I Was Pushin' It

Happy Monday, Kitschies!  I hope you enjoyed your weekend.  Our weekend was HOT without a drop of rain.  I was hopeful it would rain because I saw some really big banks of thunderheads building to the east and north but we got nuthin!  Most of Albuquerque got rain, and quite a bit of it at that, but Rio Rancho was left out.  It's looking promising for rain again this afternoon but RR will probably get skipped over.  Again.

I have an absolutely delish and easy recipe to share with you today.  I made this the first time a while back and I wasn't sure if the hubs would go for it because there's some stuff in it he refuses to eat.  Well, refused to eat.  So, when I made it, I told him he had to come to the dinner table with an open mind.  In other words: I was pushing it.  LOL  Both he and the boys ate this without fuss - especially when I made it a couple weeks ago.

No-Time Pesto Pasta

1/2 (16-oz.) pkg. penne rigate pasta (3 cups), uncooked

1/2 cup pesto

1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

 

Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain; return to pan.  

Add pesto and peppers; cook and stir on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until heated through.

Stir in cheese.

 

NOTES:  My hubs is all about the protein, so I added a couple of cooked breasts of chicken, cut up in thin pieces.  I mixed in the cooked chicken with the pesto and peppers.

 

I've never cooked with any of these ingredients (other than the pasta, of course) so I was a little afraid of how it would come together.  But...I like all the ingredients, so I decided to give it a try.

OMGOSH YUM!!  I'm on a whole-foods type diet right now and this looks really, really good.  LOL  Even if I wasn't on this stoopid diet, it would look good! 

 

I found this (and several other) recipes on Kraft Recipes.  I like this site because you can type in individual ingredients of what you have on hand and it'll bring up recipes with those ingredients for you to browse through.  I've tried a number of recipes from Kraft Recipes and I haven't had a stinker yet!

 

So...are there any recipes you were afraid to try but once you did you loved it?  Or a recipe you were sure a family member wouldn't like but they did?  Share them with me!  I'm *always* looking for new recipes to try!!  As always, you can email me at megharmeyer@gmail.com.

Hope you're making it through your Monday relatively unscathed.  It's back to work I go...I have a pile of things needing to be sent out that are staring at me.

Perfect for a Picnic

Good morning, Kitschies!  I'm at home with Thing 2 today - again.  We got a call from daycare yesterday that he had a fever (over 102*).  He slept away the afternoon yesterday and his fever came down.  He got up this morning and the fever was back (between 102 and 103*), so we're home.  He's not excessively bothered by the fever - not lethargic, not overly whiny or clingy, just has a fever.  And I hope it stays that way (the not being bothered part, not the fever).  So, while he's snacking on a granola bar and (sorta) watching Sesame Street, I thought I'd put together a post for you.

This is a family recipe that I've loved *forever*.  My aunts put together a family cookbook for Christmas one year (as I've mentioned before) and I was so happy to see this recipe in there!  The only drawback?  It's a family recipe, so the measurements aren't exact, but I know how it's supposed to taste, so that's good enough for me.

Momma's Macaroni Salad

Cook 1 pound package of salad macaroni (I use Ditalini) according to instructions on package.  Drain and rinse.

To cooled macaroni, add:
About 1 cup chopped celery
About 1/2 cup chopped sweet pickle
1 large jar diced pimento (4 oz)
1 large can sliced green olives, drained

Mix together then add to the macaroni:
1-2 to 1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1-2 Tbsp sweet pickle juice
salt to taste

Adjust salt and vinegar to taste.  Refrigerate to marry flavors.

NOTES:  I don't usually make the full recipe, it's halves easily.  This salad is best if it sits overnight. 

Gather all your ingredients.  Be sure to not get minced green olives - doesn't give the same flavor.  I don't know why, it just doesn't.

YUM!  My hubs doesn't care for this recipe much, neither does my mom, but I love it and so does my dad.  I try to make this every time my parents come to visit.  And it makes a lot (if you use the full recipe), so it's great for parties.

Gah!  Now I'm wanting some of this.  This is one of my favorite family recipes.  And one of my favorite Summer recipes.  Good thing I'm going grocery shopping later this morning!!

As always, please let me know if you use any of my recipes and whether or not you liked it.  I love hearing when people use a recipe I've posted. 

Have a good Thursday!  Hope you're not melting in the heat.  It's been warmer than usual here - upper 90s AND it's been more humid, too.  We finally got some rain last night (that shut us out of the baseball game) so while it's a bit cooler this morning, it's more humid.  Yuck!