Pasta Salad

There are lots of things I am loving about living alone, and at the top of my list is exploring cooking and baking. I have made lots of yummy things but this pasta salad recipe by far has been the best and the EASIEST thing I have made thus far. Now this certainly is not for those that are on a diet. The only changes I would suggest in making this if you are on a diet is using whole wheat pasta...otherwise, just make it, I promise you will love it.

First off, the main ingredient is..............................MAYO. Up until I was about 18 years old I HATED mayo. I thought it was so nasty and so unnecessary (for example in sandwiches, for moisture I would always use a vinegarette). Anyhoo, I started liking mayonnaise gradually and now I like it. But I have a rule...it cannot be clumpy. On sandwiches it has to be spread perfectly, the thought of a large chunk of mayo in my mouth makes me want to vom vom.

So on to the pasta salad. I have always loved pasta salads that were vinegar based, but recently I tried one with mayo. I tried to recreate it yesterday and I blew myself away. I promise it is absolutely delicious and it is eaten cold, so just make it, stick it in the fridge, and eat when you want.

Here it is: (PS I am obvi no chef, so work with me)

Ingredients:

1 Box of the colorful fusili pasta (I use this one b/c its the traditional pasta in deli pasta salads)

1 cup of Mayo

a few gollups of red wine vinegar (I know...I know... we don't want the sauce soupy, so use your head when adding)

1/2 a white onion, chopped (you can use a red onion if you want)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

lots of salt and pepper!!!!!!!

Cook pasta al dente. Make sure to add salt and olive oil to pasta water before boiling). While pasta is boiling, chop the red pepper and the onion, set aside. In the same (now empty) pot you used to boil the pasta, add the drained pasta plus rest of the ingredients. Add more vinegar if you like that taste (I personally love it). You can eat it right away (it is hard to resist). Put the rest in the fridge and eat straight out of it.

***Here is a trick, if you have Italian Dressing in your fridge (from Wishbone or w/e) you can use that instead of the red wine vinegar. The added bonus is the rest of the seasoning in it***

Other things you can add include feta cheese, celery, sun dried tomatoes, etc. Let me know if you try it!

NOM NOM

I've mentioned the Pioneer Woman on here before. She has AMAZING recipes (rarely healthy, always delicious)that are so easy to follow. On her website, she posts pictures of each step which is perfect for a novel cook like me. This weekend I will be trying her Make Ahead Muffin Melts. They look SO delicious!!!It seems like you can get the mixture ready to go and keep it in the fridge. Next morning, a wonderful breakfast is ready to go. Just scoop on top of an English Muffin (whole wheat if you are trying to be healthy) and stick in the broiler! Muffin wants to try them with crab..... What do you like to cook for breakfast?

Sometimes Domestic

Once upon a time I had a dinner party. I don't consider myself the best cook but I would love to work on it. The best thing I have ever made thus far has been Pioneer Woman's Pasta Alla Vodka, recipe can be found here . I love her recipes and her step by step instructions with pictures is beyond helpful for someone like me... (I remember running back from the kitchen to the computer to make sure what I was concocting resembled her photos). Below is a picture of the pasta sauce which I was SO proud of. It was amazing!
Here is a picture of me with the table setting. I used some really pretty paper napkins from Lilly Pulitzer that I found at TJ Maxx . Those yellow roses are from Mommy Dearest's rose garden.
When I'm not domestic, nothing beats a plain ole' quesadilla with tons of hot sauce and sour cream!