that she made ahead of time.

 

 

 

 

Cruella said they could have this, (no one can remember the other options), this, or “this chicken goop.”

 

 

 

 

They chose the chicken goop.

 

 

 

 

The name stuck.  No one really knows where the name or the recipe came from, but it was a family favorite they shared with us.

 

 

 

 

We had this divine concoction together many times and I have great memories of my friend and her family.

 

 

 

 

Until she deserted me and moved to Florida.

 

 

I have changed the recipe over the years.  It originally came with chunky chicken, cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup and orange cheddar.

 

I shred the chicken, and use white sharp cheddar and garlic cream of mushroom soup.

 

 

It’s a casserole.  You can’t mess it up.  Do what you want.

 

 

And Jen?  I miss you!

 

 

Thanks a bunch for leaving me.

 

 

Have fun with the alligators!

 

 

And Happy Birthday!

 

 Chicken Goop

 Ingredients: 

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt

Pepper

2 cans Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic

2 cups Hellman’s mayonaise (this is not an advertisement — I just prefer Hellman’s)

1 16 oz package of frozen broccoli florets

8 oz extra sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Generously salt and pepper chicken.  Bake until juices run clear (about 25 minutes).

Cook broccoli according to package directions.

When chicken is done, shred with a food processor, forks, or other kitchen device.  (I used a Pampered Chef Chopper, but I recommend the food processor).

Chop broccoli.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.  Layer broccoli on the bottom and then the next layer with the chicken.

Combine soup and mayonaise and spread on top of the chicken.  This is kind of like frosting a cake.

Top with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Note: I serve with rice, bread and a salad.

 

 

 

 

 

This cold weather makes me want to eat warm comfort food and sit on the couch with a blanket in front of the TV.  Today I decided that Chicken Pot Pie would be appropriate.  It’s cold, man!

 

However, I have never made a Chicken Pot Pie.  So, I just took the same approach that I take to something like a beef stew.   I used a similar process and it turned out great!

 

I picked up some chicken breasts at the Teeter and baked them in the oven.

 

 

 

 

Then I chopped up some carrots, onions, and garlic, heated up some olive oil and butter, and threw everyone into the pot.

 

 

 

 

I added some fresh Thyme and I can’t tell you how delicious it smelled!

 

 

 

 

When the chicken was done, I just sort of shredded it into big chunks with a couple of forks.  If you don’t feel like going through this process, you can totally use leftovers or pick up some rotisserie business from the Teeter.  Turkey would be good too — obviously.

 

 

 

 

I threw the chicken into the pot of veggies and tossed in some flour.  The flour is what will thicken your gravy.

 

 

You gotta have gravy in chicken pot pie, man.

 

 

 

 

I added some chicken stock and cooked it up for a bit so it would get thick and become an awesome sauce.

 

 

All that went into a deep dish pie pan.

 

 

I couldn’t be bothered to make a pie crust, so Pillsbury helped me out here.  You can do the same, but if you are feeling ambitious then make your own crust.  Be all you can be.

 

 

 

 

I let the chicken and vegetable stuff cool off a bit before I tossed on Mr. Pillsbury pie crust.  I was concerned the heat would jack it up and make it soggy or something.

 

 

I have no scientific or culinary basis for this concern.  Just call me paranoid.

 

 

You can see it is shiny.  I would recommend an egg wash here.  I, unfortunately, was completely out of eggs.  Yes, I realize that I was at the Teeter picking up everything else and could have purchased eggs.

 

 

I forgot.  So sue me.

 

 

I forgot that I was out of eggs because I had an egg debacle while trying to make deviled eggs and blocked it out.  I’ll have to fill you in on that later.

 

 

So, I was out of eggs.  I melted a tablespoon of butter instead and brushed it over the top.  It worked fine.

 

 

 

 

See?

 

 

You want to be sure that you cut a few spots in the crust with a knife to vent.  Just like you would with a regular pie.  I have never tried to bake a pie without venting the top crust, so I’m not sure what will happen if you don’t.  Does it get weird and soggy?  Or will it blow up and make a tragic mess in your oven?

 

 

You try it and let me know.  I’m so not going there.

 

 

I recommend you try some Chicken Pot Pie.

 

 

 

 

It was really good.  I think the fresh Thyme really sent it over the top.

 

 

 

 

Obviously we liked it.  I hope you do to!

