Ron’s #1 Eldest Daughter earned high academic honors in her studies to become a Registered Nurse. Keira honored Dad by asking him to pin her in the RN Pinning Ceremony, which preceded the actual graduation. All family members thorough enjoyed both events. We then invited everyone to a backyard barbeque to celebrate.
Her boyfriend helped out with preparations. James also planned a special weekend outing to follow graduation with lots of lovely surprises. But his assistance with the food preparation was wonderful. He learned how to make pasta salad, and whipped out a big success. So here’s the free recipe
Pasta Salad a la James
12-oz pkg tri-color pasta, such as rotini or other curly style, boiled in salted water just 7-8 min, till firm-tender
Assorted vegetables:
1 c thinly sliced sweet onion, cut in 1” pieces; microwaved 30 seconds
2 c peapods, tips removed & discarded; pods halved crosswise; microwaved 30 sec
1 c sweet red, yellow, or orange peppers, sliced thin & cut in 1” strips; microwaved 30 seconds
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ c thinly sliced green onion, green portions only
Dressing:
1 c your favorite bottled salad dressing (Italian, Ranch, Sweet Vidalia, Caesar, etc)
½ c mayonnaise
Freshly ground black pepper, to suit your taste
In small bowl, mix dressing ingredients together and set aside.
Rinse and drain pasta in a colander. In large bowl, com bine hot pasta and microwaved vegies; stir in dressing, starting with just half the mixture. Add more until the creaminess suits your preference. Stir in cherry tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 1 hour).
At serving time, top with green onion slices and stir the salad one final time.
Makes enough to serve 8 as an entrée or 12-20 as a side dish.
KISS Tip: Use any vegetables you like, opting for nice color and texture contrasts. Except for tomatoes and the green onions, you’ll note that we recommend light microwave cooking. 20-30 seconds is the max. Cook each veggie separately and do so just before mixing in with the hot pasta and dressing. As when making potato salad, always stir the dressing onto warm ingredients to help the flavors absorb better.
Enjoy… with love and laughter.
