A brief update...

What's Kara cookin'?

Not much these days, obviously.

I have actually cooked a few times this week, but nothing new that hasn't already been blogged about. And, with the pretty weather and longer days, I've had Patrick manning the grill a couple nights this week. I love when I can turn the cooking reins (or at least half of them) over to him!

And for the two weeks before, I stayed with my parents (who live just an hour away) and got treated to my mom's cooking. Patrick was working/taking tests/studying his tail off in Atlanta for 16 days, so I took that opportunity to get some good mom and dad time in. And not cook. Or clean. Or do my own laundry. They definitely took good care of me!

Although it doesn't sound like it, I have been busy, though! I'm 32 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow, and the nesting has set in full force. We have eight weeks to go until we welcome sweet Nora into the world, and I have been working hard to get her nursery ready and organized. And cleaning took on a whole new meaning on Saturday when I cleaned from 10 a.m. until Patrick got home from Atlanta at 2:30 a.m. I did take a little break to run errands, but I was a cleaning machine. And, holy moly, I paid for it on Sunday. (Sadly, though, in all that time, I wasn't able to clean the entire house. I think I got distracted by organizational projects, etc.)

And I must say - these 32 weeks have flown by for me. I can't believe that in eight weeks or less we will be parents. It's exciting, thrilling, nerve wracking and scary. But I can't wait. I can't wait till I can see my toes again. Till I can tie my shoes without hyperventilating. Till I can sit still for more than five minutes at a time (she has invaded my lung/rib space and I have a constant stitch on my right side). Till I can fit into my normal clothes again. Till I can drink five Diet Cokes (in one day) again. Till I can sleep on my stomach again.

But most of all, I can't wait to meet Nora, see Patrick become a dad, and become a mom. The nursery may not be ready quite yet, and I may not be ready to change 82 diapers a day, but I am so ready to be her mom and see who she is and will become.

Chicken and Spinach Manicotti

Last Wednesday, my mom and I enjoyed a wonderful day of mother-daughter shopping at St. John's Town Center in Jacksonville. Being pregnant, I was hungry pretty much the moment we got there. We both love Italian food, so we made a beeline for Maggiano's. Mom had a delicious dish of veal marsala while I had a tasty meal of chicken and spinach manicotti. I enjoyed it so much that the next day I got online to look for the recipe. Although it isn't exactly like Maggiano's (I actually had to cook this myself, but Patrick did serve me AND clean up the mess I made), it's a really good version, and a nice change from my typical plain cheese manicotti. We had it for dinner tonight and really enjoyed it; hope you do, too!

Chicken and Spinach Manicotti
Recipe courtesy www.recipezaar.com
Filling
1 cup chicken breasts, cooked
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
12 manicotti noodles, cooked until al dente

Sauce
16 ounces Alfredo sauce
16 ounces marinara sauce
Approximately 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Dice the chicken breast into 1/2-inch pieces and place into a large mixing bowl. Add spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, pepper and salt, and mix thoroughly. Arrange precooked pasta sheets on waxed paper and fill with filling mixture. Combine Alfredo sauce and marinara in bowl and mix until well incorporated. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 ovenproof baking dish. Place the cannelloni, side by side, into baking dish. Pour remainder of sauce over cannelloni, covering completely. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over top of sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for approximately 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Click here for the original recipe.

Essential kitchen appliance

If onions make you cry, jalapenos burn your fingers and mincing vegetables is just a time-consuming pain in the bootie, this little gadget is for you.



It's the KitchenAid Chef's Chopper, and it is one of my essential kitchen appliances. It's small - it holds up to three cups - and is oh, so handy. I have never enjoyed mincing onions and other veggies into small, uniform pieces, but this chopper makes fast, easy work of it. I use it at least three times a week. And when you're done, just throw the plastic parts in the top rack of the dishwasher (I hand wash the blade), and voila, you have perfectly chopped or minced veggies!

