Recipes Discovered

Update: New and Improved Recipe

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage Recipe

Spinach Salad with Apples and Red Onion Recipe

As much as I love to cook, sometimes I don’t like to think about what I am cooking. Enter Rachael Ray. Now I know some people can’t stand her while others think she is the best thing ever, but I will say that usually, she has pretty decent recipes. What I really like about her is that she doesn’t just prepare a recipe, she prepares a complete meal that works together. The flavors compliment each other, and it’s well balanced. For dinner the other night, Seth and I had pasta with pumpkin and sausage along with a spinach salad with apples and red onion. All the ingredients worked together, and, best of all, I didn’t have to think about what I was cooking.

First, the salad, which is really simple. The dressing it simply olive oil, vinegar, grain mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. After whisking it together, I poured it over spinach leaves topped with sliced apples and red onions. >> Read more

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing Recipe

With the days getting shorted and winter inevitably around the corner, I can’t help reminiscing about the past summer. I made a lot of dishes, many of them posted here, but one recipe stands out as being the one that everyone ask me about the most. It’s an incredibly simple salad, essentially just spinach and strawberries, but it’s a definitely crowd please. Some people dismiss it at first because of the spinach, but the first taste of the fresh strawberries and the sweet and tangy dressing converts almost everyone. So here it is, my recipe for strawberry spinach salad with poppy seed dressing.

To make the dressing, I add sugar, vinegar, and paprika in a blender and mix it before slowly streaming in the oil. After the oil is incorporated, I blend for another minute and then pour the mixture into a small bowl and adding poppy seeds and sesame seeds. I usually refrigerate the dressing for at least an hour so it thickens up a little. Sometimes I even make it the day before. It keeps for at least a week in the refrigerator for leftover salad as well.

The salad is simply spinach and fresh strawberries topped with sliced almonds. I like baby spinach because it’s a little more tender. Also, if strawberries aren’t in season, I’ve also used drained mandarin oranges in place of the strawberries. It’s a very easy salad to make, but everyone loves it. So as the cold weather creeps in, I hope this recipe reminds you of summer and makes you a little warmer.

Pasta Salad Recipe

I like taking pasta salads on picnics. I don’t have to worry about mayonnaise spoiling like with macaroni and potato salad, plus pasta salad just gets better the longer it sets. This is a really simple pasta salad that can be changed up a 100 different ways. I’ve made it with a lot of different ingredients, and it’s always a big hit.
The base of the pasta salad is, of course, pasta. I like the spiral pasta, especially the multi colored kind, but any pasta works. I don’t cook the pasta completely because I like a little bite to it. After I cook, drain, and cool the pasta, I toss it with Italian dressing. My favorite is Kraft Light Done Right Zesty Italian. It has a lot of flavor and a lot fewer calories. >> Read more

Cucumber Tomato Salad Recipe

This recipe is so simple, but it has a ton of flavor. Start by peeling a cucumber (or use an english cucumber) and then cutting it in half length wise. The cucumber I used was on the large side, so I scooped most of the seeds out. Then, cut the cucumber into half moon shapes and put the slices in a large bowl. Add wedges of tomatoes and toss everything with Italian dressing. Like I said, really simple, but the dressing adds a lot of great flavor. Try letting it set for about 30 minutes. The dressing acts as a marinade and it just gets better and better!

Watermelon Tomato Salad Recipe

I know this sounds like a bizarre combination, but I saw the recipe in a magazine and the picture made it look so good. With all of the extra tomatoes we have, it’s nice to have another recipe to use them as well. The salad is very simple - watermelon, tomatoes, red onion, parsley, basil, and lime juice. I diced the watermelon pretty small, so it was about the same size as the grape tomatoes I used. I also used dried basil instead of fresh. The salad has great flavor though. The combination of the herbs with the watermelon is outstanding, and the tomatoes add a nice pop. It’s easy, simple, and tastes great - perfect for summer!