Pasta all'Amatriciana

Let me just begin by giving full credit for this recipe and the photo to one of my favorite bloggers, Victoria of vmac and cheese. She had blogged about this pasta months ago and when I came across it, I quickly bookmarked it to make later. When some of my sweetest friends decided to get together for dinner, I pulled this recipe out because I knew it would be easy, yet completely satisfying. There is something to be said about making a big pot of pasta for friends. 

Like I mentioned, this pasta was so easy and required very few ingredients. To accompany dinner, I threw together a big salad with blackberries and candied walnuts (a simpler version of this) and we finished everything off with angel food cake topped with strawberries. Angel food cake (which I totally bought at the store) is a completely underrated dessert and it's basically air so we all went back for seconds. Besides, I have always said that if there is fruit involved then you are practically losing weight. 

I'm gonna go lose some weight with some apple pie and strawberry ice cream.

Weekend Update

I know that many probably spent this holiday weekend out celebrating and consuming St. Patrick's themed drinks, but I spent the whole weekend relaxing with friends and family and I couldn't have been happier about it. 

I absolutely love cooking and baking, working on new dishes in the kitchen, especially when I am cooking for people that I love. But as much as I enjoy cooking, I really love when others cook for me, like my little sister did on Friday night. I came home to my parent's house to see the table set and food smelling delicious on the stove. My sister made a fabulous "green" pasta dish with asparagus, snap peas, and spinach and the very best cupcakes. It was so nice to be able to sit down and enjoy a long dinner of great food and chatting. 

 This after-dinner treat was absolutely amazing. My sister is the queen of cupcakes and I can always expect greatness when I see her filling the cupcake tins. Maybe if we all get lucky she will share a cupcake recipe with us soon!

This pasta, topped with avocado, was a perfect pre St. Patrick's day feast.

Even though I had to work on Saturday, I still wanted to do something to celebrate the holiday and the burst of warm weather. Since I was at my parent's house I knew I wanted to take advantage of all their kitchen goodies, so I pulled out the ice cream maker to whip up a batch of my favorite food. I used an easy homemade ice cream recipe from my favorite blogger to make an ice cream that was quite appropriate for St. Patrick's Day. 

I spent the rest of the weekend catching up on some reading and relaxing. Of course I painted my nails green to avoid being pinched on Sunday!

Hoping your weekend was perfect too!

Recipes for Every Occasion

I feel like I have been pretty busy recently (too busy to blog sometimes), yet I have had lots of opportunities to cook and bake some wonderful things. 

It started on Super Bowl Sunday when I went home to my parent's house. I love their kitchen and I can never pass up the chance to make something in it. For a pre-game snack and after-dinner dessert,  I made a salted butterscotch and pecan oatmeal cookie from Midwest Living Magazine. I had wanted to follow the original recipe and use caramel but couldn't find the caramel baking bits at the grocery store- I was so anxious to start baking that I didn't even try looking around at other stores. 

I ended up splitting the dough in thirds, making them with butterscotch chips, chocolate chunks, and some with a mixture of both! I, of course, liked the combo of flavors that made a Salted Butterscotch Chocolate Pecan Oatmeal Cookie!

For dinner while watching the Super Bowl, my parents and I passed over the traditional buffalo wings, pizza, and queso dip for a homemade jambalaya. This recipe came from Ina Garten's Foolproof Cookbook (which I am dying to have for myself) and it was a great success, like every Ina Garten recipe I have ever made. 

This recipe was not the easiest to make, rather it was a multi-step, multi-hand job. Thank goodness I had my mom's help when it came to chopping, dicing, and mincing the multiple vegetables. As wonderful as this jambalaya was, it also was not cheap. With the chicken, sausage, shrimp, rice, and all the vegetables the price of ingredients was more than I would ever spend on any of my recipes, but when your parents are paying then you have to take full advantage! Ina Garten's cookbook said this jambalaya would serve 8 people, but I think she meant 8 small families! After serving ourselves large portions to eat while watching the game, we hadn't even made a dent in the pot. Even after I had portioned out my leftovers the pot was still over half-full! It was absolutely wonderful and I didn't mind eating it the next three nights. 

I was sitting at home on Fat Tuesday watching unending episodes of Downton Abbey (I can't stop and I have no shame) and realized that I had to do something to celebrate Mardi Gras. I can't let a single holiday go by without baking something to go along with the special day! My best friends and I were also celebrating a special birthday and I had volunteered to make cupcakes. 

 I made a simple vanilla cupcake from Martha Stewart and divided the batter in half for a white cupcake with a  basic vanilla buttercream for the birthday party and used the rest of the batter to make a King Cake Cupcake in honor of the day. Both turned out great and obviously were shared and eaten so quickly that I have no pictures of the final product to share.

I wish that I would have had a little, plastic baby to add to my cupcakes! I did add purple frosting to all my cupcakes, mostly because it is the birthday girl's favorite color.

The lucky girl got birthday cupcakes and a personalized cake and I was lucky to spend the evening celebrating with my best friends!

