Summer Pasta Salad

This salad is wonderful!  Perfect in the summertime when your garden is bursting at the seams.  There really are no set ingredients.  Use what you have on hand.  Color wise I've used sliced olive, or black beans.  Red pepper strips or tomatoes.  Yellow peppers or corn.  The key to this salad is color.  The more color, the prettier the salad, and I swear it tastes better too.  The salad dressing is my old standby.  It appears in my Everything Salad as well as this pasta salad.  Rotisserie chicken would be fabulous, or left over teriyaki chicken you had last night.  Our favorite is fresh chicken bossoms cut into bite sized chunks and then fried in a little butter with salt and pepper.  It may be a little indulgent, but my mom started with that little trick, and it's hard to do anything else.  

If you're like me this time of year, I struggle cooking at home. It's hot, and I'm just not up for a lot of preparation, or heavy eating.  Both James and Emma here at my house could eat this salad every day.  It is just perfect with a lovely slice of Great Harvest Sourdough Bread, or some homemade breadsticks.  


Summer Pasta Salad

1 lb. cooked bow tie pasta
1 red pepper chopped
1 yellow pepper chopped
1 orange pepper chopped
sliced olives
cucumbers
green onions
black beans rinsed and drained
or whatever combination of veggies you have on hand
chicken breast chunked up and fried in a little olive oil and butter
salt and pepper

(other suggestions are: sliced olives, sliced zucchini or crookneck squash, sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped parsley, dill, or cilantro. Anything else your heart desires.)

Dressing

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper

Bring all ingredients to a boil and immediately pull off heat.  When the mixture has cooled add 1 c. vegetable oil.  Shake until combined and pour over pasta salad ingredients.  Top with shredded Parmesan Cheese.  You can eat the salad cold or hot.  It's good both ways.  

Thai Pasta Salad

I've posted this salad before, but it's such a good one, AND I took a better photo of it this time. It needed a repeat:)  It is such a standout salad at any gathering.  The colors are beautiful, and the salad is so fresh, and light.  You could turn it into a main dish item by adding the meat from a rotisserie chicken, or maybe some grilled shrimp over the top.  Yummy!!  Again, thanks to my sister-in-law Susan who introduced me to this salad.  And also to Mr. Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef) who first posted it.  I used rice noodles this go around, but it turns out just as lovely using linguine noodles as well.  I had a bit left over and I was worried it would be a yucky mess the next day, but Emma claimed it tasted better the second day.  So the verdict is the salad is awesome freshly made, and it's amazing after a Fast Sunday at church.  And I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that we were STARVING right after church:)  Enjoy!!


Thai Pasta Salad
Make's 1 enormous bowl of salad
recipe adapted from a recipe on The Pioneer Woman and originally from The Naked Chef TV show.

1 lb. of linguine pasta cooked or 1 lb of rice noodles (For rice noodles a quick minute or two in boiling water should soften them up sufficiently.

In a really large bowl ( I love my IKEA honking huge silver bowl) add:

1 head Napa cabbage chopped
peppers sliced (A combination of red, yellow, and orange is best.  You know it's all about the presentation!)
purple cabbage
matchstick carrots if you don't have colorful peppers
fresh bean sprouts
a bunch of green onions sliced
some cucumbers sliced
1 bunch of cilantro chopped or a lot of chopped fresh basil  (Basil is best!)
sliced water chestnuts
a few big handfuls of baby spinach (you can add more or less of this to stretch the salad)

Any of the veggies can be adjusted to your liking.  If you don't have something don't worry.  Just improvise or add a little more of something else.  Once the noodles are cool toss them in the bowl with all the veggies.

