Quick Summer Pasta Salad

This is a pasta salad that you can made on the run.  All of the ingredients are readily available in your local deli – so if you are on the run and don’t have a lot of time – this is a quick and delicious summer pasta salad to take. It’s bursting with flavor and can also be made ahead of time. 

Sue Patrick Richard and Tracey Patrick Blanchard shared this recipe – they are excellent cooks! 

16 ounces of Pasta – tri color is pretty or my favorite, Castellana Trecce Dell’orto
Chop 1 small red onion
Chop 2-3 cucumbers
Shred 2 cups cheddar cheese – I prefer to shred my own.  The pre-shredded is too dry. 
1 – 12 ounce bottle ranch dressing or you can make a batch of Ranch dressing and use 1 and 1/2 cups.
Chop 1 tomato or use grape tomatoes – as many as you like
Kalamata olives – as many as you like

Add 1/4 cup chopped or torn Basil

Almost 1 jar of McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning (contains Romano cheese, salt, sesame seed, poppy-seed, celery seed, paprika, garlic, black pepper and red pepper.)
Optional:  Add grilled shrimp or grilled chicken

Cook pasta – drain and cool.  Add onion, cucumbers, cheese, tomatoes, olives, and dressing.  Mix well.  Cover the top with a healthy amount of Salad Supreme Seasoning and then set your chicken or shrimp on the top of the seasoning.  Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Right before serving toss salad and serve.  If the pasta has absorbed too much of the Ranch dressing, you can add a little more at this time.

 

5 Cup Salad

This is the fruit salad our family makes every holiday.  Mark likes the pineapple in smaller tid bit size.  Brandi likes her fruit salad without coconut….there’s someone in every family who is special.  We love you Brandi!  Wonder why we don’t make this fruit salad any other time?  It’s so simple!

1 cup Mandarin Oranges

1 cup Pineapple (small size)

1 cup Coconut

1 cup marshmallows (miniature)

1 cup Sour Cream

Old Fashioned Greek Salad

As summer is coming to an end, I think about salads more often.  A Greek salad is so refreshing and full of flavor.

Step 1:

1 head Lettuce, rinse shake dry and chopped. (Romaine is Best)
1/2 of a medium Red Onion, slice thinly
2-3 Roma Tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 jar pitted Kalamata Olives, about 1 cup
1 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
1 small jar drained peppers, Mezzetta Imported Peperoncini are my favorite!
1 large Cucumber, Sliced and cut again

Step 2:

1/2 cup Olive Oil

3 tablespoons Red Wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder or 1 freshly minced garlic clove

1 teaspoon dried Oregano

1 teaspoon dried Basil

1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar, optional

1 teaspoon Black pepper

1 teaspoon Dijon or spicy brown mustard

Add in large serving bowl, all step 1 ingredients, cucumbers last.  In a side bowl mix all step 2 ingredients – whisk together to infuse the ingredients or pour into a jar and shake vigorously.  Pour over the salad, cover and chill.  Cover tightly while storing, otherwise your refrigerator will smell just like this salad.

Layered Salad – great for Labor Day Picnics

This is a delicious salad that is easy to prepare, can be made a head of time,  and is easy to take for a picnic.  I usually make it around the Labor Day holiday.

• 2 heads Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
• 8 ounces,  Baby Spinach, washed and dried
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 8 Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped
• 16 ounces, Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 Tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
• 8 ounces, Cheddar Cheese, grated
• 1 bag (10 Ounce) Frozen Peas, thawed

Dressing

• ½ cup Mayonnaise
• ½ cup Sour Cream
• 1 tablespoon Sugar

In a clear glass or clear bowl, layer salad ingredients in the order they appear above, concentrating ingredients around the perimeter of the bowl and filling in the center with lettuce, if needed. End with the layer of peas.

Combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. Pour over the top of the peas and spread to cover, bringing dressing all the way out to the edges of the bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours. Toss just before serving.

El Chico’s Dressing

There is a Mexican Restaurant in Shreveport, Louisiana called El Chico’s.  Shreveport is the only location that makes this dressing.  It’s very versatile; you can eat it with chips, add it to your taco salad, tacos, fajitas, and much more.

1/2 – 3/4 cup of Miracle Whip Salad Dressing (do not use real mayo)

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1  1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 cup of milk

Mix all together and chill at least 2 hours. The mixture will thicken when chilled.

Crab Salad Sandwich with Avocados – great summer sandwich!

When the summer heat is unbearable and it’s too hot to cook, you can make this delicious crab salad sandwich with avocados.

