Pesto Pasta Salad

I've got another yummy one for ya.  I've been makin' this pasta salad for a long time.  It has its own special place in the Binder.  It may have originally come out of a Better Homes magazine.  It's quick, easy, and super yummy.  I know, I say that a lot, but it is.

Here's the recipe with my notes:

Pesto Pasta Salad

3 cups elbow macaroni (I always just use a whole package - I used whole wheat this time and they usually come in a 13 oz package, rather than a full pound.)
5 oz fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 lb small fresh mozzarella balls, drained and sliced
1 7-oz container purchased refrigerator pesto (I almost always have homemade in the freezer, so that's what I use)
1/2 C fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.  Rinse with cold water and drain again.

In a saucepan, cook beans, covered, in a small amount of boiling salted water for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp tender.  (I don't know about you, but if I boiled green beans for 15 minutes, they'd be mushy and gross.  I let mine go about five minutes is all.  I also used a handful of purple beans that I threw in raw to preserve their color.)  Drain beans, rinse with cold water and drain again.

In a large bowl combine noodles, green beans, mozzarella, and pesto.  Stir in basil and salt.  Chill completely before serving.

I took it to a potluck at my mom's, so I don't have any on my plate pics.

Here's our yummy salad in the bowl:

Enjoy the long holiday weekend!
It's back to school next week in these parts.
Holy moly.

Roasted Beets, Feta & Arugula on Naan Bread

Sometimes the best things to come out of the kitchen, come from cleaning out the fridge.

This was my lunch the other day and it was deeeelicious.

I drizzled a piece of naan bread with garlic olive oil, layered on some leftover roasted beets, sprinkled them with feta, then stuck it in the oven to warm everybody up.

Once it was warm, I piled on some arugula and drizzled it with a thick, aged balsamic vinegar.

I was literally making yummy noises as I was eating it.

Here's lunch on my plate:

And, as is the case with most of my lunches, this one came with live entertainment:

The Mom & The Dad

A dog, a cat, and three kids later, here we are at our 8 year anniversary.  My how time flies.

I think we're pretty darned lucky to call this family, and all the messes that come with it, ours.

Us, 8 years ago today:

Ah, the honeymooners:

And 8 years later:

Happy anniversary, Chachi.

I love you to the moon.

Random Thoughts and Tidbits: Part 2

I'm feeling the need for another bullet post.

• My computer cubby smells like human urine.
• How is it possible that I missed the mystery substance on the dining room wall long enough for it to turn to cement?  I'm seriously gonna need a paint scraper to remove it.
• What in the world is the bright orange substance smeared all over the toilet seat?!
• How can you go from "I'm not hungry" to an "I'm staaaaarrrrrving" meltdown in a matter of minutes?
• Dear male readers:  Fantasy football is just that.  f.a.n.t.a.s.y.  Which means, it isn't r.e.a.l.
• What in the heck is that smell?!
• I would trade my left foot for a maid.  Wait, make it my right foot.
• Baby has her second tooth poking through on the bottom.
• Baby is grouchy.
• Tomorrow is our anniversary.  I get dinner in a restaurant.  A real one.  Where you sit down and order food from a menu.  I'm pretty excited about it.  Now to choose which one.....
• I'm trying to remember when the last time we had "date night" was.  Possibly Valentine's Day.
• Yes, I know.  It's sad.  Please send babysitters.
• Oh wait.  We had a newborn on Valentine's Day.  Sooooooo, our last night out must have been on my birthday in December - with my sister and BIL.  So I'll say our last date night was in August of 2011.
• Please.  Send.  Babysitters.
• I think it might be my shirt.  The smell.  What IS that?!
• That's all I've got.  I'm off to lay on the couch with a bag of kettle corn and the remote.

The Deep Blue Sea: A Kid Lunch

I saw this idea in a magazine a while back and decided to try it out for this week's Fun Food Friday.

I'm making the Garlic-Avocado Sammies for dinner tonight, so figured I could use the spread from that as the water.  I'll post the recipe next week, but it's basically cream cheese and avocado.  I put a drop of blue food coloring in a small amount of it to do the lunch.

The base is a rice cake.  A bagel or any sort of bread would work.  I'm sure you all know what the fishy crackers are. The rest is just stuff I dug out of the fridge and yard.  Broccoli, cherry tomatoes, garlic chives, basil, and cucumber.

Here's lunch on the plate:

They were near identical, but here's the other one:

I'm so glad it's Friday.

Have a good weekend!