Dressing

1 c. olive oil
3/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. sesame oil (optional)
1/2 t. ground ginger

Toss the salad all together and make all sorts of yummy sounds!  Sprinkle a handful or two of chopped peanuts, or sugar glazed almonds.  Taste it.  I usually add a little more sugar, but it's up to you.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

It was pretty darn tasty!  Really it was.  The pasta bake was made in honor of a neighbor who just delivered her 12th baby!  Twelve!  And she's still alive, and doing well.  Cute little nub of a baby.  Perfectly round little baby cheeks, and lots of dark hair.  She was being adored by lots of brothers and sisters the day I visited.   They all had huge smiles of pride over their new baby sister.  I'd say she was downright beautiful:)  And lucky her, she has the same name as my oldest girl child.  We call her Mems for short.  She loves it.  It all comes from our oldest  child only being 17 months old when Mems was born and not being able to speak real well.  At night they shared a room and when Emma would start crying you could hear Jed yell, "Shup Mems!!!!"  I remember laying in bed laughing with my Jimmy as we heard this exchange.  Priceless little moments in time.  So Mems she's been from that day on.  An uncle or two will still pull this nickname out every once in a while.  It's cute don't you think?

Anyway on to the pasta.  Nothing feeds a hungry family quite like pasta.  I did double the recipe for the family I took it to and I think they had enough.  At least they said they did.  I hope they weren't lying:)  My family loves all sorts of pasta bakes.  They're pretty easy to make and can feed a crowd.    Usually all you need to complete the meal is a great green salad (you can see that salad on my previous post), and a lovely loaf of bread.  I kind of have an IN there.  So enjoy and remember you can always improvise.  Make it your own and take full credit for the deliciousness!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake

3 or 4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded

splash of oil or butter to saute your veggies

1 medium onion, diced

1 red or green pepper, diced

4-ounce can diced green chilies

1 can Rotel Tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin (or you can add 1 T. of taco seasoning)

3-4 cups green chili enchilada sauce (I bottle my own Chili Verde sauce so I used most of a quart of that) 

1/4 c. sugar (I think the cumin is a little bitter and it needs a hint of sweet) 

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 c. half and half

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

16 oz. pasta of choice (I love Gemelli.  It's a big fat corkscrew shape, but any will work.)

1 c. more cheese

1 c. crushed tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the  pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender.  Once the pasta is cooked I place it in a large Tupperware.  I dump in all the other ingredients now except for the half and half.  Stir until mixed completely.  At this point I place the pasta mix in a large creased 9x13 in pan or casserole dish.  I then drizzle the half and half over the pasta.  Sometimes I use it all and others I don't.  It all depends on how saucy the pasta is.  Cover with tinfoil and place in a 375' F. oven for about 30-40 minutes.  Make sure the pasta is bubbly and hot.  Remove from the oven and remove the foil.  Top with more cheese, crushed tortilla chips and return to oven until the cheese is melty and browned a bit.  Take out of oven and serve.  You can add chopped fresh tomatoes, olives, cilantro, green onions, or avocado to serve.  Even a dollop of sour cream would be tasty.  

My Mama's Lasagna

Lasagna assembled, but not baked yet.

There are a few things in this world that I think my mom makes the best.  She makes the best gravy on the planet, the best Dilly Rolls, the best Sunday Dinner, and the best dang Lasagna in the world.  I love it!!  When I was a kid Spaghetti or Lasagna for dinner was a huge treat.  Usually it meant that company was coming over, or it was a special Sunday dinner.  My mom would make a homemade spaghetti sauce that made the entire meal.  It would simmer and bubble for an hour or more, and always tasted so wonderful.

Baked and ready to eat!

A few weeks ago a friend of mine called and asked if I had a good Lasagna recipe.  I do, but it has never made it to the blog until now.  There is another lasagna somewhere amongst my posts, but it is way to labor intensive, and when all is said and done........it just ain't worth it!  This is the lasagna recipe to end your searching.  Of course it is always better with a big yummy green salad, and some hot Great Harvest Sourdough bread, but again I may be a bit biased.  Don't hate me for that.  I hope you enjoy my mother's lasagna.  I know my family does!

MaryAnn Garner's Marinara Sauce

1 lb. hamburger fried with 1 chopped onion (drain fat)

1 lb. Italian Sausage fried with hamburger (my mom doesn't add sausage.  She hates it.)

