Italian Pasta Salad

Summer just screams pasta salad. I don't like the kind covered in mayonnaise though. I prefer a vinaigrette-type dressing - or bottled Italian dressing for that matter. This recipe is a delicious and fresh tasting option for all your summer parties. Did I mention it is incredibly easy to prepare?

No, I mean REALLY easy. If you can chop vegetables and cook pasta, you can make this dish. Trust me.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pasta of your choice, cooked and drained

3 cups assorted chopped vegetables of your choice (broccoli, green peppers, onions, corn, tomatoes, etc)

* I par cooked the broccoli in the pasta water for a few minutes

8 oz (small bottle) Italian dressing

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. Add dressing; toss well. Serve chilled or at room temperature. That's it.

This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed more people. It can also be easily modified to assist you in emptying out your refrigerator. Because Shaun and I are the only two in our house, I frequently have half pounds of pasta lying around... this is a great way to use it up (along with veggies that are on their last leg). You can even add some cubed cheese to jazz up the dish. Like anything marinated, it is best to make this a day ahead of time and then serve it. Even if you only have a few hours, it's better than eating it right away. The dressing really gets absorbed by the cooked pasta so that it is bursting with flavor in every bite! I served this salad with garlic bread so I could soak up any last juices. It's better than licking the plate, don't you think?

Pack up your salad and take it with you to a friend's house.
They will love you for it.
Tutti Mangia!

Summer-Time Sides

I love looking up new recipes and storing them in binders - hence where these next two recipes came from... One night last week Shaun (the boyfriend) and I decided to grill up a few sausages for dinner and I thought it would be best to use up some of the vegetables I had in the fridge from that weekend's food shopping run. I decided on a Cherry Tomato and Lemon Salad and Penne with Grilled Zucchini, Ricotta Salata and Mint. Both recipes were adapted from the Epicurious website.

The Cherry Tomato and Lemon Salad was actually very simple to make and amazingly delicous after it marinated in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes! Each bite was bursting with lemon flavor, but not sour at all because of the sugar added in the beginning. I personally adore cherry tomatoes and the sweetness they bring to summer so this recipe is one that I will make over and over again. Maybe next time I'll really change things up and add it to a Brunch Menu. It is so light and refreshing so why not!? The Epicurious website suggests great menu using this recipe that you might see on this Blog one day.

2 large lemons
1 tablespoon sugar
1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes (3 cups), halved or, if large, quartered
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Finely grate enough zest from 1 lemon to measure 2 teaspoons. Trim ends of both lemons, then stand lemons on a cut side and cut peel, including all white pith, from lemons with a sharp paring knife (discard peel). Cut segments free from membranes, then cut segments crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Toss lemon segments gently with sugar in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients and zest, then let stand, covered, at room temperature 15 minutes (to allow flavors to develop).

The Penne with Grilled Zucchini, Ricotta Salata and Mint was less impressive... I like each of the ingredients used separately so it seemed like a no-brainer to make this, but apparently I do not like these ingredients mixed together. Honestly, I would even say it was a bit bland. Next time I think I'll skip this recipe and just serve Grilled Zucchini! That was the best part of the recipe in my opinion. I'll also be saving my mint for Mojitos only, thank you very much.

2 pounds small zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise
Extra-virgin olive oil (for brushing)
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
2 pinches of dried crushed red pepper
1 pound penne or ziti pasta
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata (salted dry ricotta cheese; about 3 ounces)*
*Ricotta salata is a firm cheese with a mildly salty flavor

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Arrange zucchini on rimmed baking sheet; brush all over with oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt and black pepper. Grill zucchini until tender, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface; cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Place in large serving bowl. Add vinegar, mint, and crushed red pepper; set aside. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Add pasta to zucchini mixture, then add 3 tablespoons olive oil and ricotta salata and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tutti Mangia!

Cafeteria - 279 Newbury St (Back Bay)

A few weeks ago I went to Cafeteria Boston on Newbury St with a bestie of mine (aka best friend, for future reference hehe). We spent a beautiful summer afternoon walking around and window-shopping before stopping for lunch. Sorry for the delay on this post! As I've mentioned before, I was on a 10 day business trip so older posts will be posted before the newer ones!

I have eaten at this restaurant two other times before and I have to say it has not been busy any time I've been in there. We decided on this restaurant that day because my bestie had a Restaurant.com gift certificate that she wanted to use. The first time I was there with two friends I ordered the gazpacho (which is no longer on the menu) and a salad. The second time I was there with my boyfriend we both ordered burgers which were amazingly good and came with parmesan fries. Those fries are TO-DIE-FOR! That day, I ordered the Organic Mixed Greens which came with mesclun greens, Vermont goat cheese, tomatoes and herb vinaigrette.

She ordered the Chef's Salad Bowl which came with mixed luttuces, smoked ham, Swiss, egg, cucumbers and tomatoes with red wine vinaigrette. She swapped out the smoked ham for grilled chicken.

Overall, my experiences there have been good but there are plenty other restaurants on Newbury St or just in Boston in general that I would still like to try out! View my post on Yelp for the same review and more to come! Thanks for reading everyone!

(I really have to think of a more creative "ending line" for my blog posts - any suggestions?

Mom's 50th Birthday Party

I know, I know, it's been a while since I've posted but I got busy! Two weekends ago I was in the middle of a "work" road trip for 10 days and in between I went home to Long Island for my mom's 50th birthday party! We had it in our backyard with about 70 guests to celebrate her big day. Guess who catered it?? Thats right - yours truly, along with MamaDukes, my Aunt Charlene and my mom's best friend Maria. We had quite the buffet menu planned for that HOTT summer day and took pictures of a few dishes!

Sausage, Onions and Peppers

Baked Ham

Rice with Veggies

Eggplant Parmesan

Marinated Grilled and Breaded Chicken Cutlets

2 Heros (as we call them on LI) - 1 American and 1 Italian

Spaghetti Pie

Green Salad

Potato Salad

Corn Salad

Antipasto Macaroni Salad

And for dessert -drum roll please!

2 Ice Cream Cakes compliments of TCBY

Carrot Cake

Chocolate Cupcakes

2 Blueberry Sour Cream Cakes

2 Strawberry-Banana Jello Pies

Happy Birthday MAMA! I love you!

P.S. If anyone wants any of the above recipes, I can pass them along - just leave a comment!