CREAMY ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

When I think of summertime food I instantly think of my mom's Creamy Italian Pasta Salad.  Her famous line, "Who wants some hotdogs and pasta salad?", was said a million times while I was growing up.  Everyone...and I mean everyone loves this pasta salad, including kids.  The combination of cheese, salami, grape tomatoes and pasta all mixed in with a mayo based tangy italian dressing is a sure fire way to get in good with your family and friends! I just made this for about 25 people for  an 8th grade graduation party.  It was such a compliment, because the 8th grader actually looked at my menu and chose what she wanted.  She chose the Creamy Italian Pasta Salad among many other things.  I believe it was a hit!   Not only is it really tasty, but it is so simple to make you could do it in your sleep!  Make this pasta salad at your next bbq and you will be the hostess with the mostess!

SUMMER SPAGHETTI

Here at our house we absolutely love pasta.  We do however try to only make a pasta dish once a week.  When summertime comes it is always too hot to slave over a stove making a slow cooked pasta sauce.  It is also too hot to usually even think about a steaming plate of spaghetti and meatballs with sauce.  I few years back we were having my friend Kerry and her husband, Justin, over for a mid summer dinner.  I decided to make some really simple appetizers along with a grilled pork tenderloin, chopped italian salad and I knew I wanted a starch.  I came up with something I call, Summer Spaghetti.  This recipe is the perfect summer time pasta.  It is made with angel hair pasta along with some wonderful summer grape tomatoes and fresh grown basil!  You mix these ingredients along with some fresh chopped mozerella cheese and other yummy ingredients and you have got a perfect pasta dish that you can serve on a hot night!  I also make and toast my own breadcrumbs which I toss into the pasta dish ....this really adds a ton of flavor.  You serve the pasta dish room temperature.  This is perfect because you can make this dish ahead of time, cover it, set it to the side and then you can enjoy your guests and serve dinner leisurely instead of slaving over a hot stove while your guests sip their cocktails.  I cannot emphasize enough about how awesome this pasta is.  The flavors are outstanding and are even better the next day!

OLD FASHIONED MACCARONI SALAD

Usually someone who likes to cook has a certain way of cooking.  For instance I usally cook a bit more gourmet, but I would not say that I cook "fru, fru" gourmet.  I would say I love to make interesting dishes with fresh ingredients which tend to be very italian and mediterranean.  Every now and then I do however like to venture into the "good ol' home cookin' " realm.  I don't go as far as a Paula Dean...she is a great cook, but she does use a lot of butter and oil and grease in her cooking.  So I would not say I go as "good ol' " as Paula Dean, but at times I can get pretty up there on the comfort food level.  Summer cook outs is usually when I bring out the oldies, but goodies recipes such as potato salad, summer tomato salad, baked beans, brats, burgers, hotdogs and a really good maccaroni or pasta salad.  I have a million different pasta salads up my sleeves.  Most of them contain fresh vegies that are either left raw or yummily (is that a word?)...yummily grilled and added to the pasta with a lemon or vinegar based dressing.  Last  year however, I came up with a maccaroni salad that was out of this world!  I made sure I jotted down the recipe so I could make it again this year.  This past Memorial Day I made this salad.  Let me tell you it was a hit!  My Old Fashioned Maccaroni Salad goes perfect with any summer cook out and BBQ!

TURKEY BURGERS WITH A TWIST

I am always trying to come up with new and improved ways of making turkey burgers.  By far the best turkey burger I have ever eaten has been at Red Robin.  If you have not been there or tried their turkey burgers....it is a must!  Anyway....the other night I was standing in my kitchen looking at a pound of ground turkey and wondering what I could do to it to make really good turkey burgers.  Plus I wanted to make them healthy.  I decided to throw a couple of ingredients into the mix to make my Turkey Burgers With A Twist.  I wanted them nice and moist so I added one large shredded carrot and 2 TB. of low fat thousand island dressing.  Added a bit of breadcrumbs to hold it all together grilled them up, melted some provolone on top and grilled the buns....tadah.....turkey burgers were done....and they were fantastic!