1-2 qts. stewed tomatoes (I use 2)

2 small cans tomato paste

1 t. dried basil or a bunch of chopped fresh

1 t. dried oregano

1/2 t. cinnamon (secret ingredient.  Don't add if you're making lasagna.  Only for spaghetti.)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c. sugar (this is my addition.  My mom doesn't add sugar, but I think it cuts the acidity from the tomatoes)

1/2-1 c. cream or half and half (this is another Lisa addition.  I only use it if I'm using the sauce for spaghetti.  Not lasagna.)

Bring all the ingredients to a simmer for at least 1 hour.  Serve over spaghetti or make lasagna from it.

Lasagna

1 recipe marinara sauce

1 12 oz. box of lasagna noodles cooked (Sometimes I am lazy and just place dry noodles in the lasagna.  I will usually add 1 c. of extra water to the sauce for the noodles to absorb.)

16 oz. cottage cheese

2 eggs mixed into the cheese

Mozzarella cheese 

Fresh spinach leaves (optional)

pesto sauce in the cottage cheese (optional)

In a 9x13 inch pan place a thin layer of sauce.  Top with 5 or 6 noodles.  Layer the cheese mixture over the noodles, and then top with sauce.  Repeat 2 more times.   Sometimes I put a layer of spinach in the mix too, or I will put in 1/4 of a cup of pesto into the cottage cheese mixture.  Just some ideas.  Cover your lasagna with foil and I usually bake my lasagna for 60 minutes in a 375' F. oven.  The last 15 minutes I will take off the tinfoil and sprinkle with the Mozzarella cheese and bake until melted and bubbly.  Let the lasagna sit for 10 minutes to firm up a bit.  Serve with a delicious salad and warm bread.  Yummy! 

Carb-ing Up For LOTOJA

It was tasty!

What is LOTOJA did you ask?  It is a bike race the second week of Sept. that is from LOgan TO JAckson Hole WY.  Get it?  That's how the famous bike race got it's name.  206 miles to be exact, and a lot of elevation gain.  Still to this day I cry every time we drive over Geneva Summit up Montpelier Canyon.  It was hard----really hard, and I cried at the top.  I cried at the top of Salt River Pass too.  It is a hard ride, but a lot of fun as well.  And I'm sure many of you are wondering if I actually did the race?  Well heck yes!!!  It was one of my proudest moments.  Right up there with marrying James and natural child birth.  I rode the race with 4 of my friends, James and the ever wonderful Spencer Burton.  I will love him forever!  He took our minds off the ride.  He would break into show tunes just when the going got tough.  We'd sing Oklahoma, and Mary Poppins the whole way.  We were officially the last people to come in the year we did the race, but I have to say at least we did it.  There were 200+ people who didn't even finish so I figure we beat them!

My two boys are riding again this year.  Just a relay, but still I wanted to have them carb-ed up for the big day.  I needed to carb up for the big day.  Support people are a big part of the day too, and how about the volunteering at registration.  That's tough.  Last time I volunteered I had 2 old boyfriends come through my line.  Crazy!   Or maybe it's just a really good excuse to try out a new recipe.  The pasta was a hit for sure.  At least Emma couldn't stop talking about it.  She loved the butternut squash in it.  It was tasty.  Here's to a prosperous LOTOJA!

LOTOJA Pasta

(AKA Butternut, Squash, and Sausage Bake)

Courtesy of Relish Magazine

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash (2 medium), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme 

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided 

Coarsely ground black pepper 

1 pound Italian sweet sausage, removed from casings 

1 teaspoon fennel seeds 

1 bunch of kale, washed, tough stems removed and roughly chopped 

6 garlic cloves, chopped 

8 ounces uncooked rigatoni 

2 cups half-and-half 

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth 

1 1/2 cups finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese 

1/2 cup breadcrumbs 

Additional cheese for topping (grated Pecorino Romano or mozzarella)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lightly oil a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. 