 

 

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts

salt

pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

4 carrots diced

1 onion diced

2 garlic cloves minced

2 tablespoons fresh Thyme, divided

1/3 cup flour

2 cups chicken stock

1 prepared pie crust

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Generously salt and pepper chicken and put in a baking dish.  Bake until juices run clear (about 20 – 25 minutes).

Meanwhile dice carrots and onion and mince garlic.  Heat olive oil and butter in a dutch oven.  Add carrots and onion and cook about 3 minutes, then toss in the garlic and 1 tablespoon of tarragon.  Cook about another 5-6 minutes.

When chicken is done, shred it into big pieces.

Increase oven temperature to 375.

Add the chicken to the pot with the vegetables and sprinkle in the flour.  Stir the chicken and vegetable around for about 2 minutes.  It will turn a brownish color and coat the chicken and vegetables.

Add the chicken stock.  This can be adjusted to the thickness you prefer.  More will make it thinner and less with make it thicker.  Cook it in the pan for 5 minutes or so until you get the consistency you want.

Transfer the whole business to a deep dish pie pan or a round casserole dish.  Toss in the rest of your Thyme and a little salt and pepper.  Let it cool for about 10 minutes and top with the pie crust, pressing edges down.

Using a pastry brush, spread melted butter (or egg wash) over the top of the crust.

Using a sharp knife, slice about 6-8 vents into the crust.

Put the pie on a foil lined baking sheet.

Note:  I did this because I was concerned about bubbling over and creating an unholy mess in my oven.  It has happened before, but not this time.

Bake at 375 for 5- 55 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I greet you today not with words of wisdom or instructional advice.

 

 

Or anything remotely useful for that matter.

 

 

Not that I ever do.  But I don’t want you to get your expectations too high.

 

 

This is a cry for help.

 

 

Can someone please tell me what went wrong here?

 

 

 

 

Because something went terribly wrong.

 

 

And an intervention may be necessary.

 

 

In case you can’t tell.  These are supposed to be caramel apples.

 

 

Caramel apples expertly and beautifully decorated with all things fun.

 

 

 

 

Clearly something went awry.

 

 

I actually did some research on how to make caramel apples.  The problem is that I kept finding conflicting advice.

 

 

One place told me to make sure my apples were room temperature.  A different one said make sure they are cold.  I tried both ways.

 

 

I failed.  It went on like this.

 

 

I bought some beautiful Granny Smith and Fuji apples.

 

 

 

 

Except the first ones I got via online shopping at the grocery and they were all bruised.  So I had to go back out and I got these Honey Crisps.

 

 

 

 

And I washed them real good to remove the wax.  Why is there wax on my apples?  Then I dried them thoroughly.

 

 

 

 

I got a bunch of these guys.

 

 

 

 

I unwrapped 4 bags of them.

 

 

That’s 448.6 minutes of my life I will never get back.

 

 

 

 

I melted the 4 bags of the little guys.

 

 

 

 

Well, most of them anyway.  Some may or may have not found their way into my belly.

 

 

I plead the Fifth.

 

 

 

 

I got all my apples ready.

 

 

So far.  So good.

 

 

 

 

And started dipping them.  I did everything I was told.

 

I spun them.  Not too fast.  Not too slow.  Upside down.  Right side up.  Scrape the bottom.

 

 

 

 

Then rolled them in various sprinkles, nuts, candy, etc.

 

 

 

 

They look ok for the most part, right?

 

 

 

 

And here.  Still ok, but for that one pooling on the bottom back there.

 

 

 

 

Things start to go horribly wrong.  This was also after refrigerating for 2 hours.

 

 

 

 

Everything hit rock bottom.

 

 

And turned into one unholy mess.

 

 

 

 

That is one darn butt ugly caramel apple.

 

 

But I am going to try again.

 

 

 

 

I will not be defeated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dang!  It got cold in North Carolina.

 

 

 

 

So I made some beef stew.

 

 

I used a 4 pound chuck roast.

 

 

I used chuck because that’s what I usually use for my pot roast.

 

 

There is something available at the grocery called “stew meat.”

 

 

I have no idea what that is.

 

 

I don’t trust meat that doesn’t have a legit name.

 

 

I cut the roast into 1 1/2 inch cubes.

 

 

 

 

I use the term “cubes” loosely here.

 

 

Obviously.

 

 

The point is to make them the same size, if not the same shape.

