Weeknight Bites: Jalapeno-Garlic Tilapia Pasta

The other night, my husband and I had the pleasure of hosting my youngest brother (Andrew) and his girlfriend (Katt) over for dinner. We had a lot of fun hanging out and catching up with them, and, of course, eating some good food! This was the first time I've cooked for them, and I wanted to make sure that I made something they'd both enjoy. I decided on this recipe because it's easy (as always!) and really delicious. I made it a few years ago and I honestly remember thinking it may have been (at the time) the best dish I'd ever made. And, since both Andrew and Katt asked me for the recipe before they left for the night, I think it's safe to say that they loved it, too!

Jalapeno-Garlic Tilapia Pasta

2 1/2 cups penne pasta*

1/3 cup margarine, melted

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tilapia filets

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbs olive oil

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 tbs lemon juice

2 jalapeno peppers, diced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 6 oz package baby spinach

*or any "small" pasta that you like - shells, rotini, etc.

Cook penne pasta in lightly salted boiling water for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain.

While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine melted margarine and minced garlic in a small bowl. Pour flour in another small bowl and place both bowls side by side. Dip tilapia filets in the margarine mixture, then immediately coat with flour.

Cook the fish in the oil until golden brown, turning once (approximately 6 minutes total). Pour cream, lemon juice, remaining margarine mixture, jalapenos, and spices into the skillet and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Cook for roughly 2 minutes, until fish flakes easily. Use a spoon to flake fish apart within the pan, coating it in the sauce. 

Mix baby spinach into the skillet and cook until wilted. Stir in cooked pasta until well-coated, and serve immediately. Serves 4.

As you'll notice, this recipe uses fresh jalapenos and cayenne pepper, so it does have a bit of a kick to it. If you'd like to tone down the spice, try substituting chopped green bell pepper for the jalapeno. 

If you're looking to try something a little different, give this recipe a go. I love it, my husband loves it, and my guests loved it too! If you're looking for a wine to pair, go with a Riesling. The wine is light, making it a great pair for seafood, and it's great with spicy dishes.

Cheers!

Weeknight Bites: Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

If there's one thing I've learned about living in the South, it's that people down here love BBQ! Several of my friends make family recipes that have been passed down for generations (of course they refuse to share), and many of us reserve whole days on the weekend for a homemade BBQ grill-out. And hey, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that!

But what if you have a hankerin' (yep, I've been in the South WAY too long now...) for an awesome pulled pork sandwich in the middle of the week? All is not lost, friends. Today, I've got a recipe for tender, juicy, flavorful pork BBQ that will satisfy that craving with a lot less work! How? By employing my best friend, the slow cooker (of course!).

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

 3 lb pork butt roast, bone-in

1/2 cup root beer

3/4 cup BBQ sauce (use your favorite!)

1 large onion, sliced

Salt and pepper

Buns

Place pork butt in slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Add onion on top of the pork, then pour root beer and BBQ over pork and onions. Set slow cooker to low and cook for approximately 10 1/2 hours. At 10 1/2 hours, shred the pork, removing the bone and discarding it. Cook shredded pork at low setting for an additional 30 minutes. Serve with buns and your favorite sides (as you can see, I chose mac and cheese!), and hot sauce and/or extra BBQ sauce as desired.

So there you have it! Next time you get that BBQ craving mid-week, give this recipe a try. It may not beat your momma's BBQ - but it's pretty darn good, I'd say!

Cheers!

Taco Night: The Lighter Side

Alright, everyone...who loves taco night? I know I do! Normally, I stick to the typical: ground beef with taco seasoning, soft or hard taco shells, salsa, lettuce, sour cream, cheese...all of the fun toppings that make tacos complete. However, I changed up my usual routine the other night, and the results were so yummy that I just have to share the recipe with you!