2. Toss together squash, olive oil, thyme, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and pepper on a large baking sheet. Roast 20 to 25 minutes, until squash is tender, but not mushy. Discard thyme. 

3. Place sausage and fennel seeds in a large Dutch oven; cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to break up sausage, until meat is no longer pink. Remove sausage and drain most of oil. Return pan to stove; lower heat to medium. Add kale and garlic; sauté until kale is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Turn off heat and return sausage to pan. 

4. Reduce oven temperature to 375F. 

5. Cook pasta in boiling water, 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain well. Toss with sausage mixture. Add squash, half-and-half, chicken broth and half the cheese. Gently toss. Transfer to baking pan, top with breadcrumbs and remaining cheese. (If making in advance, allow mixture to come to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator.) 

6. Bake 25 minutes, until thoroughly heated and crusty on top. Serve with additional cheese. Serves 8. 

Relish the Holiday, "Abracadabra," October 2008. Recipe adapted with permission from Lauren Bank Deen’s Kitchen Playdates (Chronicle, 2007).

Summer's Favorites

I am in heaven.  I love it when my garden finally starts producing, and I can reap what I have sown.  I have told my four suntanned kids that my name is the Little Red Hen and I really shouldn't be sharing a licking stitch with them.  They did nothing!! But I love them.  They're really cute--thanks to James!  Anyways I haven't been cooking anything out of the ordinary, just my favorite summer foods and I thought I'd re-introduce them since they were all posted 12 months ago and sometimes it's nice for me to see my old favorites.

I've got 9 favorites pictured here and each one is so dang good!  Click on any of the names and it will take you to the respective post.  Try a few of these.  They are all delish.  Or better yet, try all nine.  You'll thank me forever and I will be your favorite person in the world, and you will smile the whole time you're making the yummy sound.  I love summer!

Photos from top left to right:  Chipolte Corn Chowdah,  Ratatouille, Sausage Pot, Cheesers, Fresh Tomato and Blue Cheese Pasta,  Alison's Famous Salsa, Zuppa Tuscana (minus the green fuzzy catepillars), Homemade Marinara Sauce, Tomato Cuke and Avocado Salad

Emma' Favorite Summer Pasta Salad

This little girl of mine has been begging me for days to make this salad.  We call it Grandma Garner's Pasta Salad since that's where the recipe came from, but for blogging purposes it is now officially called "Emma's Pasta Loveliness".  This pasta salad has made numerous appearances at the cabin in Bear Naked Lake.  Actually it's a summertime staple there.  With warm slices of Asiago Sourdough to go with it, it's the perfect meal.  By putting chicken in it, it becomes a main dish salad.  Did I tell you about the chicken?  It is very uncharacteristic for my mother, but she fries the chicken chunks in butter!  Bless her heart!  We all know everything tastes better with butter, but my mom is trying to save all of our hearts most of the time, so for her to fry means this salad is awesome!!  (Sorry- I revert back to the 80's every once in a while.)

I hope you enjoy one of our fams summertime favorites.  Buttered chicken and all!

Emma's Pasta Loveliness

1 lb. cooked bow tie pasta

1 red pepper chopped

1 yellow pepper chopped

1 orange pepper chopped

sliced olives

cucumbers

green onions

black beans rinsed and drained

or whatever combination of veggies you have on hand

chicken breast chunked up and fried in a little olive oil and butter

salt and pepper

Dressing

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. vinegar

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

Bring all ingredients to a boil and immediately pull off heat.  When the mixture has cooled add 1 c. vegetable oil.  Shake until combined and pour over pasta salad ingredients.  Top with shredded Parmesan Cheese.  You can eat the salad cold or hot.  It's good both ways.  

A New Way With Tomatoes

Look what I have.  There are a ton of tomatoes this year.  I'm canning them today, and tomorrow, and the next day........