Off to the kitchen to prepare for Valentine's Day!

Smitten with Friends and Food: Night 4

I will admit that I rarely am able to make chicken that I feel confident about eating myself and especially serving to others. I usually end up smoking out my whole apartment and then pick at chicken, wishing I had made something else.

Not this time! 

I successfully made beautiful and delicious chicken and the only embarrassing part is how many times I burned myself on the searing pan. You think after grabbing the handle once I would learn. 

This harvest roast chicken from the SK cookbook called for a unique pairing of tastes with red grapes and Kalamata olives, but it was just another reason why I wanted to make this recipe. With the chicken I made dijon-braised brussel sprouts and an interesting concoction of rice and roasted butternut squash based off of this Smitten Kitchen recipe to make a complete meal that I was proud of.

Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Rosemary: by the Smitten Kitchen

serves 4

What You Need

3 pounds chicken parts (I used thighs) with skin and bones

Table salt

Ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup seedless grapes

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

2 small shallots, thinly sliced (I skipped these)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary

What You Do

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with a rack in the middle.

2. Pat chicken dry and generously season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it simmers.

4. Brown the chicken, skin side down first, turning them over once, about 5 minutes per batch.

5. With the skin side up in the pan, surround the pieces with grapes, olives, and shallots.

6. Roast the chicken in the oven until it has just cooked through and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes.

7. Transfer the chicken, olives, grapes, and shallots to a platter.

8. Add wine and chicken broth to the pan juices in the skillet. 

9. Bring liquid to a boil, scraping down any brown bits, until it has reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.

10. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with rosemary.

The dinner was topped off with french bread, which was great for soaking up the juices on my plate, wine, fun conversation, and a little impromptu karaoke. 

Pizza  night! Off to make the dough!

Smitten with Friends and Food: Night 2

I know some people might run the opposite direction when they hear about putting spaghetti squash in your tacos, but that ingredient is exactly what intrigued me to make this recipe. Unfortunately, that might have been the ingredient that caused the disgusted look on my roommate's face when I told her about Tuesday night's menu. To satisfy all my friends for Taco Tuesday we had delicious shredded chicken tacos too!

Now back to the delicious, spicy, wonderful, interesting, delicious (I already said that, didn't I?) spaghetti squash and black bean tacos from my Smitten Kitchen cookbook. The squash didn't even taste like a vegetable after all the different spices that this recipe called for. The whole combination made for a unique, but kind of incredible taco experience. 

Along with tacos, my sweet and domestic roommates helped out by making some other Mexican must-haves; guacamole and fresh margaritas! They were both a huge success and the three of us had a lot of fun tripping over each other in our tiny kitchen. The entire mexican spread was perfect for a lazy Tuesday night of great food, drinks, TV, and girl time with best friends.

Spaghetti Squash and Black Bean Tacos with Queso Fresco: by the Smitten Kitchen

(Makes sixteen 6-inch tacos, serving 4 generously or 8 modestly)

(but if you add chicken like me and have enough tortillas then you could probably feed a small army)

What You Need

3 pounds spaghetti squash (I snagged the last one at Sprouts in OKC)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Sixteen 6-inch corn tortillas

One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained very well

4 ounces crumbled queso fresco, feta, or Cotija cheese

1/4 cup finely diced red or white onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

What You Do

1. Cook the squash in the microwave (it's the easiest!)

Pierce the squash all over with a sharp knife so it does not explode in the microwave. Cook on high power for 6 to 7 minutes then flip and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until soft to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes.

2. When the squash is cooled slightly, cut in fourths and working over a bowl, scrape the squash with a fork, loosening and separating the strands as you remove it from the skin. 

 3. In a small dish, whisk the lime juice with chili powder, cumin, coriander, and salt. 

4. Pour over the squash and gently toss to coat.

5. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Warm and slightly blister each tortilla, about 30 seconds each side. (If you walk away they will burn- happens to me every time)

6. Fill each tortilla with 2 tablespoons black beans, 2 tablespoons of spiced squash, 2 teaspoons of crumbled cheese, and a couple pinches of onion and cilantro. Add hot sauce or lime if you feel so inclined!

To top off this meal, I whipped up one of my all-time favorite treats with a grown-up twist.

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

Harvest Roast Chicken with Grapes, Olives, and Rosemary tonight!

Smitten with Friends and Food: Night 1

It might seem odd that I chose this alfredo-based pasta for my first dish from my Smitten Kitchen Cookbook Personal Challenge, seeing as that I can never recall a time that I have ordered an alfredo pasta at a restaurant. Pictures in a cookbook can completely change your mind and I think that is what happened in this case. It might have also had to do with the addition of peas in this recipe. I love peas and my boyfriend loathes them (some great story of a childhood trauma with this little, round vegetable) and I have been trying to reverse his hate for them for months! 

 He totally loved this dish and went back for seconds-- 100 points for me!

