Pasta Salad

Did you know Mother's Day is less than two weeks away? I just can't believe May is here tomorrow. Normally, I visit my Mom on Saturday of Mother's Day weekend. I bring her a gift and visit with her. My husband does the same and brings his Mom a gift. Since I have three sisters, I normally do not have to share my Mom on Saturday. My Mom gets to celebrate the whole weekend for Mother's Day. 

Normally, we spend Mother's Day doing yard work. However, this year I want to go on a picnic. I was hoping to bring the kids on a picnic before now but time has gone by so fast. We have invited our Mom's to join us if they would like. It would be really nice.

I figured I would make pasta salad with supper. I decided to try this recipe from food network's Sandwich King. I had to adapt this recipe a lot due to no asparagus. I already had macaroni noodles. Also, the original recipe did not have a lot of flavor. My oldest daughter told me an artist has to change 70% of a picture to claim it as their own. I'm not sure what the rule would be in cooking. I know if I go into the kitchen with no recipe and create a dish which wasn't inspired by another then I can claim it as my own. If I use another recipe, I would have to change it a lot before I will say it is mine. My oldest daughter insists this needs to be served cold. I liked it both ways. She also said she liked the shredded cheese better since she gets some in every bite. I will admit I added my frozen peas to my pasta water to save on dishes.

Pasta Salad
1 lb macaroni noodles
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced 
1/8 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
10 plum tomatoes, cubed
1 cup cooked peas (optional)
1/4 cup roasted yellow peppers
2 sprigs of fresh dill
1 Tbsp oregano
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to directions.
Mix the olive oil, mustard, sugar, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Make sure the ingredients are well incorporated.
Toss the olive oil mixture with the pasta.
Add the tomatoes, peas, peppers, dill, oregano, and cheese.
Toss well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris

Did you already know......
-Distilled white vinegar is the most popular vinegar in America.
-Wine vinegars are more acidity in Europe than in America.
-Vinegar has been used for over 10,000 years.

Nuevo Texas Waldorf Salad

Today's Project Pastry Queen is a salad. No dessert today. I may make one later since it is Sunday. This recipe was picked by Emily of She Makes and Bakes. I really liked it. My family (not including my husband) liked it. My husband does not eat mixed greens and believe me I have tried. If it isn't iceberg lettuce, he will go make something else.

When I was in the Air Force, I was fortunate to be assigned to photography the 50th Anniversary dinner. It was held at the Broadmoor. (It was the only way I was able to eat there even if my cousin interned at the hotel.) We were served a similar salad. It had pears and blue cheese. Pears could easily be substituted for this recipe. When I make this again, I'm going to purchase the one on sale. It just may be pears. Also, the vinaigrette is suppose to be made with white balsamic vinegar but I used aged balsamic vinegar. I didn't realize my mistake until later which is why my vinaigrette appears dark. I really liked the dressing. It is a versatile recipe. It is fancy but simple.

Nuevo Texas Waldorf Salad
4 cups organic mixed greens
3 Braeburn, Medina, or Granny Smith apples, core and sliced
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese/Gorgonzola crumbles
Rosemary Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Fried Wonton Strips

Directions:

1. Add the mixed greens, apples, pecans, blue cheese. Toss gently.
2. Pour half the Rosemary Vinaigrette over the greens and toss to coat.
3. Add more salad dressing to taste.
4. Top with the fried wonton strips. Serve immediately.

Rosemary Vinaigrette
1/3 cup rosemary leaves
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 medium onion
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Blend the rosemary, garlic, onion, mustard, honey, vinegar, salt, and pepper for 20 seconds in a food processor. 
2. Add the oil oil through the feed tube in a slow stream until the mixture emulsifies. 
3. Taste and season appropriate if needed.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook.

Did you already know...
-In May 1917, the Broadmoor was completed. 
- The owner of the Broadmoor, Spencer Penrose, also established the Cheyanne Mountain Zoo and the Will Rogers Shrine.  
-The hotel has received the Forbes five star award for over 50 years.