Did you know that you spell tomato without an E?  I didn't until a customer told me I spelled Tomatoe Herb bread wrong on the chalk board that took me hours.  How rude.  I think we should change the way you spell tomatoe, potatoe, and fourty.  Those are the three words I just can't seem to get right.  

On to the new way with tomatoes though.  I have a wonderful new fresh tomato pasta that I tried last week.  It is from a Rachel Ray mag that I got a few months ago and I have been dying to try it.  You can't try it with wimpy store bought tomatoes though.  They're are just down right sick and nasty.  Only a beautiful lunker, still warm from your garden will do the trick.  This is so good I have to admit I made it for just me yesterday for lunch.  Only one person to be eating, but I made the whole recipe anyway.  I'm going to eat it for every meal until it's gone.  It is that good, and then maybe I will be extremely sick of it, and I won't miss it until next year's tomatoes come around.  That's how I do things at my house:) 

Again I improvised a bit since I didn't have the goat cheese in the fridge, but I had some blue cheese.  It was a huge hit!  Also I may have added just a titch of cream.  You know me.  I have my granny's blood running through my system.  Everything is a little better with a little cream or butter.  So I hope you have some lovely tomatoes, and a variety of colors makes it even better.  I used just big old red ones, and a big handful of my yellow cherry tomatoes cut in half.  Talk about a beautiful meal!

Herb Butter and Goat Cheese (or Blue Cheese) Angel Hair with Dang Fresh Tomatoes

adapted from Rachel Ray

1 lb. of Angel Hair Pasta cooked al dente

While your pasta is cooking, saute in a pan:

 1 small onion chopped 

3 cloves of garlic chopped

6 T. of butter

Stir around until the onions are soft.  About 5 mins.  Then add to the onions:

1/2 c. white wine (I'm sorry mom, I did this, but I told my bishop!)

Stir this mixture around until it reduces a bit in the pan.  It will only take a few minutes.  You can use chicken stock too if you want.  Can you imagine if someone saw you walking into the State Liquor store.  I know I'd hear, "Well hello Sister Clawson."  The alcohol cooks out they say, but I couldn't tell you who "They" is and they could be just feeding me a line. Oh well.   Next add to the onions:

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

2 T. dill weed

a handful of chopped fresh basil (use what you have and if you don't have all the herbs it will still be amazing.)  Stir until mixed together.  In a large bowl place the drained pasta with: 

1 c. blue cheese

1 c. reserved pasta water

salt and pepper

  Stir around until the cheese is melted.  Add the onion, and herb mixture and continue stirring.  Finally add:

2 c. chopped tomatoes (all colors)

grilled chicken or sliced steak (totally optional)

Mix again and stir in a little cream or half and half if you want it a little more saucy.  Serve with shredded parmesan cheese. 

I Am On A Roll

Just a quickie here.  You know me though.....I start on something and sometimes I just can't stop.  It would be the roasted veggies again.  This time in a pasta.    Yummy, yummy!  Tonight's dinner was Lemon Roasted Veggie Chicken Pasta.  Do you think I could come up with a better name?  I'll work on that one.  Here's the recipe though.  It is really easy and tastes light and summery.  Let me know if you try it.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Lemon Roasted Veggie Chicken Pasta

Roasted veggies (I use 1 lb. of asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, and onions)  Place the veggies on a cookie sheet and drizzle a little olive oil on top.  Toss with your hands and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them.  Place in a 425' F. oven for 20-30 mins.

1 lb. pasta of choice  (I used Linguine)  cooked al dente

2 chicken breasts chopped

In a large saute pan place the cooked pasta, roasted veggies, and chicken.  Add to the pan:

2 c. half and half

1 T. lemon zest

1 c. Parmesan cheese

a pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper

Turn the temp up and let the half and half heat up while you mix it around with the other ingredients.   The sauce may seem really thin, but it thickens while it sits.   This is a yummy dinner, and loaded with good veggies.  Serve with Great Harvest Asiago Sourdough bread, a sprinkling of Parmesan, and fresh parsley.