I love avocados!!!!  I asked a dear friend, Céire, if she had a favorite recipe using avocados.  She shared this simple and amazing recipe and I have to share it with you – it was that good.  She said she got the recipe from Martha Stewart Living a few years ago.  It only takes a few minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to chill, and one second to devourer!

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon crème fraîche

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

1 tablespoon minced chives

Freshly ground pepper

8 ounces lump crabmeat

4 leaves red-leaf lettuce

1 avocado, thinly sliced – I really love avocado so I used 2

8 slices brioche, toasted  (I used french bread.)

Mix lemon juice, salt, crème fraîche, shallot and chives. Season with pepper. Fold in crab. Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide lettuce, avocado and crab among 4 bread slices and top with remaining bread slices.   I didn’t have any brioche, so we used fresh french bread sliced and toasted and ate the sandwiches open-faced.  So delicious!!!

Orange Basil Vinaigrette, so refreshing!

This is a refreshing and flavorful vinaigrette to use as a salad dressing or as a sauce over grilled salmon. This recipe makes 6 servings.

1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup minced basil, fresh is best
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a 1 pint mason jar. Screw the lid on the jar tightly and shake vigorously to incorporate all the ingredients. You can save the left over dressing for another day in the mason jar in your refrigerator.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

This salad is a favorite year-round at our home.  It’s so simple and easy to make.  No, I don’t use bottled Italian salad dressing.  You can add garlic to this salad, but remember, garlic gets stronger each day so go easy.  In the summer I add fresh herbs like dill, basil, and oregano.

• 1 lb package of pasta – you choose what color and shape you want.  Be creative!
• 1 package Monterey grilled artichoke hearts (any artichoke hearts will do, but if you can find these at your Whole Foods store by all means get them – they are outstanding!)
• 1 package fresh grape tomatoes
• 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted (I love these olives!)
• 1/2 jar Roasted Red and Yellow Peppers, rough chopped
• 1 pound of good feta cheese, cubed
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 package of pine nuts, toasted (be careful, they toast quickly)
• Kosher salt
• 1/cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

 

For the dressing:  Wisk the following ingredients together to infuse.  Pour over salad ingredients and toss.

• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar (any flavor will do)
• 12 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 clove garlic – smashed (optional)

Vinaigrette Salad Dressing / Marinade – Delicious on Avocados or Artichokes!

Farmer’s markets are my favorite place to go on Saturday mornings.  There is a fantastic one in downtown Memphis that has a variety of heirloom tomatoes and organic lettuces.  There’s even a new one in my little town of Collierville.  I’m sure you have a great farmer’s market in your area too. 

Homemade salad dressings take such little time to make and there are so many variations, but the results are non-comparable to store bought. 

This vinaigrette can be used on salads, avocados, artichokes, tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, and so many other things.  It’s a great marinade for chicken and steaks too! 

1/2 cup celery hearts

1/2 cup green onions

1/4 cup Italian parsley

1/2 cup pimentos

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3/4 cup good olive oil

approximately 1 teaspoon sugar or honey

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash of Tabasco

In your food processor or blender, grind into a fine mixture (not puree) celery, green onions, parsley and pimentos.  Add vinegar, oil, Worcestershire, a touch of sugar, salt, and Tabasco.  Mix well and chill until ready to use.

Ada’s Potato Salad

You can eat this potato salad cold or warm.  4-5 servings

 5 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 boiled eggs, separate the yolks from the whites

Seasoned salt

Sweet Pickle Relish

¾ cup Blue Plate Mayo

Tartar sauce

Lemon juice

¼ cup chopped onion, optional

 5 regular Idaho potatoes – not bakers – regular size.  Peel and cube in pot of water, boil until tender.  Drain and add to a bowl.  While the potatoes are hot, break up with a fork lightly – you want them sort of chunky. 

 Now here is where you have to use the amount you like.  Add sweet pickle relish, seasoned salt, 2 egg whites chopped (save the yolks). 

In a separate bowl, mash the 2 egg yolks, add approx ¾ cups mayo (we use Blue Plate), 1 squirt tarter sauce (it comes in a squirt bottle), small amount of chopped onion – about ¼ cup (onions get stronger each day),  and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.  Pour this mixture into the potatoes, relish and egg whites.  Mix lightly – you don’t want to mash your potatoes.

 HELPFUL HINT:  When you have boiled eggs in a dish and refrigerate the dish – you put lemon juice so that it won’t smell funky when you open it up the next time.