 

 

Then I heated up some olive oil in a dutch oven and seared them in batches.

 

 

 

 

You want to get that caramelized brown appearance.

 

 

That’s where you get a lot of flavor.

 

 

Be sure to work in batches and don’t crowd the pan.

 

 

This is kind of pain and takes a while, but is totally worth it.

 

 

I made this on Saturday so we could have it for dinner on Sunday.

 

 

I had anticipated being cold and wanted some comfort food available.

 

 

BECAUSE OUR HEAT WAS BROKEN!!!

 

 

Sorry.

 

 

I got a little excited for a minute and didn’t meant to shout.

 

 

All is well now and we are warm.

 

 

Thank goodness!

 

 

Because there was frost this morning!  Blech.

 

 

Once all the meat was browned, I deglazed the pan with some red wine and then added tomato paste.

 

 

I don’t know what it is about tomato paste and red meat, but it works.

 

 

I added some garlic then threw the meat and juices back into the pot and tossed in 1/2 cup of flour.

 

 

I poured in the rest of the bottle of Pinot Noir, a couple of bay leaves, and about 3 cups of beef stock.

 

 

This is what was left of the Pinot after I deglazed the pan.

 

 

And maybe poured myself a glass?

 

 

I admit nothing.

 

 

I then threw on the lid and tossed the entire concoction into the oven for about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

 

 

I know that is a random amount of time.

 

 

I meant to only let it go for about 2 hours, but got distracted.

 

 

It happens.

 

 

A lot.

 

 

I added the vegetables and cooked them for about another hour.

 

 

I saw something somewhere about adding vegetables to stew for only as long as it takes to cook them so they don’t get weird.

 

 

Probably on the Food Network.

 

 

Ina?  Was that you?

 

 

Or Rachael?

 

 

Or Giada?

 

 

Bueller?

 

 

 

 

We had it with rice in these cute little bowls we found at the Costco.

 

 

 

 

And because more carbs are always better, we also had bread.

 

 

 

 

I had it for dinner last night too.

 

 

I was a little sloppy.

 

 

In case you hadn’t noticed.

 

 

I was hungry.

 

 

 

 

This stuff is better the longer it hangs out.

 

 

Up to a certain point.

 

 

Let’s be reasonable.

 

 

It would also be good if you left out the potatoes then served it over mashed potatoes.

 

 

Of course, I never met a potato I didn’t like.

 

 

Beef Stew

 Ingredients:

4 lb chuck roast

salt and pepper

4-5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 bottle of red wine, divided

1 6 ounce can of tomato paste

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup flour

3 cups of beef stock

2 bay leaves

7 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

6 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

2 onions, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks

1 teaspoon sage

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch cubes and generously salt and pepper.  Heat dutch oven on medium-high and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Sear meat on all sides in small batches, careful not to crowd the pan. You will need to add more olive oil between some of the batches.  When one batch is done, move meat to a bowl and continue until all the meat is a caramelized brown color.

Add about 1/2 cup of wine to the pan and scrape up all the brown bits at the bottom.  Stir in the can of tomato paste for about 1 minute.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

Add the meat and juices back into the pot with 1/2 cup of flour.  Stir this for 1-2 minutes making sure there are no lumps or clumps.  Add the rest of the wine, beef broth, sage and bay leaf.  Cover the pot and cook in the oven for 2-2 1/2 hours.

Peel and cut vegetables.  Add to pot, cover and cook for another hour or so.

It can be served right away with rice, bread, noodles or in a bread bowl.  You can also let it cool and stick it in the fridge for dinner the next day. Or both.  That’s what we did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you do the after you make New England Boiled Dinner?

 

 

 

 

You make Corned Beef Hash, of course!

 

 

Corned Beef Hash is one of my favorites!

 

 

And if you made New England Boiled Dinner, you probably have everything you need to make Corned Beef Hash.

 

 

Well, except for the eggs maybe.

 

 

There are no eggs in New England Boiled Dinner.

 

 

 

 

You are going to fry you up some potatoes.

 

 

Then add some onions.

 

 

 

 

Toss in your corned beef.

 

 

 

 

Then just crack some eggs right on top and finish in the oven.

 

 

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

 

 

 

 

See that guy in the back?

 

 

I broke it.

 

 

Oops!

 

 

It was totally fine.

 

 

You probably don’t want to add any salt because corned beef is pretty salty.

