I'm calling this one Salad Pasta...

...instead of Pasta Salad :) Pretty Clever, huh?

A few months ago, a friend of mine made a pasta salad from a recipe on the back of a (gasp!) Simply Pasta box... That gasp! is tongue in cheek - who am I to judge where someone gets a recipe, as long as it is good! And it was. Good, that is.

I've tried to find that recipe a few different times. And when all else failed, I just made up my own. So here is my version of that recipe,

Salad Pasta

4 oz Gemelli Pasta, cooked and cooled

a couple of handfuls of Romaine lettuce (I used half of a bag of salad)

1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

4 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed

1 small can of black olives or Kalamata olives, sliced

your favorite dressing - i used a Kraft sun-dried tomato vinaigrette (one of our favorites for pasta salad), my friend used a jar of basil pesto and it was delicious!!

I also sauteed some chicken breasts in olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar. Then sliced them and served alongside the salad pasta.

Menu #47

Monday: Pasta Salad

Rotisserie Chicken

Tuesday: Caramelized Onion & Proscuitto Pizza

Green Salad

Wednesday: Chili Chicken

Tortilla's

Corn Salad

Thursday: Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter

Tortellini

Garlic Bread

Friday: Taco Salad

Guacamole & chips

Saturday: 16 minute beef & bean burritos

spanish rice

Penne with Beef and Arugula

This is a recipe from Food Network Giada De Laurentiis, that was send to me from Aubrey, my favorite
San Diego dwelling person. This is delicious, healthy (to my standards, if using a lean cut of beef, whole grain wheat pasta). This will be a regular in our home. I love it, thanks Aubrey!

1 (1-pound) New York strip steak
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence (I don't have this, so I used Montreal Steak seasoning)
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 pound penne pasta (I use Whole Grain Wheat Pasta)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for steak and pasta water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for steak
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 cups chopped arugula
 
Season the steak with salt and freshly ground black pepper, herbs de Provence, and minced garlic. In a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook steak about 7 minutes per side. Remove the meat from pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak. Set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.
In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, fresh herbs, and 3/4 cup olive oil. In a large bowl toss the pasta with half of the salad dressing and the reserved pasta water. Add the arugula and steak, more dressing, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed. Toss, Serve

Makes 4 servings
Recipe and Photo: Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

I made this last night for Dinner.. It was really delicious! I added a chopped Tomato to the finished dish, and I used Angel Hair pasta because it's our favorite. Next time I will also add chopped Artichoke hearts. Do you like Arugula? I would suggest trying it in this recipe, it is so yummy. It's peppery and crisp. Adds a great texture to this dish, and.. it's good for you!

Ingredients

For the lemon oil:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested

1 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces frozen shrimp
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
For the lemon oil:
Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add some of the cooking water to desired consistency. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Recipe and Photo Food Network, Giada De Laurentiis

Steak Sandwiches with Sauteed Mushrooms, Spinach and Roasted Garlic Mayo

To serve 4
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 whole head of Garlic, paper on for Roasted Garlic Mayo
1/2 cup Mayo
1/2 ts Lemon juice, optional
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 tbs. Butter
8 oz White Button Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
1 tbs. Red Wine or Red Wine Vinegar
1 bag (10 oz) Baby Spinach
8 slices crusty Bread (I used Sourdough Rolls) toasted
4 slices Swiss Cheese, optional

To make the Roasted Garlic Mayo:
Preheat oven to 400. Take a whole head of garlic, paper on and slice it in half, width wise. Drizzle the cloves with olive oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast in oven for 30-35 minutes, or until they are caramelized, soft and slightly brown. Your house will smell amazing! Let cool.
Once cooled, remove the roasted cloves using a fork, and put in a bowl. For 1/2 cup of mayo, I used about 6 cloves. They are very mild and delicious once roasted. If you want, start with a few and taste test until you have the flavor you want!
Once mashed, mix with the mayo and about 1/2 ts lemon juice. I also added a tiny bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Grill or cook your steaks to your desired doneness. We like ours Medium. Once cooked, let rest.

In a skillet, add 1 tbs olive oil. Add onions and cook until softened. Add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are brown. Add minced garlic during last 5 minutes of cooking. Turn off heat. Add red wine and a pat of butter. Just do it, it's delicious!

Thinly slice the steaks against the grain. Spread Roasted Garlic Mayo on one side of the bread, top with sliced Steak. Add the Onion/Mushroom mixture. Top with fresh Baby Spinach, and to hold it all together, the Swiss Cheese. Top with remaining slice of bread.


Recipe adapted from Everyday Food, May 2010

Memorial Day Menu

here have we been?! I feel like I haven't posted forever! Sorry about that. You really don't want to know what I have been eating, because it is very boring and comes in all shades of green. Lettuce! Lots and lots of lettuce....
We are having a BBQ for Memorial Day Weekend, and here is what is on the menu:

Neely's Surf and Turf ~ This sounds like a great, affordable way to serve Surf and Turf!  It's grilled Strip Steaks (you can use whatever steaks you love) topped with a Shrimp Scampi style Butter! After reading the recipe and the reviews, I am making some changes.. I will use a pound of shrimp to feed 6 adults, and I will use 1 1/2 sticks of butter. The recipe calls for 2 sticks for 4 steaks, to 1/2 pound of shrimp. The shrimp to butter ratio seems off to me, I want more shrimp than butter; and I dont want to send anyone to their Cardiologist.

Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese and Arugula ~ Yum.

and for Dessert:
Strawberry Whipped Sensation ~ Fresh and light. Beware- it takes 6 hours to set up and freeze, so make it the night before!

I hope you have a very fun and safe Memorial Day Weekend with the ones you love! Bring on Summer!!

Menu #38

Monday: Taco Salad
chips and salsa

Tuesday: Spaghetti
garlic bread

Wednesday: Pepperoni Stromboli
green salad

Thursday: Capellini with Tomatoes & Basil
garlic Bread

Friday: Baked Lemon Pasta w/ Rotisserie Chicken

Saturday: Quesadilla's w/ Rotisserie Chicken
black beans & spanish rice