Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta

This was a great one-dish meal; and perfect for a night on the couch watching basketball! If you are making it from scratch, it does take a few pots and pans, but if you have leftover chicken or vegetables, it is a snap to make. I halved all of the amounts below and it was just enough for Chuck and I to have a hearty portion plus leftovers. Get ready to enjoy a fantastic cheesy pasta dish!

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Pasta
from Katie of Good Things Catered
Makes 6 hearty servings

1 pound rigatoni
12 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
big splash of milk
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 broccoli crowns, cut into pieces
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used panko for more crunch)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray.

Wipe off chicken with a damp cloth, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper. Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through. Remove from pan and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add broccoli and cook until bright green, about 2-3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice water.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook rigatoni until al dente, about 8-9 minutes. Drain and place back into pot.

Add Velveeta, butter, and milk to rigatoni and cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until almost melted completely. Add 1 cup shredded cheese and stir to melt until completely smooth.

Remove from heat, add garlic powder, paprika, chicken, broccoli, and stir to combine. Transfer mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup shredded cheese and bread crumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Place under broiler for 3-4 minutes or until top is crispy and golden.

Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Orzo

This was a super simple, super delicious meal - I am so glad I made it! Cooking the shrimp and the sauce literally takes the same amount of time it takes the orzo to cook. I was tempted to add some heavy cream in at the end to make the dish a little richer, but I am glad I didn't, because this had a nice light, fresh flavor that I will be making again and again. I only used one can of tomatoes and the only other change I made was to leave out the onion, and that was just because I forgot to buy one! It was still great without it, but I will most likely add it back in the next time this makes my weekly rotation.

Shrimp, Tomato, and Basil Orzo

from Erica's Kitchen Adventures

Makes 3-4 servings

8 ounces orzo pasta

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and basil (or garlic and onion), undrained

20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped or 4 teaspoons dried

kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper, to taste

crushed red pepper, to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

Parmesan cheese, to taste

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes more.

Add the diced tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper, red pepper, and tomato paste. Reduce heat to medium and cover skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes until mixture is hot.

Add orzo and Parmesan cheese to skillet, mix thoroughly to combine.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

My parents have had a big bash to celebrate St. Patrick's Day for over 10 years now. It consists of 50 or more people enjoying good food, plentiful drinks, and friendly company at their house, with the dancing usually starting around midnight. :) It's always a fantastic time and I wouldn't miss it!

In recent years, my brother Brian has started the car bomb tradition, which consists of a shot glass half-filled with Jameson and half-filled with Bailey's Irish Creme dropped into a glass of Guinness. The trick is to drink it as fast as you can before the mixture curdles. Sounds like fun right? Well, there are usually about 10 or 12 people doing this at a time, at multiple points in the evening.

So when I saw this recipe, I decided it would be a neater, sweeter way to enjoy the elements of the car bomb. They consist of chocolate-based cupcakes made with Guinness:

then filled with chocolate ganache made with Jameson (or other Irish whiskey):

I was able to cut out the middles just using a paring knife and making a circle.

and finally iced with a buttercream icing rich with the taste of Bailey's:

These were certainly a hit - everyone loved them! I didn't make any adjustments from the original recipe so I am just going to link you to it here at Smitten Kitchen.

Next time I will most likely increase the amount of Jameson in the ganache to a tablespoon or two - many people reported that they couldn't even taste the Jameson in there at all. I also ended up having to make another half batch of icing - so start off make 1 1/2 times the recipe. Slainte!

And special thanks for Meg for icing!

Smoky Red Rice and Chorizo with Black Beans

OK, first things first - when getting the seeds out of a serrano chile, please try as hard as you can not to actually touch the seeds. When I was making this last night, I had the brilliant idea that it would just be so much easier to take the seeds out by hand rather than struggle with a knife. WRONG! For the remainder of the night, my fingers itched; and any time I touched my face, either my nose started running or my eyes started tearing. The best part was actually this morning, when I tried to put my contacts in and it felt like my eyes were on fire for about 15 minutes. But don't worry, it's all better now, and the meal was very tasty!

Alright, now the second thing - my lovely friend Katie taught me how to set the white balance on my camera so that my pictures don't come out as yellow. Unfortunately, that means fooling with the aperture (I have no clue what these words really mean, so please don't ask me to clarify ;), which I do NOT know much about yet; and so that led to out of focus pictures. But again, don't worry, I am working on how to fix that as we speak.

Is ANYthing clear in this pic?

And now to the food! This meal was fairly simple to throw together. I loved all the spicy flavors; and except for the chorizo, this dish is pretty healthy as well! The original recipe says it makes 4 servings, but it gave us two larger servings with a few leftovers (yeah, we eat a lot). If you don't like heat, leave out one of both of the serrano chiles. I had to add some sour cream to the finished product because it was borderline too spicy for me!

Spicy Red Rice with Chorizo and Black Beans

adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray

Makes 2 servings with leftovers

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup white rice
2 jarred roasted red peppers, drained
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, or about 3 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon paprika

olive oil
3/4- to 1-pound package Spanish chorizo, cut on an angle into 12 slices

2 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted (if you can find them, otherwise regular is fine) tomatoes, drained

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper

Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium pot. Add the rice, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Using a food processor or mini-chopper, puree the roasted red peppers. Stir the puree into the rice along with the parsley and paprika. Cover, turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook until crisp, turning, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove and place on paper towels to drain.

