Springtime Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad.... It's a regular summertime side and perfect with anything on the grill. I'll add anything and everything to it and create different versions, or add whatever needs to be used up from the fridge. The past couple of months we have been loving this Springtime Pasta Salad. This weekend I am going to add grilled chicken to it and make it a meal instead of a side.



First I cut up all of my veggies while I boil my noodles.

 

 

Hi Spring - I just love you....

 



Next I whisk up my "dressing." I use this dressing in salads all the time - it's delicious. And I am a ranch loving girl - so that's big for me.

Too dark of a photo... but I was loving all the birds at my feeder the afternoon I was making this dish. My spot at my kitchen table is my favorite spot in the whole house. I would love to tell you that I sit in those big chairs and drink my morning coffee while watching the birds... but reality is I sip my coffee in the living room watching t.v and folding laundry. #reallife :)



Sauté vegetables in the skillet over medium heat just enough to get warm... You don't want to over cook these vegetables because then they will lose their beautiful color...and turn to mush.





Add the spinach and tomatoes towards the end....





Remove the vegetables and add the pasta. Notice the veggies are cooked down but they still have their great color...

Add the vegetables back to the pasta and all dressing.....



I failed to get one of those beautiful pictures of the food in a bowl with the tulips and green grass right out the window. #reallife again hit... we were hungry and dug right in.

Grocery List:

2 cups asparagus
2 tbsp. fresh basil
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1 onion
1 cup of peas, frozen
1 cup spinach
1 sweet pepper
1 pound pasta
3 tbsp. Olive Oil
Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup lemon juice and some lemon zest

Recipe:

1. Cook pasta according to the package instructions, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute broccoli, asparagus, pepper, onion and garlic in olive oil just until veggies are tender (about 7-10 minutes). Stir in spinach, peas and cherry tomatoes and cook an additional 5 minutes.
3. Remove cooked veggies from heat and stir in cooked pasta, 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water, lemon juice and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and top pasta primavera with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve Warm.

Happy Friday. I hope you all have a great weekend.
                                                                                                      

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Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches....Farmer Approved

I’m obsessing over lilacs right now. Last week my grandmother was in Florida and I completely raided her lilac bush. I literally have about 10 little lilac arrangements in my house. Planting a bush is on my list is things I want in my yard….Up next are peonies… I cannot get enough of spring flowers.

Currently my favorite spot in our house.

 Another thing I have been obsessing over is chicken on the grill. Last summer we were really too busy moving in to “mess” with getting the grill ready and grilling dinner (we are still old school charcoal users). And years past when we were in our little house it just was not convenient to grill. You literally had to walk out the house down to the little garage to the grill and there were no outside lights. I know I know… it was rough. :) But this Spring we are grilling all the time....

I like to “create" – I use that term very loosely new recipes and try new things… my farmer on the other hand likes to stick with what works. Every single time I tell him I am trying something new I can see his eye twitch as he probably starts to wonder if we have a frozen pizza in the freezer for backup. MOST of the time of works out - and this time it certainly did with chicken Caesar salad sandwiches.

Lately I have been trying to avoid carbs in the evening hours. Anything we have for dinner that would normally require bread or carbs (tacos, hamburgers, sandwiches, etc.), I just substitute for lettuce. And since I am a salad lover I usually enjoy it more. Okay okay...maybe not more but just as much.  I skipped that with this recipe this time, but I could see this being great in a wrap as well – the possibilities are endless.

Grill the chicken breasts. Anytime I am making a chicken sandwich I always slice the breasts very thin. They are easier to cook and eat that way. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. These 4 slivers of chicken are really 2 average size chicken breasts. They are just very thin.

Meanwhile toss together your Caesar salad. Lettuce and lots of dressing with some shavings of fresh parmesan cheese – yum…

Take two section of a French baguette (that’s what I used, you can use whatever you want or have – ciabatta would also be great)…  This was a lot of bread so I cut the middle section out. This made it easier to make a sandwich and pile your lettuce down in.

Lightly butter and toast on the stove top.



Assemble chicken, bacon, lettuce salad and extra dressing on top… super easy…. Barely blog post worthy but gives you another idea for a very quick and easy dinner….

Poor lighting.... and I am in the middle of washing up winter coveralls to be put away so that's what's draped over my chairs.... But this sandwich was delicious. Give it a try, or create your own version of a chicken sandwich at home.

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Spicy Oven Baked chicken Tacos..... Farmer Approved.