To preface, I'll say that I've been obsessed with raw (or, in this case, lightly seared) tuna since my husband and I got back from our honeymoon. While we were there, I had an absolutely fabulous entree salad with raw tuna and mixed greens, topped with a super delish teriyaki dressing. Because I loved it so much, these days I'm pretty much willing to try any recipe that uses raw or seared tuna as an ingredient. Truthfully, I seek those recipes out...I just can't help it! This particular gem comes from the March 2012 edition of Cooking Light magazine (one of my favorite reads), and combines  my new favorite food with a classic taco night ingredient for a combination that is light, delicious and - importantly - easy to make. You'll love the simple guacamole used in this recipe, so much so that you may even want to use it on its own as a dip for tortilla chips!

And I know, I said I was working on pictures, and I really will get some better images up here eventually...but I promise these look (and taste, of coures) awesome in real life!

Tuna Tacos with Guacamole

1/2 cup chopped red onion*

1 tbs fresh lime juice 

3/4 tsp kosher salt

2 peeled and mashed avocados

Cooking spray

1 10 oz Yellowfin tuna steak

Flour tortillas

*Want to save time here? Purchase previously chopped red onions.

Guacamole: Mix onion, lime juice, 1/4 tsp salt and avocados in a small bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, coating pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle tuna filet with 1/2 tsp salt. Add tuna to skillet and cook 4 minutes each side. Allow tuna to sit for 3-4 minutes before slicing. Warm tortillas if desired (as shown on package). Serve immediately with guacamole and extra slices of lime (squeeze a little over your taco for an extra kick!).

Easy, right?! I hope you enjoy these as much as I did! Happy Taco Night! :)

Cheers!

Happy St. Patrick's Day: A Holiday Feast

Good morning, and Happy St. Patrick's Day! Before you start your day of activities and celebration, have you considered what you're going to make for dinner tonight? I've got an easy, slow cooker recipe that you can set and forget until you're ready to dig in. Just a few steps and you're on your way to a meal fit for the Irish!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Vegetables

2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

1 small onion, sliced

1 can whole white potatoes, drained

2 lbs corned beef, with spice packet

2 cups beef broth

6 oz beer

1/2 head cabbage, chopped*

Place all vegetables into the bottom of your slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper and add beef broth. Add corned beef and sprinkle with spice packet. Pour 6 oz. beer into the slow cooker and cover. Set to low for 8-9 hours. 

*If using cabbage, cook corned beef on low for 7 1/2 hours. Add the cabbage and cook for an additional hour.

So there you have it - an Irish feast for an Irish kind of day! Enjoy!

Cheers!

Mix(es) of the Month: St. Patrick's Day Edition

St. Patrick's Day has always been a holiday that brings out the Irish in all of us...or at least the part of us that likes to party like the Irish! I've known quite a few people who've taken a few days off of work during this time of year to head down to Savannah and participate in the St. Paddy's festivities, and I can't lie - I've attended at least one "Kegs and Eggs" event myself.

This month, in honor of the Irish, I'm giving you not one but two yummy drinks to sip on during your celebration. While both use Irish whiskey, their flavor profiles are very different; one is minty and sweet (Irish Eyes) and the other a splash of sour (The Green Dublin) to wake up those taste buds! Take your pick of either, or drink 'em both - just be sure you've assigned a designated driver to cart you around!

The Green Dublin

1 part Irish whiskey (such as Jameson)

1 part sour apple schnapps

2 parts white cranberry juice*

ice

Place all ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously until frost forms on the outside of the container. Pour into glasses - any glass you like will work!

*I actually could not find white cranberry juice in my grocery store, so I substituted with white cranberry-peach juice cocktail.

Irish Eyes

1 part Irish whiskey (such as Jameson)

1/4 part green creme de menthe

2 parts cream

ice

Place the first three ingredients into a shaker and add ice. Shake vigorously until frost forms, and pour into glasses.

Of course, if you're not in the mood for either cocktail and just want a good old green beer, all you have to do is add a couple drops of green food coloring into a glass and pour. Lighter ales will really take on the green color, whereas you'll only see the green tint on the head of a stout like Guinness.

Have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cheers!

