Broccoli Pasta Salad

This one is for those times when your assignment is to bring "a salad...."  and you don't want to bring the plain old italian dressing over some pasta.  Change it up a little bit! My mom makes this a lot for parties.  I just pulled out the recipe and it looks like she got it from Aunt Laura.  So there it is, a family recipe!  Don't get freaked out by the long list of ingredients in the dressing.  You have most of it already!

The Recipe

• 1 box mostrecioli pasta
• red onion
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• green pepper
• red pepper
• 2 cans black olives, chopped (I like them whole)

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. salad oil
• 1 c. vinegar
• 1/2 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp onion salt
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp parsley

1. Cook pasta al dente as directed on package. Rinse and drain.
2. Cut vegetables into bite sized pieces.  Add to pasta.
3. Mix all remaining ingredients in a separate bowl for dressing.
4. Pour over pasta and broccoli.
5. Let marinate- overnight is best.

Spice Cake and I love my KitchenAid

My mom and dad had spice cake at their wedding.  Isn't there an ancient proverb that says something about if you serve good food at your wedding you receive good karma?  Well, apparently that's true because Mom and Dad are going on 25 years strong (see this post).  

Look at them, all happy and in love......

And here's Mom with her dad, Grandpa Anderson

I've always loved spice cake, but it's one of those that's about 100 times better with the frosting.  Not just any frosting; it has to be THIS frosting.  That being said, the real recipe for this post is the frosting, but I'll also give you my secret recipe for the cake part too.  It looks like this:

Yup.  Straight from the box.  I haven't ever manipulated the box recipe to make it tastier because lets be honest, I'm only here for the frosting anyway!  So, step 1 is to make the cake according to the directions on the box and let it cool completely.

Peneuche Frosting Recipe

(p.s. peneuche?  What the?)

•  1/2 c. butter
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. milk
• 3 c. powdered sugar

1. Melt butter in sauce pan.
2. Stir in brown sugar and cook until bubbly.
3. Remove from heat, add milk, and beat vigorously until smooth.
4. Beat in powdered sugar.
5. Spread on top of cooled cake.
6. Pour an enormous glass of milk because it will compliment your huge piece of cake in all the right ways :)

P.S. I love my KitchenAid

For some reason, I cherish the things I have that are old.  (Ok, not like the clothes I've been wearing since high school; I mean old old.  Cool old)  For example, I've been using my grandma's old old Bernina sewing machine which I now love as my child.  Also, my blankie.  Alright, not cool to anyone else, but still a love of my life.  And last but not least, my KitchenAid.  

I'm not really sure but I think at one point it was the awesome avocado color that made it's mark in many-a-70's-kitchen.  I think it was Grandma's, and then it was Mom's, but now that they've both "upgraded" to newer versions, it's mine now.  I LOVE IT.  It has so much character, it makes my life so much easier in the kitchen . And I'd never be able to afford the new shiny kind, so avocado KitchenAid and I have become great friends.  To use a phrase from Katelin's dictionary, it's the bomb dot com.  (is that how you write it out?  I can't be hip.)

Nestle Tollhouse Cookies

I don't know why this recipe hasn't crossed my mind to 

put on the blog yet!  I guess it's because I was waiting for

a true professional to show us how. 

Thank you, Mom for taking on the job.  

Take it away....

This recipe is a staple at our house, and always has been. 

Whether it is just the fun of making them, eating the dough,

or enjoying the cookies- it is our favorite quick treat.

The Recipe:

(this is doubled from the original- a necessity for us)

• 2 c. shortening

• 1 1/2 c. sugar

• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar

• 4 eggs

• 2 t. vanilla

• 2 t. baking soda

• 2 t. salt

• 4 1/2 c. flour

• 2 c. Nestle Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Cream shortening and sugars (always do this first! They

   turn out much better)

   

2. Add eggs

   

3. Mix in dry ingredients 

4. Stir in chocolate chips

   

5. Put on ungreased cookie sheets (recently I started doing 

   3 across instead of 4, making them a bit bigger.)

6. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. (I use convection bake 

   at 345 so I can bake 3 sheets at once)

   

7. Enjoy!

I like to pull the cookies out at about 10 minutes when they are

lightly browned, then let them set on the cookie sheet for a few 

more minutes before I scoop them off.

THANK YOU, MOM! 

EVERYONE loves these....especially the men. There aren't many
sweets that the men can't resist eating more and more of,
but this one seems to be one! As much as I'd love to make fancy
and unique desserts, this is the only one that Dad, Danny and
Tyson all crave!