Sweet Peas and Shells Alfredo: by the Smitten Kitchen

What You Need

Salt to taste

1/2 pound dried small pasta shells

1 cup fresh shelled peas (oops mine came from a freezer bag so I had to cook them first)

1 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

What You Do

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. 

2. Add peas to cook during the last 30 seconds of pasta cooking time.

3. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, and set aside.

4. Drain the pasta and the peas together.

5. Dry out the pasta pot and pour in the heavy cream.

6. Bring the cream to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. 

7. Add the butter and stir until it has melted.

8. Generously season the sauce with black pepper, and add a pinch of salt with the lemon zest.

9. Ad 3/4 cup of the parmesan cheese and stir until the sauce is smooth. 

10. Mix the pasta and peas back in and stir, cooking for another 2 minutes, until the sauce has slightly thickened. 

*The reserved pasta sauce is to add if the sauce gets to thick. 

Tonight is taco night!

Christmas Tunes

I do love Christmas music, but I am not one of those people that can listen to it all-year round. I believe that it has a perfect time and that is the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Growing up my family listened to the same Christmas CD's every year on our 6-disc CD changer. I can't wait to tell my grandchildren about how we used to listen to music on circular discs!

I loved these CD's because I knew the songs by heart and could predict which song was going to play next because we listened to them so often. I also loved these songs because they were classics. Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Burl Ives and Nat King Cole were some of my favorites by age 7 and they are still my favorite Christmas crooners. 

While I still love the classic Christmas music, I will admit that there are some modern songs that I enjoy too. It is vital that you have the perfect Christmas playlist for this time of the year or you will get stuck listening to the Chipmunks on the radio too many times. 

This is a condensed version of my favorite holiday hymns but my whole playlist is on Spotify!

Perfect playlist for a dinner party too!

Birthday Dinner

As promised here are the recipes from the dinner party last night. I always get nervous when making new recipes or when I cook for people other than myself. For the first time ever, everything went surprisingly well. I had all the ingredients, the timing was perfect, and the smells were incredible. I can't take all the credit for myself, I had helpers when it came to the preparation and the cleanup which makes the biggest difference in the world. 

Birthday Dinner Menu

- Tomato and avocado salad

-Rosemary skillet rolls

-Zucchini and red pepper baked penne

-Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake (a dinner party staple)

I saw the recipe for the rosemary rolls when I was watching The Pioneer Woman this past weekend. It was one of those moments when I saw the food on the TV screen and wanted it on a plate in front of me immediately. Fortunately the recipe was so easy and included a bag of frozen rolls, butter, rosemary, a little salt and 15 minutes.

Use Rhodes frozen dinner rolls (orange package). Place in a skillet, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with chopped rosemary and coarse sea salt. Cook according to package (about 12 minutes at 400 degrees).

Talk about perfectly toasted, buttery rolls. They were the most popular item at dinner, next to the avocado I put in the salad. These rolls are so easy and will amaze anyone you share them with, but I wouldn't blame you if you kept the whole skillet for yourself.

Here is the Pioneer Woman's recipe, she used frozen dough, but I just bought the rolls. Same great taste, just less wait time with my version. You must know how impatient I am when it comes to letting dough rise by this point.

Baked Pasta with Roasted Pepper and Zucchini

Right before it went into the oven.

This pasta dish was so easy and the first time for me to ever try a baked pasta, which is really just an excuse to incorporate melted cheese into a recipe. I loved the idea of zucchini and red peppers (two of my favorite veggies right now, along with sweet potatoes of course) in the sauce and I had no problem constantly checking the status of the sauce as it was simmering on the stovetop. 

The only thing I would change about this recipe next time is the amount of sauce I used in ratio with the noodles. Less sauce would have made the "baked" part of this recipe more prominent and I think that was the whole point.

For an after dinner treat and substitute birthday cake I made one of my top 10 favorite dessert recipes. I have only made this once before and honestly forgotten how incredible it was. I added extra vanilla to the chantilly cream and a little extra chocolate to the cakes just because it was a celebration and more flavor is never bad. Even after eating all that pasta and bread we found ourselves forcing this down just because it was so delicious. Who cares if we were all in sugar induced comas immediately after. 

Enjoy the three great recipes.

Colorful Entertaining

Busy busy busy day. Tonight I am hosting a dinner part in honor of my best friend's birthday and I want to do everything to make it special for her. I will be in the kitchen for a good part of the day (recipes to come tomorrow) but I wanted to leave some of my favorite entertaining shots. I can't promise that anything I put together will be this wonderful, but a girl can dream, and this girl loves to dream about the perfect dinner party.

Photo source: Coco & Kelley

Even when I was younger I remember reading my mom's book, Lilly Pulitzer Guide to Colorful Entertaining, wishing that I could somehow make my annual birthday pool party look more like the events in that book. Somehow they never quite turned out, but I have realized that it was because Lilly always served champagne spritzers and I served Capri Suns. Maybe now that I am older my parties will resemble Lilly's more.

It starts tonight.