Family favorite Pasta Salad

 

 

LAST POST I promised to share a few recipes I used at a recent baby shower I threw for my friend. This pasta salad has been a recipe my mom made growing up, and after I got married I tried my Mother in Law's version as well. I took it upon myself to combine ideas from the two, and I am really happy with the end result!

This salad can be made with variations, adding or substituting as you please... the flavors are bright and fresh, and it can be made ahead of time for early and easy preparation.

 

Recipe: Family Favorite Pasta salad

Recipe source: Emmy in her Element

 

1 Box Rotini pasta

6 cheese sticks cut into 1/4"thick slices

3/4 cup purple chopped purple onion

1 cucumber peeled and cut into bite sized chunks

1 cup cheery tomatoes sliced in half or thirds

1 cup blanched broccoli chopped

1 2.25 oz can sliced black olives.

1 bottle Italian Dressing

1-2 tablespoons Jonny's salad essence seasoning

 

Garnish:

Toothpicks

cherry tomatoes

string cheese slices

sliced crostini bread or bagel chips

 

Boil Pasta as directed. Do not over cook as the pasta will soak in some of the dressing. Drain and cool in the refrigerator. Cut veggies and cheese, and set aside. Flash boil the broccoli for just a few minutes to lightly soften. Do not over cook. Immediately remove and add to an ice bath or rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Cool broccoli in the refrigerator. Once pasta has cooled, add veggies, olives, cheese, salad essence and stir in about 3/4 of the bottle of Italian Dressing. Mix together and let cool together in the fridge. After a few hours, add a little more dressing as the pasta will soak a little of it up as it cools.

For my party, a fun way I found to dish up the salad was to add it to clear cups and add a garnish on the top. I made this by taking a tooth pick and adding 1 whole cherry tomato and a slice of mozzarella cheese. Right next to it I added a bagel chip, I also think a slice of crostini bread would be perfection.

This was easy to make ahead of time and chill until my guests arrived.

 

   You could also add pepperoni, or use different kinds of pasta for this salad. I have had it made with tri-colored pasta, spaghetti noodles, or bowtie. You could also use different vegetables, let your imagination take over!  

How to make your own Chick-hatching Easter {DEVILED} eggs

 

  Happy Easter Sunday everyone. I hope you have a beautiful day! I will be spending my day growing spiritually, enjoying time with family and of course devouring a delicious feast. One of my favorite recipes for Easter is for deviled eggs turned chick! I have a super easy recipe to share with you that is fun and fast. Want to make it even faster? Boil or bake your eggs the night before. If you aren't a fan of boiling eggs... try this fast mess free tip! They will turn out perfect every time. Place eggs in a cupcake tin, and bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let cool, store in the refrigerator until you need them. Peel and enjoy!  

Recipe- 8 Deviled chick eggs- See pictures below for process
Recipe Source: Emmy in her Element
 

8 eggs, hard boiled or baked (see above). Peel and cut 1/3 of the top off the egg.

8 egg yolks from boiled eggs

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. light mayo (Best Foods is my favorite)

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

pinch of sugar (this helps balance the salty tangy flavors)

1/3 teaspoon white vinegar

pinch of onion powder

 

{chick embellishments}

1 can chopped black olives

2 small carrots

 

Cut the top third of the egg off and add yolks to a bowl. Now turn the egg over and make a very small cut (1/4 inch in thickness or less) of the bottom of the egg, as to help it stand on the plate without tipping over. Keep this small piece of egg to add to the top of your chick heads.

Place hollow eggs on a plate surrounded with spinach. Mix yolks and all ingredients in a bowl. Use mixer to whip together if you want a very smooth consistency. Add filling into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe deviled mixture into eggs making a circular motion at the top. For the embellishments, use olives and carrots for the beak. Just slice a few pieces into a triangle shape. Now place the extra bottom pieces of egg that you cut off on the tops to look like the eggs are hatching. Voilà! All finished. Store in the fridge and chill until ready to serve.  

 

 

 

 

OPTION 2 If you want to skip the chick look and go for something a little more "adult"... here is another option! Do everything the same and leave out the embellishment part. They look beautiful!  

  HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY

Superbowl Snack favorites

It's Here Its Here! Super bowl Sunday!

To be honest, my favorite thing about this "Holiday"  is that I get to cook lots of goodies for my family and friends to share for the game. Shhhh! Don't tell my husband but making tasty eats on the big day is my #1 reason for loving Super Bowl Sunday!

 

If you are stumped on what to make for the big day, take a look at a few of our family's favorite  recipes, and enjoy these easy homemade snacks with your friends and loved ones while you cheer on your favorite team.

 

Who are you rooting for this year?

 

Black forest ham and swiss sliders

 

 

Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps

 

 

Buffalo Hot wings- grill style

 

 

 

 

Hot and chewy buttered pretzels, and cinnamon wheat pretzels

 

 

3 Cheese Jalapeno poppers

 

 

Sweet cinnamon apple pie turnovers

 

Delicious pulled pork

 

Family favorite pasta salad

 

 

 

Mom's chewy gooey caramel corn

 

Mini cheesecakes with raspberry swirls

 

 For more recipes and ideas GO HERE

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Rosemary and Olive oil Roasted Vegetable Medley

 

 

My mom and I love to share recipes with each other. This results in several phone calls each day, where one of us excitedly shares a new discovery for a delicious dish. It's kind of just what we do. I was so happy when she told me about a vegetable dish that tastes delicious and involves eating EIGHT different vegetables at the same time!! YES! you heard me right... eight. This was intriguing to me because I am not very good at eating my vegetables. It seems like it comes more as a chore to me, I do it because I know I should- not because I want to. I constantly find myself looking for different ways to cook them up creatively.

