From the Cookbook: Caprese Pasta Salad

"A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster salad and Champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands."

-Lord Byron

Sorry, my sweet little blog! I do still love you. My kids just needed potty training, and my job needed me to work, and my house needed to be cleaned!

None of those things actually happened, by the way; but they were supposed to. I tried.

Anyhow, I thought it was time to help Erika out and make a post! I would like share with you my BEST pasta salad recipe! Caprese Pasta Salad

I don't like pasta salad.

That was until I met THIS pasta salad.

I got proposed to because this salad was so good.

By a cousin.

But it still counts, right?

And it speaks to the magic deliciousness of this salad.

TRY IT! Your 4th of July guests will thank you :)

The most AWESOME Caprese Pasta Salad ever!!!

1- Boil 16 oz. of pasta (I used farfalle) until al dente.
2- Meanwhile, saute 1 diced onion and 1/2 tsp of salt in a little olive oil until caramelized and golden brown. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
3- Mix your pasta and yummy garlic onion goodness together. Add any salt and pepper needed to taste. Let cool. It's already delicious. You could stop here and just eat it, but it's going to get better...
4- Put your pasta in a large serving dish, and cover with spinach leaves, pieces of Fresh Milk Mozzarella, sliced Cherry Tomatoes (1 clamshell should do it), and freshly torn or sliced Basil leaves.
5- Make a simple Balsamic Dressing to pour over it: 2 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar, 1/3 C Olive Oil, 1 tsp. Dijon Mustard, 1 tsp. Honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it like crazy, and drizzle over the salad.

Aaaaaaaaaand, you're welcome ;)

Little House on the Prairie: Lemonade Bar

'Is your lemonade sweet enough?’ Mrs. Oleson asked. So Laura knew that it was lemonade in the glasses. She had never tasted anything like it.

~ On the Banks of Plum Creek, Laura Ingalls Wilder

It is roughly, oh, 8 MILLION DEGREES here right now! Cool lemonade is a welcome respite from the unrelenting heat all around us---even if we made the mistake of setting this up outside. 

I made a couple of carnival booths for a birthday party recently, but they work perfectly as lemonade stands too, so I set up a "Lemonade Bar." I started by pureeing a bunch of fruit and pouring it all into mason jars.

Then I printed these letters onto packing paper using the free font "Showboat":

Then I strung jute through them...

(You could hang this from your patio, or even from two dowels stuck in the grass)

And I printed the name of each fruit or mix-in on more packing paper

 (Again, with the showboat font) and wrapped each paper around the corresponding jar...

I made some delicious lemonade, 

added some fresh mint and vanilla syrup to the spread, 

and we all had at it!

 

My favorite combo was Strawberry Mango lemonade with Mint leaves.

This was a ton of fun. 

You might even end up with a lemonade server if you wait around long enough :)

I can't recommend this enough---especially for a 4th of July party.

Best of luck!

Linking Up:
Tutorials Tips and Tidbits at StoneGable

Thriving on Thursdays at Domesblissity
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage 
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours 
Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm
Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff
Weekend Wrap Up at Tatertots and Jello 
Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie 
Tutorials and Tips @ Homestories A to Z 
Tuesday's Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Cowgirl Up! at Cedar Hill Ranch