Rigatoni with Salmon, Broccoli, and Sundried Tomatoes

Ok, so this is not the most concise name of a recipe - but it certainly lets you know what to expect! We have been trying to eat a little healthier (during the week at least!) around the house lately, so when Chuck requested fish and/or pasta for dinner, I went scouring my recipe files for something that included both.

I couldn't find anything that really stood out to me that didn't involve a heavy, creamy sauce; so I just decided to combine some of our favorite ingredients with an easy white wine sauce. We were pretty happy with the results - although I do recommend adding all of my "optional" garnishes because they really do add more flavor. If you don't like broccoli, you could easily swap it out for another green veggie like asparagus!

Rigatoni with Salmon, Broccoli, and Sundried Tomatoes
from Colleen's Kitchen
Makes 3-4 servings

3/4 pound salmon filet
1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper
1/2 pound rigatoni
3 cups broccoli heads, chopped into bite-sized pieces (about 2 broccoli crowns)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
Parmesan cheese to garnish
red pepper flakes, optional

Heat oven to broil, adjust oven rack to about 6 inches from flame. Place a wire baking rack on a baking sheet covered in foil. Spray rack with cooking spray and place salmon filet on rack. Drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper over filet, rub into fish.

Broil until fish flakes easily with a fork and is cooked through. (Allow for 4-6 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness. My filet was about 2 inches thick and it took about 16 minutes.) Remove from oven and chop into bite-sized pieces once it's cool enough to handle. Set aside.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Cook rigatoni to al dente, about 9 minutes, remove from saucepan with slotted spoon, reserving water. Set pasta aside.

Bring water back to a boil and add broccoli, cooking until bright green, about 2-3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice water.

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sundried tomatoes, cook 1 minute more.

Add wine to saute pan, cook until almost absorbed, 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, and simmer until reduced by almost half, about 5 minutes.

Add broccoli and salmon to saute pan, then add reserved pasta. Toss mixture together until everything is coated and heat through.

Serve with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Dinner, Drinks, and Games with Good Friends

Isn't it nice to invite a group of friends over that you know, without a doubt, you will have a night full of laughs and fun times? Well, this weekend we will have a group of eight, including us, to play all sorts of games and just hang out. This will take place in our basement, or as Chuck likes to call it, the "man cave". It is quite fun, and has basically anything you could want for a good party - a stocked bar, a kegerator, wine fridge, Rock Band, darts, and other assorted games.

Each of my guests is also bringing an appetizer, which is why my app department on this menu is a little sparse. As always, check back for recipes and the rest of the menu!

Dinner, Drinks, and Games with Good Friends

Appetizers

• Artisan cheese plate with marinated olives and assorted crackers.
• Mini-crab cakes with remoulade sauce
• Blue-cheese stuffed mushrooms

Dinner

• Roast Chicken with Pancetta and Olives
• Mustard-Roasted Potatoes
• Sauteed Green Beans with Diced Tomatoes
• Herb Foccacia

Dessert

• Chocolatey Raspberry Crumb Bars
• Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

I just can't seem to get it together since the flurry of cooking and baking over the holidays. We have been so busy (with lots of fun stuff!) that when I have a free night, I use my time to get to the gym and go food shopping. Not to mention we are getting our bathroom redone so I couldn't keep my house clean right now even if I tried.

So when I was looking for something to make this week, this dish came to mind. I have made it several times before, but we have never eaten it! I always make it to bring to friends who have just had babies, since it is so easy to put together, travels well, and reheats well.

In order to make this for just Chuck and myself, I adjusted almost all of the original ingredients so that we didn't have tons of leftovers. My version can serve four if you have tiny eaters, but if you have 4 adults eating, I would make a little more just to be safe! It is a simple dish with simple ingredients - Chuck and I really enjoyed it!

*Note* When I make this to bring to someone else, I like to cook the chicken first. Something weirds me out about handing someone a casserole dish with raw chicken. That way you don't have to bake it at all before you give it to them - make sure to give them the baking instructions though!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

adapted from kraftfoods.com

Makes 3-4 servings

1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves.

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

chicken broth, as needed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 11 x 7 baking dish with cooking spray.

Empty tomatoes into medium bowl. Add stuffing mix and garlic; stir until just moistened.