Add the chiles, onion and garlic to the same skillet and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and stir in the tomatoes, beans, and chorizo; season with salt and pepper and cook until heated through.

Spoon each serving of rice into a bowl and top with the bean mixture. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Spinach-Artichoke Bites and an Award!

I think it's pretty safe to say that Spinach-Artichoke dip is one of my all-time favorite snacks. So when I saw the recipe for that dip in bite-sized form, I saved it right away! Not to mention I already had some extra wonton wrappers just hanging out in my fridge.

These were very tasty, although I need to find a way to make the wontons a little crisper. I baked them as long as I could, but didn't want to burn them, so maybe brushing with an egg wash around the edges before baking? I will have to try it out and get back to you, but still, make these soon!

Spinach-Artichoke Bites

adapted from Daily Deliciousness

Makes 30 bites

30 wonton wrappers
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

4 ounces marinated artichokes, drained and chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup mayo
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

dash of salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.

Mix cream cheese, spinach, artichokes, shredded cheese, mayo, and seasonings in a medium sized bowl.

Line prepares mini-muffin pan with wonton wrappers, lightly pressing into place to form a cup. Using a small spoon, fill each cup with mixture almost to the top.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are browned and crisp and the filling is hot and melty.
Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

All ready to go into the oven!

I was very surprised to receive the Blogging with a Purpose Award from Nicole of Test Kitchen Recipes! Thank you, Nicole - keep up the good work on your blog!

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

I was actually looking for something to make on Ash Wednesday when I found this recipe (and yes, I am aware the gravy has chicken broth, I would have made it with vegetable broth). But then Ash Wednesday came and went with some other meal, and I still had all of the ingredients for this, so I ended up making it on a Monday, hoping I could pass it by Chuck without him realizing there was no meat in it. A few forkfuls into dinner, I made the announcement that it only had beans and rice and Chuck said he didn't even realize it was meatless! So that means success to me!

The chili gravy on these was a great flavor, not like any other sauce I have made before for enchiladas. The recipe below makes 2 cups, but you only need 1 1/2 cups. So I adjusted as I was cooking to only make what I needed. However, those measurements would have read something like "a little less than a 1/2 teaspoon of so-and-so", so I just wrote you the original. Additionally, beans, rice, and cheese combined to make a very tasty filling. There are about a million people (or four) to cite on this recipe so I am going to try my best here!

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

adapted from The Shannon's Kitchen, who modified it from Amber's Delectable Delights

Makes 6 enchiladas

1/2 cup chili gravy, recipe below

6 (10-inch) flour tortillas

2 cups brown rice cooked as directed

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup jalepeno peppers, finely chopped (can be from a can)

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or any combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup chili gravy, recipe below

1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, or other option

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread 1/2 cup chili gravy over the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix cooked rice, beans, jalapeno peppers, 1 cup cheese, and sour cream.

Lay each tortilla flat and fill with 1/2 cup of rice and bean mixture. (Microwaving the tortillas for 10-15 seconds helps with folding.) Fold top and bottom inward and fold the sides over. Lay seam side down in the prepared baking dish. (You may have some filling leftover.)

Repeat until all 6 tortillas are filled and top with 1 cup chili gravy and 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

Cover the dish with foil at bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 5 minutes. Serve with extra sour cream and salsa, if desired

Chili Gravy

from The Homesick Texan via Sweet, Savory, Southern

makes 2 cups

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred)

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

1 pinch red pepper flakes

2 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.

Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients. Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens.

Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. If desired, add water to adjust the thickness.

Chicken Cacciatore Ravioli Stew

This was a great little recipe that was fairly easy to make for my lunches this week. I love the idea of sauteeing the mushrooms in the rosemary and thyme to give the soup a richer flavor base. And this made a TON of soup, which gave me lots of leftovers to put in my freezer for another week!


I used less than the amount of chicken the recipe recommends, and there really wasn't enough. So I would suggest using the full pound of chicken, which I boiled and shredded into bite-sized pieces. This soup has so many delicious flavors, you could even leave out the ravioli if you were watching carbs (but I wouldn't)!

Chicken Cacciatore Ravioli Stew
slightly adapted from The Sisters' Cafe
Makes 6-8 servings


3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper
1 (15-ounce) can stewed tomatoes with peppers, onions and celery
2 roasted red peppers, drained and finely chopped
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
6 cups chicken broth
3/4 to 1 pound chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
14-ounce package bite-size cheese ravioli
shredded Parmesan cheese, for servings


Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over med-high heat. Add minced/pressed garlic and rosemary and thyme. Add the mushrooms, and stir occasionally, 3-5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper.


Add stewed tomatoes with their juices and roasted red peppers. Break the tomatoes up a little bit with your spoon. Add spinach, tomato sauce and chicken broth. Stir until the spinach is all broken up in the broth.


Add the shredded chicken and bring liquid to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook until al dente, 4-5 minutes or according to package instructions. Serve with Parmesan cheese and Italian bread if desired.