 

 

Recipe:

{seasonings}

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

{vegetables}

1 fennel root

1 acorn squash

1 sweet potato

1/2 sweet onion

1/2 purple onion

1 container whole mushrooms

5-6 red potatoes

4 mini sweet peppers

 

Chop all your vegetables into bite sized chunks and add to a large bowl. Add Olive oil and  seasoning's on top and stir well. Add to a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour or until potatoes fork test tender. When veggies are tender, turn oven on Lo Broil. Bake the veggies for 3-4 extra minutes to get an extra crispiness on top from the broiler.

*Leave mushrooms in half as they will cook down quiet a bit.  Don't be afraid to peel an acorn squash. It seems hard but let me show you how I did it...

 Start but cutting the squash in half. Then turn it over face down so it can't move around on you.

 



 

Take a knife and slice down the sides of it until all of the skin is peeled off. Cut into slices and then chunks.

 

Not sure what Fennel is? It maybe labeled as Anise at the store. I can promise you the checker wont know what it is. They ask me EVERY time. :) It has a licorice flavor and that sounds like a funny thing to add, but I love it because of it's subtle sweetness and unique flavor.

It will come with some large green stems growing out the top. You will want to chop the top and fibrous bottom from it, and peel the outer layers. Chop the inside into bite sized chunks.

 

I found a bag of about 25 of these sweet peppers at my local grocery store. They were less than $6 and I can use them in so many ways. For this dish I just sliced them up and added them on top of the other veggies. They develop a sweeter flavor as they roast.

As I was chopping  these vegetables up and could smell  the fresh rosemary and seasonings on top of them, I knew I was in for a treat.

We enjoyed these veggies as a delicious side dish to bone in chicken breasts seasoned with Weber "Kick'N Chicken seasoning"... one of my favorites. The chicken breasts take just a minute longer than the veggies, so add them first to get a head start. Then you can pull them all out at the same time and hear "ummmm... what smells good Mom!"

 

 

I guess you're never too old to have your Mother trying to get you to eat your vegetables- but in this case, I didn't put up too big of a fight!

Holiday Spiced Orange and Cranberry salad

 

 Ok for starters, the amazing smell that perfumes your kitchen as you make this salad makes it  well worth trying!

The sweet smell of cranberries with the tart-fresh squeezed orange juice, and kick of cinnamon and clove will put you right in the mood for Christmas!

This gorgeous salad is such a sweet addition to your Holiday meal, you will just love it.

I hope you have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

 

Recipe: Holiday spiced orange and cranberry salad
Recipe source: Emmy in her Element
 

1 cup water

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 20 oz can of crushed pineapple
1 cup of pineapple juice (reserved from the crushed pineapple)

1 large box (6 oz) raspberry Jell-O mix

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (depending on how much you like cinnamon!)

a pinch of ground clove

1 can whole berry- cranberry sauce (I like ocean spray brand)

2/3 cup walnuts chopped

2 medium apples peeled and chopped into bite sized chunks (tart apples are best, I use pink lady)

 

Strain and reserve juice from crushed pineapple. Let pineapple continue to drain until all it's juice has been separated.

Combine water, orange juice, and pineapple juice in medium sauce pan. Add orange zest, cinnamon and clove. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and dissolve raspberry Jell-O. Add cranberry sauce and stir until dissolved. Pour into a bowl and let chill in the fridge for 2 hours. While Jell-O is still in "soft serve" form, add chopped walnuts, crushed pineapple and apple chunks. Let chill until firm, about another 2 hours. I love to make this salad a day ahead, to ensure that it sets up firm in time to serve. Make sure and leave yourself plenty of time to let it set.

 

______________________________________
 

I love how food can bring Families together for the Holidays. No matter your status, religion, ethnicity or view, there should always be a time of year when your family comes together to share time and love. For my family, good food always accompanies us... just another reason why it is such a special part of my life.

Happy Holidays. 

3 Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

 

 

This is one of our family's Sunday night Football treats. They also work great to take to parties, or have for special occasions. You can make them as spicy or mild as you like.

Hope you enjoy!!!

 

Recipe:

5-6 medium sized jalapenos cut in half lengthwise

1 8oz package of cream cheese softened almost to room temperature (whole fat cream cheese keeps the best texture) 

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

a pinch of cayenne pepper (omit this if you want them less spicy)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs to roll the poppers in (I love to use Italian)

NOTE: This recipe can easily be made Gluten Free by switching the bread crumbs out for Japanese Panko bread crumbs which add great texture and are gluten free

 6 bacon strips (I use the canned Hormel canned bacon bits I think they work great and it saves me the work and time of cooking the bacon)

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup Monterey jack cheese

 

Mix together the cream cheese, bacon, cheddar and Monterey cheeses, garlic and chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper.

Slice your jalapenos in half. Gut the seeds with a small spoon or ice cream scoop. Add a spoonful of the filling to the pepper and press it down with your fingers.

Pour a 1/2 cup of your bread crumbs into a pie pan, and roll the tops of the peppers in the bread crumbs so that the stuffing is covered.

Place into a preheated oven of 300 degrees and cook for 20 minutes for spicy, 30 minutes for medium, and 40 minutes for mild.

 

Since I really like spicy bites but prefer my peppers to cook a little longer, I make them more spicy by adding more cayenne. You can mess with it and taste the filling before you cook them to decide.

 

Be careful any time you work with hot peppers to WASH YOUR HANDS and do not touch your eyes or other areas until your hands have been cleaned. You could be in some serious pain!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Sunday!