Double Chocolate Cookies

Sometimes I will bake something and I never get a chance to post it. Why? My hidden stash is found. I think I will be finding a new hiding area. When I was a teenager, my best friend's father would hide his sweets in unusual places like the dishwasher. With my luck, my family would decide to do dishes for me and still find them.

Yes, these cookies are worthy of hiding them. I have made these cookies many times. At the moment, they are my favorite cookie.Since they are gigantic, I do share. It is a copy cat recipe from a cookie found at Levain Bakery.

Double Chocolate Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture.
4. Mix in the cocoa powder and blend until well incorporated.
5. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and mix until just incorporated.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips.
7. Transfer the dough to a clean surface and knead briefly until well combined.
8. Divide the dough into desired portion size. For giant cookies, divide into 12 equal pieces.
9. Place the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. 
10. Bake the dough for about 16 minutes or until set.
11. Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. 

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats.

Waiting to take one of the last three cookies!

Did you already know...
-The first dishwasher patent was to Joel Houghton in 1850. His patent only splashed water on dishes.
-In 1886, Josephine Cochran decided to invent a workable, mechanical dishwasher in which she reveiled at the 1893 World Fair.
-Her main customers at the time were hotels and large restaurants.
-The general public was interested in her invention until the 1950s.

Does anyone know what famous company Josephine Cochran founded?

Stove Top Chili Mac

We just arrived home from vacation. I really think I need a few days longer to rest. We traveled from Maine to Mississippi to Georgia to Virginia to New Jersey and finally home. My children ate catfish, rode horses, and went to an amusement park. The best part of our trip was visiting with friends and family. 

After this trip, I needed something quick for supper. (Sorry, no catfish recipes here.) I made extra to freeze for another time. I did think the original recipe had no chili powder in it and was called chili mac so I had to add some.

Stovetop Chili Mac
1 lb. rigatoni pasta
1 tsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. hamburger
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 cup corn kernels
1 small zucchini, shredded
1 can (28. oz) fire roasted tomatoes
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and garlic. Saute for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the hamburger and increase the heat to medium high. Cook for 5 minutes while breaking up the meat.
5. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until incorporated.
6. Add the corn and zucchini. Cook for about 3 minutes.
7. Add the can of tomatoes with juice to the pan. Stir well.
8. Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. Add additional seasonings if needed.
9. In a serving dish, add the pasta and top with the meat mixture.
10. Sprinkle the dish with cheese and serve.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart website.

 Did you already know...
-From Maine to Mississippi, it is roughly 1,700 miles.
-Six states make up New England. (Can you name them?)
-By traveling the most direct route to Mississipi from Maine, a driver while pass through 4 of the 6 New England States. (Do you know which two states a driver will not pass through unless they become lost?)

Oatmeal Crisps

When I first saw this recipe, I thought these would be like circular cookies. I actually like they are in bar form. These cookies are so good. I prefer oatmeal cookies with no chocolate so I did the same thing. The other thing I did was replace the corn syrup with agave syrup. It is a preference thing.

This week's pick for Project Pastry Queen was picked by Missy of Creative Missy. I will be making these crisps again. My husband would not stop eating them. I had to hide these four crisp to take a photo of them.

Oatmeal Crisps
1/2 cup butter, unsalted
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp agave syrup 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. With cooking spray, grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, and agave syrup about 2 minutes or until mixture is smooth.
4. Add the oats, baking powder, salt, and coconut. 
5. Stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
6. Press the ingredients evenly into the greased 9 x 13 pan.
7. Bake the crisps for about 20 minutes.
8. Remove and allow the mixture to cool for 20 minutes.
9. In the pan, cut the crisps down the middle vertically. Then cut the crisps horizontally to make the crisps.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook.

Did you already know...
- Corn syrup is a natural sweetener made from corn.
-Corn syrup and sugar have the same amount of calories.
-The USFDA list corn syrup safe to use in food since 1983.