Food In Many Forms

Last week, a good friend of mine texted me, "I just made a very involved pasta salad". At the time, I thought, "hmm, okay cool... random, send me the recipe." But now after having made said pasta salad, I realize how much that is the understatement of the year. "Very involved" is exactly how I would describe it. Don't believe the New York Times' estimated prep time of forty-five minutes - it took me closer to an hour and a half or two hours to make. But it is pretty delicious. And a ton of food.  Ingredients: 2 lb ripe campari tomatoes, cut in wedges 5 Tbsp Olive oil Salt and pepper 2 or 3 garlic cloves, pressed 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional) 2 Tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped (optional) 2 medium eggplants, about 1 pound 12 oz whole wheat ziti or other short pasta 6 oz mild feta 1 small bunch of basil, for garnish Directions: 1. Heat broiler. Put tomato wedges in a shallow baking dish in one layer. Drizz...

There is nothing that says Memorial Day more than a good old American  barbecue. But chances are that barbecue will have plenty of chips, dip, and desserts, and very few vegetables. Pasta salad is the answer to this problem, it is a socially acceptable, well-liked side that you can pile on with vegetables and people will just think it's got great color! The trick is to make sure your pasta salad is healthy ;) 12 oz Pasta 1 Yellow Bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup carrots, shredded 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 1 medium cucumber, peeled and quartered 1/4 cup Brianna's New American Balsamic Vinaigrette 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning Cook the pasta and rinse it in a collander with cold water. Pour the prepared vegetables and pasta in a large bowl and mix to combine. Add the salad dressing and Italian seasoning and mix well until the pasta is coated with dressing. Allow to "marinate" for at least an hour before serving.

What better time to blog about  warm weather  and  picnics  than when it is rainy and cold outside! Last week, when it was warm and sunny, I rounded up some of my girlfriends and we set out for Patterson Park with  Tuna Sandwiches, Pasta Salad, Watermelon Slices and a Bottle of Wine . Sitting under a tree, watching baseball and eating refreshing food makes for an idealistic Sunday afternoon. I can't wait to do it again. I used bowtie pasta and added fresh basil. I just wish I had taken a picture of it, it looked even better than the picture on the website. A lot of pasta salad recipes use salad dressing, but I like that this  dressing  is relatively  natural  and  simple . INGREDIENTS Serving Size 6 servings (1-1/3 cups each) 12 ounces dry rotini pasta, uncooked (12 oz = 4-1/2 cups) 2 tablespoons Canola Oil 2 tablespoons Gulden's® Spicy Brown Mustard 1/2 pint grape tomatoes 1 large cucumber, sliced 1 can (2.25 oz ...