 

 

I cracked some pepper over the top though.

 

 

You could totally add some green peppers if you like them.

 

 

Notice there are none in mine.

 

 

That’s because I think green peppers are bitter and disgusting.

 

 

 

 

You could also throw in some Jalapenos too.

 

 

If you are into that.

 

 

I am not.

 

 

 

 

I think Jalapenos are also bitter and disgusting and HOT!

 

 

You could also put some Sriracha on there if you like spicy.

 

 

And you can substitute the corned beef for whatever other kind of meat you want.

 

 

The point is…

 

 

Do what you want and make it your own.

 

 

It will be delicious.

 

 

I promise.

 

 

Corned Beef Hash

 

Ingredients:

5-6 russet potatoes, peeled and diced to about 1/2 inch pieces

3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, peeled and diced

1/4 – 1/3 lb of corned beef

9 eggs — you can use as many or as few as you want

Pepper

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Heat a cast iron or oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and fry the potatoes for about 10 minutes.  You will want to keep them moving or they will stick.  When the potatoes are almost tender when you stab with a fork, add the onions and cook for about another 5-7 minutes.  Add corned beef and stir around for 3-4 minutes.  Crack eggs over top anywhere you want and sprinkle some pepper over the eggs.  Put the whole skillet in the oven and cook until the eggs are the consistency you like.  I cooked mine for 13 minutes and they came out a little runnier than over-medium.

 

 

I guess technically this is the third update because I posted the Winter Garden Harvest Salad.

 

 

 

 

I have all kinds of goodies growing in here!

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I added some romaine since the last update.

 

 

 

 

I saw it at Lowes and had to have it.

 

 

 

 

Reed!  What are you doing in here?

 

 

 

 

Those are tomatoes in the blue pots.

 

 

 

 

Don’t you just love these pots?

 

 

 

 

They’re so bright and colorful!

 

 

 

 

These pots aren’t that exciting.

 

 

But look how big my Brussels are getting!

 

 

 

 

And the Butter lettuce!

 

 

 

 

Those are the two plants I harvested the lettuce from for the Winter Garden Harvest Salad and they are already growing back!

 

 

 

 

Carrots.

 

 

 

 

Lots of beets!

 

 

Again — good thing I want to marry them!

 

 

 

 

Cauliflower.

 

 

As you can see, I have had to transplant a bunch of them!

 

 

Are you bored yet?

 

 

The point is….

 

 

I haven’t killed anything yet.

 

 

 

 

Woo-hoo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris was in the mood.

 

 

 

 

Get your minds out of the gutter.

 

 

He was in the mood for New England Boiled Dinner.

 

 

That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

 

 

Any-hoo —

 

 

Ya’ll, this dish is so easy.

 

 

Except for all of the peeling of vegetables.

 

 

That’s kind of a pain.

 

 

But what is better than a one pot dish?

 

 

And this is the epitome of comfort food.

 

 

Seriously.

 

 

Especially on a FREEZING cold November day.

 

 

Three days ago is was 80 degrees!

 

 

Welcome to North Carolina.

 

 

It was 40 degrees today.

 

 

Cold, windy, and rainy.

 

 

Grody.

 

 

So I made New England Boiled Dinner.

 

 

You want to start with meat that is already corned beef.

 

 

 

 

Otherwise you will have to buy a brisket and brine it for about 10 days.

 

 

Ain’t nobody got time for that!

 

 

Except maybe Alton Brown.

 

 

But not me.

 

 

And, like I said, Chris was in the mood today.

 

 

For New England Boiled Dinner, sillies.

 

 

So you basically throw the corned beef in a big pot, cover with water, add some peppercorns, bay leaves and cloves and boil it for 3 hours.

 

 

 

 

 

Then you add your vegetables and boil it for another half hour or so.

 

 

That’s it.

 

 

So easy.

 

 

 

New England Boiled Dinner

Adapted from Yankee Magazine

Ingredients:

4 lbs. corned beef

6 carrots, peeled and cut into about 1 1/2 inch pieces

5 potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1 1/2 inch pieces

2 turnips, peeled and cut into about 1 1/2 inch pieces

2 onions, peeled and cut into about 1 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 head of cabbage, cut into wedges — about 1/2 in thick

2 bay leaves

10 whole cloves

15 peppercorns

 

Instructions:

Put corned beef into a large stock pot and cover with water at least 6 inches above meat.  Heat on high and before it boils there will be some weird foamy stuff that rises to the top — skim that off.  Bring to a boil, add bay leaves, cloves and peppercorns.  Boil for 3 hours.  Add carrots, potatoes, turnips, onions, and cabbage and boil until vegetables are done — about 20 – 30 minutes.