Seriously, it would take me forever to mince an entire onion (I'm just too stinking slow and anal), plus I always end up with tears streaming down my face and a runny nose. Not to mention the stinky fingers. I paint a lovely picture, eh? But those things are gone forever when I use this!

This is not a paid endorsement (I wish!), but is just a PSA from me to you. That's how much I use and love this little gadget.

Oh, and wear disposable gloves (like the kind doctors wear) when you work with jalapenos - they work wonders!

Campanelle Pasta Salad

A few weeks ago when I was at Target (I go way too often, by the way) I noticed that Giada De Laurentiis had launched a new line of products exclusive to Target. The ceramic/stoneware bread pans looked nice, but I was drawn to a box of orzo pasta. Not that I've ever cooked orzo, but I was really interested in seeing if there was a recipe on the back of the box.

Yup, there was. It was an orzo/tuna recipe, and it intrigued me. I didn't buy the orzo because it cost almost $2.50 for a one-pound box, and I knew I could buy it at Publix for about a dollar less (non Giada branded, however, but the brand name is certainly not worth my $1).

So, two weeks later I was still thinking about that recipe. Obsess much, Kara? I couldn't find it online (of course not -- they want me to shell out $2.50 for a box of pasta), but I did find an incredibly similar Giada recipe, made with campanelle pasta instead of orzo.

Worth a shot, I figured. And I might as well feed the beast that had been obsessing over tuna and pasta.

So, I made it for dinner tonight and was pleasantly surprised. Neither Patrick nor I are big fans of fresh tomatoes, but we both liked the cooked cherry tomatoes, and they gave the pasta nice flavor and color. It was a nice flavor change of pace for us, too; while we tend to eat copius amounts of pasta, we don't typically eat fish (at least not at home).

This was a quick, easy meal, too, perfect for weeknights.

And, to Target and Giada (cause I'm sure they'll read this ...) -- how about a line of Giada-inspired clothing? I always like the shirts she wears ... but would wear a cami underneath. No cleavage in the kitchen for me!!


Campanelle Pasta Salad
Slightly modified from the original Giada De Laurentiis recipe, found on foodnetwork.com*
1 pound campanelle pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (12-ounce) can tuna in oil, drained
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons dried chopped thyme
4 teaspoons chopped dried parsley
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.

In a 14-inch skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the tuna to the skillet and, using a fork, break into chunks. Add the cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the pasta, the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, and the parsley. Toss until all the ingredients are coated, adding a little pasta water, if needed, to thin out the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature.

*I used 12 ounces of tuna instead of the 6 called for in the recipe, and am glad I did. I don't think that 6 ounces would have been enough to taste. I also didn't feel like buying fresh herbs, and already had the dried herbs on hand, so that's what I used. I modified the quantities above to account for using them instead of fresh herbs. For the original recipe, click here.

Chaos in the kitchen

There's been chaos in my kitchen for the past two days.

Perhaps that's a sign that I should take a cooking hiatus?

Needless to say, my hopes and dreams of being the next Martha Stewart or Paula Deen have been dashed. (Not that I have had dreams of being either of them, frankly, but I have been humbled. Oh, so humbled.)

Last night I tried a new recipe for dinner and it turned out reasonably well. The chaos was coming, though ...

As Patrick and I settled down for dinner in the living room, I took a sip of my tea, which was sitting on a coaster next to my plate of food on the tray table. (Note - once we have Nora, we will start eating at the dinner table like we did with our families, but until then we will enjoy dinner in the living room, watching tv!) I put my cup down and it caught on the lip of the coaster, sending an entire huge cup full of tea (unsweet, thankfully) onto my plate, me and the floor.

I sat there, pouting, while Patrick sprang into action. I was a wet mess, as was my dinner. Thankfully there was enough for me to dump what was on my plate and get more, but man, it was a mess.

And today wasn't any better.

I had this grand idea to make a chocolate pound cake for dessert tonight and to have again tomorrow night when my parents come to town.

This was the first time I've ever made this recipe.

And apparently what I thought was a 10" tube pan turned out to be a less-than-10" tube pan.

Can you see where I'm headed with this?

