One Teaspoon From Disaster

Complete summer meal for entertaining

• Posted July 16, 2009 2:02 AM
• 0 Comments

Here's everything you need for a perfect summer dinner. Ok, for the summer dinner that you've invited guests over for that should seem perfect but be somewhat effortless, of course. (Otherwise, just grill hot dogs and buy some baked beans.)

For the entrée, I prepared simple chicken shish kabobs with skewers of cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms and pineapple. These sides would go well with something similar, or fish or beef. As for the dessert, that goes well with anything.

A few tips: I made the pasta dish in advance and stored it covered in the refrigerator. It tasted better warm, so I popped it in the microwave for a few minutes before serving. Didn't alter it at all.

For the watermelon salad, using a melon-ball tool seems to be the quickest and easiest method, plus it reduces a lot of the watery-ness so you can really get the full flavor of the dressing.

And, finally, that cake. It sounds incredibly rich because it is. Serve it with ice cream. Problem solved!

Spinach, sun-dried tomato pasta side dish
Ingredients:
1 C. chicken broth
Handful of sun-dried tomatoes
1, 8-ounce package penne pasta
1 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 C. fresh baby spinach
feta, as desired
Directions:
In a small saucepan, boil the broth. Remove from heat and add sun-dried tomatoes, letting soak until soft (at least 10 minutes) and easily chopped into bite-sized pieces. Meanwhile, cook penne according to package directions. Next, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes, then garlic for about a minute each. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted. Pour in the broth and chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Cook until heated through, stirring frequently. In a large serving bowl, toss pasta with sauce, sprinkling feta on top.

Watermelon salad
Salad:
7 C. seeded, watermelon chunks
1 C. crumbled feta
½ C. red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 C. pine nuts
½ C. arugula (or baby spinach)
1/3 C. fresh parsley, chopped
¼ C. fresh mint, chopped
Dressing:
¼ C. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
Directions: Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk dressing ingredients and pour over salad; gently toss.

Chocolate chocolate-chip bunt cake with chocolate icing
Cake:
1 package devil's food cake mix
1, .9-ounce package sugar-free instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 ¼ C. water
½ C. oil
1 C. semisweet chocolate chips
Icing:
½ C. sugar
¼ C. skim milk
3 Tbsp. butter
½ C. semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
With an electric mixer, mix cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a well-greased bunt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or toothpick comes out clean. Meanwhile, for the icing, combine sugar, milk, and butter in a small saucepan, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil for just a minute, reduce heat, then add chocolate chips. Stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle over completely cooled cake.