Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner

It’s that time of year ~ close to Halloween ~ and ending my fifth year of posting recipes here ~ that translates to 593 recipes I’ve shared with you…


Speaking of Halloween, this cupcake recipe turns out delicious moist cupcakes for all you chocolate lovers. 


Spread on top is a great buttercream icing for decorating.  That’s the fun part, decorating them your way:  whether it’s creepy, crawly, wicked, ghoulish, spooky, or just plain cute.
These cupcakes are perfect devil’s food for Halloween!



Devil’s Food Cupcakes
Ingredients:

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, softened
1¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup (2 ounces) Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups milk, water or cool coffee

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners, set aside.
With electric mixer in a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar and salt, till light and fluffy, beating for at least 5 minutes.
In another bowl, whisk together fl…

You’re probably familiar with that quintessential 60’s classic, Tuna Noodle Casserole.  Now it has it has been upgraded with salmon.


This dish means easy preparation and taste appeal. It’s healthy too, with salmon being packed with healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.
It does have that “cream of” soup though.  It adds a great creamy texture, but add more milk if you don’t want to use it.   Sometimes, I add a cup of thawed frozen peas.  Other times, I’ve added a touch of red peppers for a little heat.  It’s a flexible recipe…
We really enjoy it ~ hope you do too!

Salmon Noodle Bake
Ingredients:
1 (14-ounce) can pink salmon, drained and flaked into large chunks ½ cup panko bread crumbs ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 12-ounce package egg noodles 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced 1 small white onion, chopped 2 teaspoons garlic, minced ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon seasoned pepper ½ teaspoon dried dill weed 1 can cream of celery soup

Orzo makes a tasty simple base for fish when cooked paella-style on the stove ~ this outstanding dish is the proof!




Orzo is the Italian word for barley. It’s a form of short-cut pasta, shaped like a large grain of rice.  It can be substituted for rice in many recipes, and nutritionally speaking, ounce for ounce, rice and orzo contain nearly the same calories, carbohydrates and sodium.  


Any flaky white fish, such as cod, can be used in this Southern Living recipe.  Salmon could be substituted also.



This makes for a light meal that we really like.  And, I plan on making it many times in the future.


it’s truly sort of mellow and delicious!




Skillet Orzo with Fish and Herbs


Ingredients:


2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup sliced green onions (about 5 onions) divided
4 teaspoons garlic cloves, minced, divided
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups orzo pasta
½ cup drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1½ cups loosely packed fresh parsley, chopped and divided
1½ pounds orange roughy,…