I knew that I was filling the pan pretty full, but didn't realize just how full until I smelled smoke coming from the oven. It's not a good sign when you see flames inside your oven; that much I do know.

The cake had overflowed the pan and batter had fallen onto the bottom of the oven and onto the element. I put the fire out, and quickly opened up the windows in the kitchen and dining area (it's pretty chilly in here now). It still smells like a fire and I'm glad I have yet to shower today. (Yay for work-from-home jobs!)

The cake was far from pretty when I pulled it from the oven, but hopefully we can focus on the taste instead of the appearance.

Here's hoping, at least.

Cheesecake Cupcakes

I really like cheesecake. And I really like to make cheesecake. But sometimes, a whole cheesecake is just too much, and for parties and showers it can be tough to slice and eat it, especially if you're walking around, talking and mingling.

Lo and behold, the cheesecake cupcake! These are the perfect bite-size alternative to a regular-size cheesecake, and just as delicious.

I helped host an all-dessert baby shower a few weeks ago and made these. It was my first time making them, and thankfully, they turned out perfectly. Just thinking about them makes me want them again!

But watch out -- it's easy to eat about a dozen of these little gems!

Cheesecake Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh fruit slices, fruit topping or jam for garnish

Preheat oven to 325. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. (I had to buy foil cupcake liners because both stores were out of the paper kind - go figure - and they seemed more substantial than the plain paper liner. I say that because I had to use one paper liner when I ran out of foil ones!)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Fill the cups about half full with the batter. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the cupcakes are set and golden brown.

Make the topping: Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla and stire well with a metal spoon or spatula. Spoon about a teaspoon on top of each cupcake and return to the oven for 5 minutes to glaze.

Remove cupcakes from the oven. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks. When completely cool, place them in plastic containers with lids and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, decorate with slivers of freshly cut seasonal fruit, jam or fruit topping, or one to two whole blueberries or raspberries. Serve at room temperature. Makes 2 dozen.

*Note: Do not eat these before they have been chilled in the fridge! (Or let your husband.) You will be disappointed in the texture until they have chilled thoroughly. I know from experience!! And, it took my cupcakes about 35 minutes to even slightly brown on top, so yours may take a little longer, too. I don't know if that had anything to do with using foil liners instead of paper, but just throwing it out there. Also, I used cherry pie filling for the topping and just spooned three cherries onto each cupcake - so yummy - I wish I had some right now!

And stay tuned for more recipes coming soon, I promise! I have been cooking a lot lately, just now need to take the time to post the recipes and photos. I know - I need to get my priorities in line! :)

Potato Kielbasa Skillet

If you're looking for a hearty, home-style, tasty and quick meal for the cold winter nights we've been having, this recipe is perfect.

Patrick and I were first introduced to this meal during one of our weekly Thursday night dinners at the Akins' house. When Suzanne first told me what we were having and the list of ingredients, I was a smidge skeptical, but Suzanne is an awesome cook and her meals never, ever disappoint, so I had faith (despite the brown sugar/cider vinegar/spinach/kielbasa combo).

And man alive, this meal did not disappoint. Not at all. It was such a hit that Patrick requested that I get the recipe and make myself. So, one night a few weeks ago I surprised him and this dinner was waiting for him when he came home from work.

It has definitely become a go-to recipe in our house for the fall and winter months. The combination of flavors, paired with potatoes, smokey kielbasa and spinach, makes for a delicious and quick weeknight meal.

Potato Kielbasa Skillet
Recipe courtesy of Suzanne Akins, via Kim Hanson, via Taste of Home
1 pound red potatoes, cubed
3 tablespoons water
3/4 pound smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I use turkey kielbasa)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups (one bag) fresh baby spinach
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Place potatoes and water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes or until tender; drain.

In a large skillet, saute kielbasa and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add potatoes; saute 3-5 minutes longer or until kielbasa and potatoes are lightly browned.

Combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme and pepper; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Add spinach and bacon; cook and stir until spinach is wilted. Makes 4 servings.