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.

Funeral Potatoes & Spring Salad

Happy Easter!  

Isn't that just the most disgusting thing?  My sisters pick up worms and play with them.  I think it's safe to say I NEVER would have done that as a child and NEVER plan to do it as an adult.  Oh it just grosses me out.

Anyway, hope the Easter Bunny made it to your house and you ate your share of peeps.  (As a side note, I like my Peeps nice and stale.  So for the past few decades my Easter Bunny has planned ahead and slit my package open so they'd be perfect to eat on Easter morning.  Just a little luxury you never think about being thankful for until you're older....) 

So I thought I'd post a few Easter recipes.  Classic Easter funeral potatoes, which Mom made, and a salad and a few dressings that I made.  

 My mom was introduced to this recipe twenty-something years ago by her mother-in-law, Katie Cook.  Scalloped Potatoes (soon to be known as funeral potatoes) were just catching on back then, and obviously have been popular enough to stick around!  At one of my mom's bridal showers they collected recipes, and this is the one Grandma Cook chose.  Here is the recipe in her handwriting:

Funeral Potatoes

• 6 med. potatoes, boiled & grated (you can also use frozen hash browns if you're in a hurry)
• 1 1/2 c. grated cheese
• 1/3 c. chopped green onion
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 c. butter + 2 T. butter
• corn flakes, crushed

1. Melt 1/4 c. butter in soup.
2. Add cheese, onions, and sour cream.
3. Add grated potatoes.
4. Pour into 9x13 glass casserole pan.
5. Mix crushed corn flakes with 2 T melted butter and sprinkle on top.
6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

PS. This is a great freezer meal!

Spring Salad

• Spinach or Spring Mix
• Strawberries (slivered)
• Mango
• Slivered almonds
• Anything else you want- maybe Craisins, some feta, whatever

I had two kinds of dressings because we've got enough picky tastebuds that I knew just one wouldn't please everyone.  The honey dijon is more mellow, but honestly I think it goes better with a spinach salad, maybe with red onion slices, bacon, hard-boiled egg, mushroom, tomato kind of salad..  The lemon poppyseed vinaigrette just goes perfectly with the sweet fruit so I would recommend it if you used this salad.

Honey Dijon Dressing

• 1/4 c. honey
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• pinch salt

1. Combine all ingredients.  I used a whisk to get the honey mixed in thoroughly.

Lemon Poppyseed Vinaigrette (From Our Best Bites)

• 2-3 large lemons (1/3 c. juice and 1 tsp. zest)
• 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 2 tsp. poppyseeds
• 1 tsp. grated onion
• 1 clove finely pressed garlic

1. Using a fine grater, grate 1 tsp. of lemon and 1 tsp. onion.
2. Place in a small container with a lid.
3. Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously.
4. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.
5. Shake well before serving.