By Kara Kimbrough
Counting the days until it’s time to pack the car and head to the beach? Nothing’s quite as therapeutic as a vacation of sun, sand, shimmering water and seafood. As much as I enjoy dining at restaurants while on vacation, taking a few ready-made meals to bake in the condo, beach house or RV for at least one meal each day is not only cost-efficient, but a time-saver. There are always times when a quick meal is in order after a long day of beach activities and the thought of getting dressed for dinner is not appealing.
To keep from having to actually cook on vacation (never an appealing thought) why not plan to throw a few dishes together before leaving home, popping them into the refrigerator (or freezer), then transporting them to your destination in a cooler. Once there, the refrigerator can be stocked with a few essentials that can be pulled out and baked or reheated for lunch or dinner when the thought of having to actually get dressed and drive to a restaurant is not appealing.
And, plenty of sweet treats to snack on is essential to keeping everyone happy when a case of the munchies emerges and the nearest supermarket is a few miles away.
Here are two of my favorite easy-to-make-and-transport beach vacation recipes. There are more where these came from, so feel free to drop me an email if you’re looking for something specific. In the meantime, I’m off to a short beach trip. When I return, I’ll share a new place to stay, dine and experience new adventures this summer.
Beach Condo Chicken, Spinach and Tomato Pasta
8 ounces uncooked rigatoni or other shaped pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
10-ounce pack frozen spinach, thawed
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breasts
14-ounce can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
8-ounce container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Prepare rigatoni according to package directions for al dente. Spread oil on bottom of 9 x 13 in baking dish; add onion in a single layer. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to large bowl, set aside.
Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels. Stir in rigatoni, spinach, chicken and next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl.
Spoon mixture into dish and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese. (If baking later, cover with foil and refrigerate until time to bake. Then remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking while oven is preheating.)
Bake covered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 10-15 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Moistest (and Easiest) Pineapple Cake You’ll Ever Eat
1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow or butter cake mix* (I recommend Pillsbury, as their box size has not been reduced)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup pineapple juice
4 large eggs
For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup pineapple juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease and flour a 10 to 12-cup Bundt pan. Use an electric mixer to combine the cake mix, vegetable oil, pineapple juice, and eggs in a large bowl. Beat about 2 minutes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake is just starting to pull away from the sides. Allow the cake to cool in the pan while you make the glaze.
In a small pan, combine the powdered sugar, pineapple juice, and butter. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter has melted, stirring frequently. Use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes in the cake. Pour the warm glaze over the cake while it is still in the cake pan.
Allow to cool for 15-20 more minutes, or until the cake is cool and most of the glaze has been absorbed, then invert cake onto a serving platter.
Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at [email protected].
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