I don't love to cook and really hate to cook for other people so I would like it to be something I can throw together last minute.
Anything will do, a main dish or a sweet thing. It doesn't matter.
"Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you." -Walt Whitman
Boil the pasta, drain, and cool in the fridge.
Depending on what you like, you can chop and include:
Celery Black Olives Green Olives Bell Peppers (NOT green.. the sweet ones are great. I use red, orange, and yellow for color. Sometimes you can find purple!!) A little bit of finely chopped red onion Ham (small cubes) Cheddar cheese (small cubes)
You can go many ways with dressing. I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I just add mayo. Add a tablespoon at a time till you like the look.
Oh, and some garlic salt... I'm addicted to that stuff. Just a little.
Alternately, my standard for a gathering like that is to make Baked Ziti. Buy Ziti noodles, Racotta, mozzarella and parmasean cheeses and follow the directions on the side of the box. PM me if you want more detailed instructions.
"Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway." - Aubrie
These are easy - just put fruit on a stick. Always pretty and always a hit. If you want to get fancy, buy a little dish of fruit dip at the grocery store - they usually have it in the produce area.
The people you do your life with shape the life you live
get one of those little tubs of the baby mozzarella cheese, drain it (I usually rinse them too... they get kind of gunky)
add a container of grape tomatoes
add a container of fresh basil cut up (if you keep the leaves bunched together, and have a kitchen scissors, three cuts will usually do it)
and then toss in a bit of balsamic vinegar and sea salt.
That's it. Easy and delicious!
I don't like dips or salads, so I stay away from those.
The hardest part is unwrapping all of the ice cream sandwiches.
Do not back up. Severe tire damage.
I just call it mango salsa - it's a sweet fruit salsa. It was originally a recipe to help sell Chicken of the Sea canned tuna, but I found I (and everyone else) liked it much more without the shrimp!
This is really easy - just requires you to do some chopping (and not really that much). - 1 can pineapple tidbits, drained - 1 large tart green apple, peeled, cored and diced - 1 cup diced, peeled mango (usually, one mango is good) - 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro - 1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar - 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes - tortilla chips
In a large bowl, combine the mango, apple, pineapple and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Pour the vinegar mixture over the fruit and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.
Notes: - if you really want the shrimp, it calls for two 6 ounce cans, drained and rinsed. - You can you canned mango (usually in a jar), but I don't think it comes out as good. - If you've never selected a mango, you can't tell anything by the color. Pick one that is a little soft, but firm - similar to what you want in a ripe peach. - To chop the cilantro: Pull the leaves off the stems and then chop them. - Don't worry about exact amounts for the fruit. I never measure - just get a medium size granny smith apple, and an average size mango. If you go overboard with the red pepper flakes, though, it will get hot once it sits for a little while!
And the most important note: I always buy the lime tortilla chips. Using those with this salsa is what really makes it good!
Oh, and this works great for cooking with chicken or with shrimp too!