Its spring, things are growing, things are being planted, the sun is out longer and therefore my farmer stays busy.  Just like I did last fall for Harvest I am doing a weekly post of dinner around here. Things I can make up in the afternoon and I can throw them in the oven a little bit before my farmer gets home. Things to make life a little easier and clean up a little less.

I’ll admit – this was much easier to do in the fall with harvest.  Food that time of the year it’s easier to do casserole (ish) things, heavier and meatier. I don’t want that this time of year. I want to grill, I want veggies and lemony things.... I want salads. That’s hard to do for a hard working farmer that’s been working outside all day. To come home to..... lettuce..... So I’m putting a spin on some of our favorite dinners to get us through this busy time.

Enter Spicy Chicken Baked Tacos (recipe below). These actually aren't very spicy. Maybe the rotel (crushed tomatoes) makes it a little spicier, but you can always change the variation of the heat to the recipe.... We love Mexican food and this is easy. And unlike most Mexican dishes I don’t have 847 dirty dishes and bowls.  I made it all up in the afternoon and baked it for 10 minutes right before my farmer got home. It was delicious.

Ingredients List:

1/2 lb Chicken, cooked

1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles,

1/2 cup Onion

1 (14.5 ounce) can Ro-tel

1/2 (16 ounce) can refried beans

1 (1 ounce) taco seasoning,

10 stand and stuff taco shells

2 cups Mexican blend cheese

 

You really must get the stand and stuff taco shells.... they make it so much easier and they make a larger taco - I ate two and was stuffed. 

I really wanted shredded chicken for this recipe. I grilled my chicken breasts like normal and put them in my Kitchen Aid.... perfect for shredding chicken last minute.


 

 

 

Stir together your can of green chile's and your can of crushed tomatoes...

Add to the chicken

Then add 1/2 an onion....

Spread a layer of refried beans on the bottom of your taco shell (next time I might try black beans, my farmer LOVES black beans). Add the chicken mixture and top with cheese....

 

 

 I wrapped them in foil and refrigerated until later that evening when my farmer got home - I was worried about them becoming soggy from sitting... but they were perfect...

 

 

For toppings we chose lettuce, avocados and black olives...

 

Bake for 10 minutes (or until cheese melts) on 350°.

 

 

YUM - it's only been a few days since we have had these and I'm already hungry for them again. 

 

 

Happy Monday...

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Southern Living Banana Bread.....Farmer Approved

 
We love bananas around here.... In cereal, in shakes and most definitely in bread. :) In my search for a great banana bread recipe I came across this one from a Southern Living magazine -  it must be perfection. It's easy, it's nutty, and it has one secret ingredient....cream cheese.

 

 
 
 



Cream together the butter and the cream cheese.

 
 Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl. And slowly add to the cream cheese egg mixture.


  Smash up the bananas and add the chopped nuts (pecans and walnuts) and the vanilla.

Stir it all together. You don't need to mix hard at this point, just combine everything.

 

 Add to two buttered and floured bread pans.

 

 

 

While they are baking... clean up your kitchen,. :) I'm a sloppy baker.... But I fixed a cup of coffee and cleaned my little heart out.

 

 

 

 Bake on 350° for 1 hour..... then treat yourself to a slice... I am missing a big glass of milk.

 

It makes two loaves and we DO NOT need that sitting around here... So I wrapped up the extra loaf for someone special.

 

 

My farmer and my father-in-law have been busy in the field... It's corn planting time and the days are long and the nights are short. I snuck my extra loaf of banana bread in my father-in-laws truck... Hopefully he enjoyed a piece this morning with his coffee - I know I did.

I posted this photo on Instagram last night and got a lot of messages and e mails about my tag. the little post it note I think I may have gotten at Home Goods, it has a "K" already on it. But the "From the Kitchen of" stamp is from Paper Source. That's actually the first time I have used it - but now I am hooked. It's so cute and adds a little charm to your treats.

 
See below for full recipe

 



 

Ingredients Nutrition                                                     

• ³⁄₄ cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking powder
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon baking soda
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¹⁄₂ cups mashed bananas (1 1/4 pounds unpeeled bananas, about 4 medium)
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
2. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8- x 4-inch loaf pans.
3. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Bake up a couple of loaves to let the hardworking farmers in your family know how much you appreciate their hard work. That's what I did for my two farmers.

This photo is from planting season 2015... but its one of my favorite. I'll be back in a couple of days to talk more about planting season pictures from 2016 and how I do meals during this time.

 

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