Summertime Pasta Salad (and some news...)

I've had this recipe post floating in my "to blog" folder for over a month now. I realized yesterday that I better blog it, or Summertime would be over, and this salad just doesn't quite have the same glow in the Autumn and Winter. Besides, I'm currently still elbow deep in household projects, I thought I'd share one of our family's very favorite summer dinners. (I have made quite a bit of headway, to be clear. They're just big projects.)

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Before I proceed, I should announce that Frank got a promotion this week, and we're currently in the beginning stages of moving to the Seattle area. I'm really proud of him, and as hard as it is to leave this lovely place we call home and all our friends and loved ones here, we're also really excited for new adventures, and new places to explore, and being near friends that we love and don't get to see very often. It's definitely hard to leave our lovely weather, and the small town life, but we'll adjust and grow our webbed feet back and the moss on our backs, and etc. (Can you tell the weather is what I'm having the hardest time with?!) In reality though, the Seattle area is beautiful, and once I get past the daily weather I know I'll love it. I loved living there when I was a kid, and even though we'll be quite a bit south of where I was then, I'm really looking forward to sharing stuff with my husband and babies that are part of my childhood memories.

Anyway, I'm really proud of Frank, and really excited for him, so that makes it easy to be excited about the move. Change is almost always fun--and it especially is always fun if you decide that it is going to be fun.

The thing about moving with the company Frank works for is that it is COMPLETELY stress free in some ways, and over the top stressful in others. Stress-free because I won't have to pack anything. (other than flammables and open kitchen containers, frozen food, etc.) I practically won't touch a box during the whole process. Stressful because most likely I'll be doing almost everything else on the moving to-do list myself--Frank will be working his new job, and therefore won't really be able to be around as I get the house ready to sell, and wrap up all our details here. Thankfully my family always rallies in whatever way I need them, so I won't be completely alone. Frank will also be able to travel back on the weekends since it's so close. Anyway, prayers would definitely be appreciated for us as we make this transition.


So, while I have a personal goal of still blogging once a week because it relaxes me it might not always be possible. I have food posts piled up and set to fire off at regular intervals, starting now apparently. We'll see how it goes!

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And, back to the recipe:

So, there are two really great things about this salad:

1. It can be crazy-easy with prepackaged pasta and a bottle of italian salad dressing, (or you can make it more fancy, and handmake all the ingredients, which is the version I'm showing you here) and,

2. It can be a side dish with just pasta and veggies, or it can be a main dish with the addition of meat.

We really like it as a main dish in the summertime. It's the perfect light supper that's also very filling.
1.- THE PASTA

I love to make my own pasta for this salad. Making your own pasta is much easier than you'd imagine... I'm sure I wouldn't necessarily win any awards for most authentic pasta, but it's pretty quick and easy, and it tastes great. I don't have any pasta machinery or gadgets. Every pasta variation that I make is done with a rolling pin and a pizza wheel.

This is the recipe I use:
(from the back of Bob's Red Mill Semolina Flour Package)
1 1/2 cups Semolina Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 TBSP water
2 TBSP Olive Oil
(if you want to add any additional flavors, just mix it in with the oil, and then add to the recipe. You might have to adjust the flour a bit as you knead if you do that. For this batch I chopped up some fresh basil and garlic and added it to the oil, and then mixed it in.)

Combine Semolina and Salt. Add beaten egg, water and olive oil. Mix together to make dough stiff, then knead until elastic. COVER and LET REST 20 MINUTES. (Don't skip that step. Start your water boiling while you wait. It makes a world of difference when you're handling the dough.) Roll out and cut to desired shape, then boil until tender. (It doesn't take long, usually like 4 minutes or so, depending on the thickness.) Drain, and place in your salad bowl.
2.- THE VEGGIES

Just pick whatever is in season. Chop to bite size. I've made this with almost all freezer veggies, and with almost all fresh veggies. Usually it's more like a mix of both. It's great with olives too. Just grab whatever you have available, and chop. With this recipe I usually end up with about 4 cups of cooked pasta, 5, maybe 6 cups of veggies, and 2 to 3 cups of meat.

(I usually do farfalle (bow-tie) pasta for this, because it's easy to make without any gadgets. Just cut 1inchx2inch squares (or so) and then pinch in the middle.)

3.- THE MEAT

I cut up chicken tenders into bite size pieces and saute' them with a splash of olive oil and fresh garlic. I've added pepperoni pieces stripped up to this as well.

4.- THE DRESSING

Everybody knows the best part of a salad is the dressing. The salad, delicious though it may be, is really just a dressing vehicle. This dressing is my own mad-kitchen last-minute creation that has ended up being one of my whole family's very favorite recipes. I like it because with the use of a sweet vinegar you can use less oil that the usual 3:1 oil/vinegar ratio. So, it's got just enough oil to cut the vinegar a bit, but not so much to make this a greasy dressing. This is how I assemble it.

2 oz. Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar (I'd imagine any sweet fruity champagne vinegar would do the trick, if you can't find this particular one. You can make your own too. I've currently got a Mulled Blackberry Cider vinegar cooking on my kitchen counter to try out with this.)
4 oz. Balsamic Vinegar
3 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Granulated Garlic and Italian Seasoning to taste

Emulsify with a whisk (or just shake) together.


5.-COMBINE aka make magic in your bowl.


With the warm pasta and the warm chicken and the cool and possibly frozen veggies, I usually add a few handfuls of parmesan cheese, and then mix it all together, drizzling the dressing as I'm stirring. This is one of the few dishes in the world I'd say is actually really good lukewarm, or you can stick it in the fridge to chill if you make it earlier in the day. Both ways are really good. And, leftovers are DIVINE the next day for lunch.

I hope you enjoy this family favorite of ours!