This week on The Daily Muse I whipped up a comforting baked pasta dish, using only ingredients I had in the freezer and pantry already. The result was a creamy mexican pasta dish that is seriously yummy and so simple to make… easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but it would be fantastic for a party as well!
You can find the recipe here!
I don’t know what it is about the day of a dinner party, but it’s like there’s some sort of time warp where hours just get sucked away from you. You’re happily cooking away, thinking you’ve got hours left—when you glance at the clock and realize, “Oh bleep, my friends are going to be here in 20 minutes and I still need to pick out a cute outfit, I haven’t set the table, the kitchen looks like a war zone, and the wine’s not out!”
So, I’ve learned the secret is to…
full article on The Daily Muse
:)
You know the story: It’s late, you just got home from work, you’re alone, and you have zero desire to pull out your pots and pans to make dinner for yourself.
But before you reach for that box of neon orange mac and cheese (or organic white cheddar—don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s better for you), just wait a second: Cooking for one isn’t as bad as it sounds. One shopping trip to pick up the essentials, and from here on out, you can have a delicious dinner on the table (or couch) in no time.
A group of us girls got together to host a baby shower for our dear friend Sarah… thirty people ended up rsvp-ing! I had never cooked for that many people before, but was up for the task! And I’m pretty pleased with how my dishes turned out, happy happy.
greek orzo salad
(orzo, tomato, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, basil, mint, lemon juice, s&p)
chicken salad
I used this recipe as inspiration and it was really good… chicken, greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, apple, celery, shallot, cranberries, pecans, s&p.
burrata with olive oil, lemon, s&p… served on crostini
grissini with prosciutto, pecorino & arugula
a simple salad of mixed greens, goat cheese, pistachios, & cranberries
Connie made adorable mini chocolate chip cookies with baby blue m&m’s to go with milk shots (these ones weren’t poured yet) and oh so professional looking chocolate covered strawberries…
as well as teensy brownie bites dotted with candy pacifiers… so cute!
the best part of the shower spread? our champagne bar!
Every daytime party deserves champagne with all the fixings… freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh peach puree, & a strawberry puree!
Sarah, we’re so glad you had fun!
I like to serve this with some grilled lemon chicken, tzakiki, & whole wheat naan bread… it’s great served warm or at room temperature.
1 pound orzo pasta juice of 2 lemons 2 tablespoon olive oil 10 oz baby spinach ½ red onion ½ English cucumber 2 tomatoes 6 oz feta cheese (I used light feta and there was no difference in taste) a couple handfuls of fresh basil, roughly chopped salt & pepper, to taste Boil water in a large pot. Once boiling, add orzo, give it a good stir and cook for 8-10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with olive oil and lemon juice. Stir the baby spinach into the orzo – the steam from the pasta will wilt the spinach. While the spinach is wilting, chop tomatoes, red onion, & cucumber, then stir in and give everything a good toss. Crumble the feta and mix into the orzo, season with salt and pepper, and serve with some freshly chopped basil on top.