Place chicken into prepared baking dish. Cover with basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.

Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Check after about 20 minutes and if it's getting too dry, pour a few spoonfuls of chicken broth over it.

Sad, sad camera pics :(

Panko-Crusted Fish Sticks with Herb Dipping Sauce

I have to admit that I actually really like the frozen fish sticks that you buy in the frozen section. Yes, yes, I KNOW they are bad for you but, like boxed macaroni and cheese (which, incidentally is the best side dish for them) sometimes you just gotta have 'em. But, regardless of if you like them or not, these little fish sticks are way more sophisticated. They are made with tilapia and crusted with panko and Old Bay, and have a much fresher, healthier taste to them.

The herb dipping sauce it optional - last night I had some cocktail sauce in my fridge, so I just mixed that with a little mayo and we were set. I do enjoy the mayo-Dijon mustard combination, so give it a try if you have all the ingredients. I served this with rosemary and thyme roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus.

*Blog Note* As you can see, my camera is in it's dying days. I am hoping it holds on until we can acquire another one so cross your fingers and I apologize for the less-than-stellar pics!

Panko-Crusted Fish Sticks with Herb Dipping Sauce
from Everyday Food
Makes about 3 servings

1 large egg
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cups panko
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound tilapia fillets

Sauce:
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
2 teaspoons prepared white horseradish

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F, with racks in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil.

Cut tilapia filets in half lengthwise, and then again the other direction. You now have 4 sticks per filet.

Crack egg into shallow bowl, lightly beat with fork. Season with salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine panko, Old Bay, and olive oil.

Dip each tilapia stick into egg, shaking off the excess; then into panko mixture, pressing mixture so that it sticks.

Place on prepared baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, until panko is lightly browned and fish is cooked through.

Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and serve alongside fish sticks.

Corn Muffins

I am always searching for a good, simple corn muffin recipe, so I decided to give this one a try from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I changed out the milk for some buttermilk since, as always, I had some leftover in my freezer (seriously, when are they going to start selling that stuff in smaller quanities?).

These muffins were good for the purpose I intended: to serve with chili; but I don't think they were moist enough to eat on their own. I would have preferred a little bit looser crumb. Still, they are easy enough to make, and the original recipe gives several variations so go check it out!

I made just six muffins for us, so all the ingredients are easily halved. Just remember though, if you are baking them in a 12-cup muffin tin, to add a little bit of water to the empty tins before baking!

Corn Muffins
from Better Homes and Gardens
Makes 12 muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk (or buttermilk)
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400F. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened.

Spoon the batter into 12 greased 2-1/2-inch muffin cups, filling cups two-thirds full. Bake in the preheated oven about 15 minutes or until light brown and a wooden toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.

Cupcake Pops

Aaaaand we're back! I feel like I have been away for so long! With all the cooking I did BEFORE Christmas, I certainly haven't done much since! Chuck and I figured out last night that we haven't eaten dinner at home since December 23rd!

So that's why I am back not with something for dinner, but with a dessert! And a very cute one, as a matter of fact. But just a warning now, these are not quite so quick and easy as so many other things I post. But I digress...

My goddaughter's first birthday party is this weekend and when I found out from her mom (my cousin, Katie) that the theme was cupcakes, I immediately thought of these! They have been around the food blogging world for awhile, even making it onto the Martha Stewart show, and I thought they would be perfect to give out as favors.

My sister, Meg, is way more experienced in all things candy melts and fancy things like that than I am (not to mention having a LOT more patience) so I asked her to help me with these. We spent most of the afternoon on Sunday scratching our heads and wondering how we were going to make these look good, but in the end I think we did a pretty good job!

One that helped us immensely comes from Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats, where Jaime suggests skewering the little guys before the first dip in chocolate. Just make sure to give yourself a lot of time and room for error with these and you will be pleased with the results! I suggest heading over to Bakerella's blog for more step-by-step pics and tips.

