Lemony Orzo Salad

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I am a huge fan of making pasta salads during the summer. They are so easy to prepare in advance, and when I am serving a group of guests, I love just taking it out of the refrigerator and putting it on the table when we are ready to eat.

I love to use orzo for a nice light pasta salad - a little bit goes a long way and it can be combined with virtually everything! All amounts of the add-ins are approximate - add more or less of whatever you'd like! This particular salad has great flavors, with the lemony vinaigrette paired with fresh veggies and salty olives and feta cheese. Yum!

Lemony Orzo Salad

adapted from Cooking Light, found on Aggie's Kitchen

Makes 8+ servings

3/4 pound uncooked orzo

1 medium zucchini, diced.

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1 tablespoon minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil

6 tablespoons good quality olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1/3 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup pitted kalamata olived, sliced in half lengthwise

Cook the orzo according to package directions to al dente. Drain well and rinse with cool water.

Combine orzo, zucchini, and onion in a large bowl; toss well. In a small bowl, whisk together parsley and next 5 ingredients (through pepper).

Stir into orzo mixture; add tomato, cheese, and olives, tossing gently to coat. Refrigerate 4-24 hours.

Casual Grilling Menu and Happy 3rd Blogiversary to me!

Aaaaand we're back! I couldn't miss Cooking This and That's 3rd blogiversary so I figured today was a good day to return! Although there is a lot of this:

and this:

going on around here so I have even less time to cook than before! But I have a few saved recipes for you and I can't wait for the change in the weather so I can start cooking comfort food!

Today I have a casual menu for a lazy weekend visit from friends or family. Many of these dishes can be prepared in advance and the only real cooking you have to do is grill. So sit back, grab a drink, and enjoy these last days of summer!

Casual Grilling Menu

Appetizers

• Assorted cheeses, pepperoni, and crackers
• Olive dip with pretzels

Dinner

• Grilled BBQ chicken thighs and drumsticks
• Grilled sausage sandwiches with grilled onion chow chow
• Lemony orzo salad (recipe coming soon)
• Corn, tomato, and avocado salad
• Potato salad

Dessert

• Summer berry trifle
• Assorted cookie platter

Happy grilling!

Gone to the Beach

As you can see, we are on a little break here at Cooking This and That. Between multiple beach vacations, soaring temperatures here in the Northeast, and lots of baking for my side project; there is not a lot of cooking going on in my kitchen!

Just didn't want to leave you hanging! I will be back soon...Happy summer, everyone!

Mounds Bars

Mmmm, these dessert bars were so easy to make and so delicious. The hardest part was crushing the graham crackers! I did that by putting them in a large Ziploc bag and running my rolling pin over them until they reached the consistency I wanted.

The end result is a chocolate, coconut deliciousness on a buttery graham cracker crust. You really can't taste the peanut butter in the chocolate layer, so if you like the peanut butter flavor, I would definitely recommend adding more. Additionally, you can see my chocolate layer is pretty thin - I was actually worried there wouldn't be enough to cover the whole dish - so if you want a thick layer you may want to double the topping amounts.

Otherwise, I didn't change anything from the original so I will link you right to it on Priscilla Bakes!

Mounds Bars

Chicken Spinach Alfredo Ziti

This is a great dish for a casual dinner party because you can make it in advance and throw in the oven when needed; but it's also elegant enough to impress. My guests loved this - a creamy, cheesey pasta dish complete with chicken, spinach, and red peppers. This takes a little bit of time to prep, including cooking the chicken, but once it's done just keep in the fridge until about an half hour before you are ready to bake it. Take out so it comes to room temperature and bake according to the below directions. Served with a green salad and garlic bread, it's sure to be a hit!

Chicken Spinach Alfredo Ziti

slightly adapted from Small Parties: More than 100 Recipes for Intimate Gatherings

Makes about 8 servings

1 pound ziti, cooked to slightly underdone, drained

4 tablespoons butter

2 large shallots, diced

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste

1/3 cup flour

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

small jar roasted red peppers, sliced (about 6-7 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray.

Place the cooked ziti in a large mixing bowl or pot and set aside. Heat the butter in a large skillet on low heat and add the shallots. Saute for 3 minutes, then add the chicken pieces, salt, and red pepper flakes. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring to brown the chicken evenly on all sides. Stir in the flour and cook on low for another 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheese and milk and cook on medium heat until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add to the bowl with the pasta.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in another large skillet on medium heat. Saute the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the spinach, salt, and nutmeg. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until spinach is heated, then add the red peppers and cook a few minutes more. Add to bowl with pasta and chicken.

Pour pasta mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Summer Berry Crumbles

I apologize that this post has no pictures. I was so busy getting things on the table for our Thank You Dinner that I neglected to take any decent shots of the food I was serving. But trust me when I say it was a very pretty dish, both to prepare with the fresh berries, and to eat with the crumble and whipped cream on top.

This originally comes from one of my favorites, Ina Garten in Barefoot Contessa at Home. I adjusted a few of the ingredients, most notably taking out peaches and adding more berries; as well as the amounts of things like the crumble to account for the extra fruit. This resulted in a tart dessert with a buttery crust on top - perfect for summer! I would recommend baking this no more than 24 hours in advance, otherwise the crumble will get a little soggy. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream - yum!

Summer Berry Crumbles
adapted from Ina Garten
Makes about 8 servings

Berries
4 pints mixed berries, washed, dried and sliced if necessary (I used a 2 pints strawberries, and 1 pint each blueberries and blackberries)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of one lemon)
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Crumble
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray (with baking cooking spray) and 13 x 9 baking dish.

Combine all of the berry ingredients in a large bowl. Gently mix until blended and allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Transfer the berry mixture into prepared baking dish.

Combine all of the crumble ingredients in a medium bowl. Rub mixture with your fingertips until it is in big crumbles (so that the butter is evenly distributed and not in big chunks). Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Bake in oven for 45-50 minutes, until top is browned and juices are bubbling.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Thank You Dinner (Summer)

Chuck and I are having both sets of parents over this weekend to thank them for watching Abbie so much over the past few months. We have had a crazy amount of plans that required babysitting for a few hours all the way up to a whole weekend. And of course Abbie's grandparents love spending time with her, but we still wanted to let them know that WE appreciate them.


So I wanted the menu to be pretty special with a lot of fresh summer produce as well as short on prep time. A pretty tall order, but I think I have found a menu that reflects all of these things. It helps that a lot of it involves grilling, which happens 'day of' and is Chuck's department!


Thank You Dinner (Summer)


Appetizers

• Red pepper pesto dip with flatbread
• Deviled eggs (an oldie but goodie!)
• Grilled sweet & spicy sausage bites

Dinner

• Grilled Florentine steak
• Shrimp skewers with chili-lime marinade
• Grilled potatoes and tomatoes
• Corn and zucchini salad with honey-lime vinaigrette
• Herbed crescent rolls

Dessert

• Summer berry crumbles with fresh whipped cream
• White chocolate-chip brownies