Weeknight Bites: White Chicken Chili

Not too long ago, a co-worker of mine shared with me something that I felt was a true tragedy - she'd never, ever tried white chicken chili (okay, very far from a true tragedy, but still - a big deal!). Since I am such a huge fan of the stuff, I can't bear to think that any of you are at risk of suffering the same fate simply because you don't have a recipe. So, today, I'm sharing an easy version of my own with you. This particular recipe is relatively mild, so those of you who don't care for spicy food can feel free to dig in. If you want to liven it up a bit, however, add a can of diced green chiles. YUM!

White Chicken Chili

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size cubes

1 can white kidney beans, undrained

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

2 gloves garlic. chopped

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup water

1 tbs oil

1 package McCormick White Chicken Chili seasoning

*1 can diced green chiles

*Shredded Pepper Jack cheese (for topping)

*optional

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, roughly 5 minutes. Add green onions and garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. In the same skillet, stir in water, frozen corn kernels, kidney beans, seasoning packet and green chiles (if using). Bring ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle the chili into bowls, and top with a handful of shredded Pepper Jack cheese, if desired.

That's all! Super easy, super delicious. Not to mention, the leftovers are just as good the next day for lunch, if not better! Tune in next Tuesday for a fabulous Mix of the Month - honoring St. Patrick's Day, of course!

Cheers!

Fabulous First: Happy Birthday, Lorelai!

There are first times for everything - including (importantly so) first birthdays! While I don't yet have any children of my own, I have been extremely blessed with a beautiful and amazing God daughter, Lorelai, who recently celebrated the one year anniversary of her birth. Lorelai's Mom (and my best friend), Emily, asked me to help with party preparations, and we had a great time getting everything together for her little princess! Here are some pictures that I took of the party:

The beautiful birthday girl! Such a little princess :)

Mom (Emily) and Dad (Mike) with the birthday girl!

Our spread! Yum!

Tissue paper paradise!

Me and the birthday girl!

Like what you see? Here are some tips for pulling off a fabulous first birthday for your own little ones!

1. Keep it simple. Emily saved a lot of money by going simple on decorations (a couple great kits from Party City and we were good to go!) and recruiting me as her "sous chef." By making food on our own instead of paying a caterer, the dollar signs were kept to a minimum, and we were able to have some fun in the kitchen ourselves! Our spread included mini sandwiches (turkey & provolone with spicy mustard, turkey & provolone with honey mustard, tuna salad and chicken salad), artichoke dip (see this blog entry for the recipe! http://cocktailcutie.blogspot.com/2012/01/superbowl-sips-and-dips.html), meatballs, a veggie tray, cheese and crackers and, of course, cupcakes! Sound like a lot of work? With two people, it really wasn't. Buying a pre-made veggie and cheese tray saved us a lot of time! We also bought frozen, pre-cooked meatballs and heated them up in the slow cooker, and pre-made chicken salad for the sandwiches. At the end of the day, everyone loved the food - maybe we should start our own catering company...

2. Keep it small. Remember, your little one isn't overly concerned with the amount of people who are there to share in the festivities, and honestly, inviting the entire neighborhood won't make his or her first birthday any more special than by only extending invitations to close friends and family. Your loved ones will appreciate the small get together, and they'll get to spend more time with the girl or boy of the hour before he or she gets tuckered out and wants a nap! Emily found that she was extremely glad to only have close friends and family, bringing the total number in attendance to about 15. This was the perfect size, and everyone could easily participate in watching Lorelai tear into her gifts - and later, her cupcakes!

3. Keep it short (and sweet!). Our party lasted roughly 2 hours, and that was plenty of time to socialize, open gifts and blow out the candles on Lorelai's crash (cup)cake. By the time it was all over and done with, the birthday girl was wiping her eyes and ready for some sleep! (Note: As a pre-cursor to the party, remember to (try to) let your little one take a nap so they are refreshed and ready to "mingle" with your guests. We tried to get Lorelai to sleep some before the celebration began, but she must have been too excited for the party because we had no luck!). Consider the pace of your party, and move on to the next activity accordingly. For instance, if you notice that most of your party-goers have cleaned their plates, go ahead and offer to collect them. Then, move on to presents!

I hope the next birthday bash you throw is as fabulous and fun as this one was. Good luck! Tune in next time for more Cocktail Cutie tips and recipes!

Cheers!