Cupcake Pops
from Bakerella
Makes about 50 pops

1 13X9 baked cake (from a box cake mix or from scratch … any flavor)
1 can cream cheese frosting (or about 2 cups equivalent from scratch)
1 flower shaped cookie cutter (1.25" wide X .75" tall)
1 package chocolate bark (I used dark cocoa candy melts)
1 package pink candy melts or white chocolate bark
bowls for dipping
wax paper
aluminum foil
lollipop sticks
sprinkles, m&ms or something similar for top of cupcake
small plastic treat bags and ribbon to package the Cupcake Pops
styrofoam block

Bake a cake from a mix or from scratch and cool completely.

Crumble cake into a fine consistency into a large bowl.TIP: If the texture is too coarse, you can run it through a food processor.

Add can of cream cheese frosting and blend together using the back of a large spoon. Blend thoroughly.

Roll mixture into 1.25" - 1.5" size balls and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet. You may want to periodically rinse and dry your hands off in between.

Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for several hours. TIP: You can speed this up by placing in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Remove. Begin to shape into cupcakes using a small flower-shaped cookie cutter. Take the chilled ball and roll it into more of an oval and then slide into cookie cutter. Push it into cutter until about half fills the cutter and the rest sticks out of the top in the shape of a mound. Then push the shaped cupcake carefully out of the cookie cutter from the bottom. Set right side up on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Continue with remaining balls.

The ones on the left are already formed, and the ones on the right are waiting to be molded.

Once shaped, cover and return to freezer. (5-10 minutes)TIP: You can leave them covered in the refrigerator overnight if you want to do the dipping on the following day.

While cupcake shapes are chilling, begin to heat up your chocolate bark. Brown chocolate bark for the bottoms. Pink or white chocolate for the tops.

Follow the instructions on the package for melting. Most recommend heating for 30 second intervals at a time and stirring in between. You can also do the double boiler method.

When you are ready to dip, remove from freezer and set up another wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Take the cupcake shaped mixture and dip bottoms into the melted chocolate - just to the point where the mounded shape starts. (You can skewer the tops of the cupcakes here for easier dipping.)

Remove from chocolate, turn upside down and wiggle so that the excess starts to slide down slightly. Then lay on the wax paper upside down. If you want them to be lollipops, then go ahead and insert the lollipop sticks while the chocolate is still wet. Continue with rest of the cupcakes. TIP: Dip end of your lollipop stick in the melted chocolate before inserting into chocolate bottoms. Not sure if this helps a lot, but it couldn't hurt.

DON'T - get water in the chocolate. Make sure your hands are completely dry. Water will cause the chocolate to separate and mess up all your hard work.

Dry completely. (15-20 minutes) Once dry, dip the tops of the cupcakes in the pink or white chocolate. You may need to move it around a little to cover all the exposed areas.

TIP: Let the pink chocolate sit for a few minutes after heating to thicken. This will help it from dripping down the sides of the cupcake.

Remove from the pink/white chocolate and turn right side up. You may need to hold and rotate it if there is any excess so that it doesn’t drip down too far.TIP: You can use a toothpick to help cover any areas the melted chocolate didn't cover.

Continue holding and place an m&m on the top and add sprinkles while wet. Let them dry in a styrofoam block that you have already poked holes into.

When completely dry, cover the lollipops with small plastic treat bags and tie with a ribbon.

Happy 1st Birthday, Carlyn!

Better Than S*x Cake

This cake was popular on the cooking board I post on so I tried it last year and I am SO glad I did. Everyone I have made it for since has LOVED it, and it's so easy to make! I made it this time to bring to my cousin's house for New Year's Eve. It's a perfect casual dessert!

I highly suggest that you make this abour 24 hours in advance. That will give the caramel mixture time to soak into the chocolate cake. Yum!

Better Than S*x Cake
from Now That's What's Cooking
Makes about 8 large servings

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 (12 ounce) bag chocolate chips
1 (16 ounce) jar caramel sauce
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tub Cool Whip
1 (8 ounce) bar cream cheese
1/2 bag heath bar bits

Preheat oven as directed on cake box.

Prepare cake mix as directed on box Add half the bag of chocolate chips, pour in cake pan and top with remaining chocolate chips. Bake as directed on the box.

Meanwhile, mix the caramel and the condensed milk together in a bowl. When the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes in the cake with a straw and then pour the caramel mix over the top and let sit until cool.

In medium bowl, beat Cool Whip and cream cheese until combined. Top cooled cake with Cool Whip mixture and the candy pieces.

Keep chilled before serving.