 

I know it is almost Halloween.

 

 

 

 

But it is still hot here in the south.

 

 

It was 80 degrees today!

 

 

And we went for a bike ride.

 

 

So we were hot AND sweaty.

 

 

I didn’t feel like eating anything heavy or hot.

 

 

 

 

We had some smoked turkey from the meat fest.

 

 

And a bunch of romaine.

 

 

And some other stuff to make a salad.

 

 

There are cranberries, apples and turkey on this salad!  It’s fall-ish, right?  Like Thanksgiving-y.

 

 

It’s a fall salad for hot places!

 

 

And for after a bike ride.

 

 

When you are hot and sweaty and hungry.

 

 

It was delicious.

 

 

You will be glad to know that I didn’t fall off my bike and break my neck.

 

 

So if you live someplace where the weather is still hot, make you this salad.

 

 

If you happen to be reading this from Siberia, you might be more in the mood for pot roast.

 

 

 

 

Smoked Turkey and Apple Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

1 large head of romaine cut up into bite size pieces

1/4 lb of turkey (I used smoked because it is what I had, but you can use any kind)

1 Granny Smith Apple

1/4 cup of dried cranberries

1/4 cup blue cheese

 

For the Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup pear infused white balsamic vinegar (again, for some reason I had this in my pantry, but you can use white balsamic or champagne vinegar instead)

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon Dijon

2 garlic cloves (i used a garlic press, but you could grate it)

Combine all ingredients in a Mason Jar and shake until combined (you can also use a blender, but I like the jar because I can store any unused dressing in it and I am lazy, so I don’t want to get out and clean the blender)

 

Instructions:

Throw lettuce in a large bowl and put the rest of the ingredients on top.   Add dressing.

Just in case you couldn’t figure that part out.

 

Well, that’s what Chris calls it.

 

 

 

 

I know.

 

 

I guess that explains it.

 

 

It kind of looks like road kill.

 

 

But it is delicious!

 

 

We had something similar to this a long, long time ago.

 

 

I can still remember how the music used to make me smile.

 

 

Oops.  I didn’t mean to get distracted.

 

 

We had South Beach Chicken at at restaurant/microbrewery called Hops.

 

 

They are no longer open here.  I don’t know if they have any locations left open, but this chicken was awesome.

 

 

I’m sorry, Hops.  I miss you.

 

 

And you had good beer.

 

 

Vaya Con Dios.

 

 

Any-hoo,

 

 

I really loved this chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is topped with goat cheese and a tomato and roasted corn salad.

 

 

BTW — do you love the chip in my bowl?

 

 

It’s kind of like the one on my shoulder.

 

 

But the real star of the show…

 

 

 

 

HOLLY!  What are you doing here?

 

 

The real star of the show is the vinaigrette that goes on the corn and tomato business.

 

 

Holly agrees.

 

 

Road Kill Chicken

Or you can call it South Beach Chicken if it makes it more appealing.

Inspired by Hops — no longer in business but  here is an old press release I found on the interwebs.

 

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked (you can do this however you want, grilled, baked, pan seared, etc.)

4 oz goat cheese

1 tomato, seeded and diced

1 ear of corn, cooked (again, do however you like, grilled, boiled, roasted or canned if that blows up your dress)

1/4 – 1/3 cup of vinaigrette, recipe to follow or use what you want

 

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon tarragon

1 tablespoon Dijon

1 tablespoon honey

1 clove garlic, grated

1 tablespoon shallot

 

Combine all ingredients in a Mason jar and shake the sh… bejeesis out of it.  What did you think I was going to say?

 

For the chicken:

About 5 – 7 minutes before the chicken is done top with goat cheese and finish cooking.  All you are really doing here is melting cheese and making sure the juices of the chicken run clear.

While cheese is melting and chicken is finishing combine corn and tomato.  Toss in a few tablespoons of vinaigrette — your choice how much.

Add the corn-tomato-vinaigrette business to the top of the goat cheese.

Trust me.  It may look like road kill, but it is good.