Pesto Chicken Bake

     A trip to my Grandma's house this week revealed that garden season is almost officially over.  Gram has begun to rip up all of her plants and her garden is once again looking winter bare.  I asked her if it made her sad to tear her garden apart, given that it is so much work to create and it is all gone so quickly.  She didn't seem phased, after probably more than fifty years of this process she must be used to it.  I on the other hand was a little sad.  The end of her garden symbolizes the end of summer.  I also enjoy the happiness that the garden brings my Grandma.  She is so happy to work outside and share her garden's bounty with others.  Just this week she brought two pumpkins to us to decorate our front porch.  There is something about her garden that makes Gram seem more alive- a little extra sparkle in her eye.
     This recipe was something I spotted on skinnytaste.com and I used fresh basil, garlic, and tomatoes from the garden to pull off this fresh and simple dinner.

Pesto Chicken Bake

Ingredients
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
4 tsp pesto, see recipe below
1 medium tomatoes, sliced thin
2 tsp grated parmesan cheese

Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
1. Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towel.  Slice the chicken in half to create thinner pieces.  Season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Spread a teaspoon of pesto on each chicken cutlet.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken isn't pink in the center.
3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.  Top each cutlet with slices of tomatoes and parmesan cheese (you may also use mozzarella or combine both cheeses).  Bake for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Pesto
Ingredients
1 cup basil
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Method
1. Combine basil, garlic, cheese, salt and pepper in the food processor.  Pulse until smooth.
2. Slowly add the oil and continue pulsing.