Easy Pasta Salad

I could probably eat pasta every day of my life. Summer time means cold pasta salads.  I figured today I would make a salad along with our fantastic turkey burgers. (I'll probably blog about those at a later date. )

I'm not going to put any measurements down because it's really to taste.

Tricolor rotini (though I was hoping I had whole wheat rigatoni in the pantry)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Parmesan Cheese (the kind in the green can is just fine)

Italian seasoning

Fresh Garlic, minced

Fresh Basil 

Mix all together. Serve chilled. I could have kept eating this. 

Georgia Peach Upside Down Cake

Justin's Mother just came back from Georgia with barbeque sauce from the awesome Wiley's Barbeque in Savannah, vidalia onions, tomatoes, and of course, peaches. Did we actually eat the peaches? Of course not. We made ice cream & cake.

Justin's Mom also gave me a journal so I can write out & figure out recipes.

 

           Crossing out as I go: 

If you can't read my handwriting:

1/2 c soften butter

3/4 c sugar

1/4 c brown sugar

3 large eggs 

2/3 c milk

2 c flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1.2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 fresh peaches, peeled & dices

1/2 c yogurt

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

topping: 1/2 c brown sugar, 3 tbsp of melted butter, 1.5 tsp cinnamon with the peaches

Dry ingredients together. Milk. Add 1 egg at a time, using a hand mixer. Butter. Any other wet ingredient. (I usually do it in steps so I can taste the batter a few times so I get the taste I want) Pam a 9" circular pan. Put the topping on the bottom. Pour the batter on top. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. 


Final Product:

The circular shape in the middle was accidental. The batter pushed the peaches, so looks fancier, I think. I wish I had fat free cool whip to put in the center!

Why it's a work in progress: The taste is great, but I'm not thrilled with the consistency.  Almost too cakey or dense. I wanted a more light & fluffy cake. I need to start doing research on the chemistry of baking. Any suggestions? 

We are pairing this with the peach ice cream Justin made, which is excellent. Justin experimented with not adding any sugar so that diabetics in our life could enjoy a little ice cream live as well. 

Fresh is Best

Obviously. Many places, like grocery stores and restaurants advertise that they have the freshest ingredients. One unnamed sub shop urges everyone to eat fresh...but then the lettuce comes from a vacuum- sealed bag. Yum. When Justin and I started our herb garden last year, our dinners were tasty. My only complaint was that we did not use our herbs enough! There's one thing to put lettuce on your sandwich. There's another thing to put fresh cilantro or basil on your sandwich. Adding fresh herbs to your favorite recipes will really enhance your cooking without too much more work.


Our newest addition to our herb garden are our topsy turvy planters. We have 1 for tomatoes and 1 for red peppers. I also just planted dill in the flower box so when I do my tzatziki sauce, I won't have to keep buying fresh dill.

So at first when we bought these as-seen-on-tv products, Justin had the great idea of getting a cast-iron stand that had 2 hooks that is put into the ground. We grossly underestimated the weight of these things and we were playing a balance game. We lost.


Justin made this stand for our topsy turvy plants. It is much sturdier. He will actually be making it even more sturdier, on the advice given from his father. I stained/waterproofed it today. (Picture does not reflect that)

Underneath our topsy turvy are our herb garden boxes. We have chives, dill, mint, and basil.  I also planted green onions that I bought from Wegmans about a month ago in the actual ground to the right of the picture. They are still alive, although Tiller keeps walking over them. 

I am realizing that although this is a cooking blog, this is the first time I mentioned Tiller, our furry son. This is a picture of us taken by my wedding photographer and friend, Molly Bergeron during our engagement photo session at Colt State Park in Bristol, Rhode Island.  Tiller LOVES our cooking. If you have a dog, something to consider: Grapes, onions, avocados, as well as chocolate (the higher the % of cacao, the more potent it is) are extremely toxic for dogs. Grapes?  Yes. Tiller ate a bunch and we had to take him to the Pet ER. Some dogs, grapes are no problem. Some dogs, they've eaten as few as 7 grapes and had kidney failure and died. Rancid meat- not a good time.  No cooked bones.  (They splinter and could puncture the digestive tract)

All in all, Tiller is awesome and is the one that always watches us cook and bake. 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I tend to buy enough bananas to last about 4 days if both Justin and I ate one per day.  However, I never pull my weight in the banana eating department. It's only when I have the occasional charlie horse in my right calf muscle that I'm reminded that I should eat some potassium. Needless to say, bananas have a tendency to become extremely ripe before I get a chance to eat one. How do I solve this problem? Banana bread. So easy. So fast. And hey, it makes 2 5x7 loaves. 1 for you and 1 for your neighbor, grandma, mother, mother-in-law or whomever.


Chocolate Chip Banana Bread


1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt


Sift the above ingredients together. Mix that with:
 1 cup sugar


In separate bowl:
2 eggs
3 large ripe bananas (I used 2 this time around because Justin was pulling his weight + my own)
6 tbsp butter, melted


Mash 'em all up together. Add the dry stuff to the wet stuff. I then added about 1/2 cup of my "secret ingredient," Stoneyfield's fat-free french vanilla yogurt. I SWEAR by it. I really do.


Add about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. (Or as I like to say, add chocolate chips, to taste)


Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes. I've told you before on when you should take a baked good out of the oven. (see 5/17's Blog about my mini muffins.) Cool 5 minutes & then take them out of the pan, if you'd like. 

If I were to change something, I'd. . . add some chopped pecans. This is a great recipe to play around with. I suggest you do! Enjoy!