Warm Zucchini and Pasta Salad

This is really good. I made this for a pot luck dinner at a friends home. I came home with very little of it left!


Warm Zucchini and Pasta Salad
4-5 small to medium zucchini's sliced 1/2 in thick
2 large yellow bell peppers, chopped in large pieces (but keep them bite size)
1/2 red onion, chopped
8oz small shell pasta cooked according to package directions and drained
1 bottle cheesey vinagrette (or italian) salad dressing-pick your favorite
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 large roma tomato, sliced

cook the peppers and zucchini in pot with a little bit of olive oil. cook until tender but with a slight crunch, not soggy.

let cool slightly and add pasta and onion.
add dressing (you won't use the whole bottle unless you like it soupy-just use as much as you desire) and let sit until ready to eat. just before serving add cheese and top with tomatoes.

you do not need to refrigerate until after it's been served. this is meant to be warm, but not hot.

HAPPY EATING!!!!

Happy Memorial Day

Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day. Ours was delightful. Our church had a BBQ with lots of water games for the kiddos and fun and food for all. It was a nice way to stop and remember the reason we celebrate. My husband is a war veteran, my father served in the military and both my grandfathers served and one of them was a POW, so this day means so much to me. So without getting weepy.....here's my contribution to today's BBQ: very easy spinach salad. No picture needed......

Spinach Salad
1 bag prewashed spinach
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 pound block cheese, sliced into small chunks
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 bottle roasted red pepper vinaigrette

Mix and toss and serve.


This went fast and it was really yummy.

HAPPY EATING!!!!

Hey everyone! Sorry no posting in a while. I've been in a food funk and haven't really made anything worth posting about. It's been a lot of left overs and take out....ug......time to start the annual new years resolution to lose the holiday weight!!! :O)

I did however whip up some coleslaw the other day. We got this outstanding hot dog maker for Christmas (thanks mom and dad!), so we've been on a hot dog high! So I bought the bagged coleslaw and made my own dressing. Here's what I did!

Coleslaw
1/2 bag shredded cabbage for cole slaw
mayo
garlic powder
oregano
parsley
lemon juice

Mix and enjoy!

Now this is really simple and basically you add however much you want to get the taste that you want. I didn't really measure when I made it. I just added stuff until I liked what I got. So that's why I didn't put any measures. I love coleslaw on hot dogs and really on a hamburger when it's slathered in chili. The best (and only way in my opinion) to eat a hamburger. Also really good on a fish sandwich or just as a side! :O)

HAPPY EATING!!!!!!!!!!

Pasta Salad

Everyone has their own recipe for a pasta salad. Here is one of mine. We had pack meeting tonight and I took this as my potluck contribution. Sorry, batteries died in the camera before I had a chance to get a picture. You'll have to use your imagination. :O)

16 oz elbow macaroni
2 medium carrots, chopped finely
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
1 bell pepper, chopped finely
2 med tomatoes, chopped
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 envelope ranch dressing mix
2 big scoops mayo
green onions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool. Add pasta to bowl along with veggies. Mix mayo and mix in another bowl and fold into pasta mixture. Top with bacon and green onions.

The longer this sits before you eat it the better it tastes! This is a great picnic or potluck dish. I hope you enjoy it!

Baked Veggie Alfredo

This is one of those throw whatever you have on hand into the pot and VIOLA! You have dinner ready. It turned out really yummy and everyone enjoyed it. Feel free to make it to your family's likes. Enjoy!!



1 16 oz bag pasta
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 fresh zucchini chopped up
2 ribs of celery, chopped up
1/2 C frozen peas and carrots
3 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 C breadcrumbs
(i always have leftover bread in the freezer. put it in a food processor and season to taste. you will always have breadcrumbs on hand if you do this)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook and drain the pasta until almost done. About 8 minutes (depending on the type of pasta you are using.
Cook the peas and carrots with the pasta, drain. Add the celery, zucchini and toss lightly in alfredo sauce. Put in lightly greased 9X13 pan and top with breadcrumbs and bacon pieces. I also used the little bit of bacon grease as a flavoring on the top to help brown and crisp up the bread crumbs-this is of course optional.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy!!


We served this with a broccoli slaw. I found a bag of the broccoli slaw at the store today. I dressed it with salsa, 1/2 a tomato, chopped up and ranch dressing to taste. This was a yummy dinner and for the most part, healthy. Hope you enjoy it!