Tag: Picnics

Pasta Salad with Feta and Snow Peas

Pasta salad

Pasta salad

One of my resolutions this summer is to have more picnics. This shouldn’t be too hard, seeing as we have a lovely park a few blocks from our house. So a couple weeks ago, we had our first picnic! I texted a bunch of friends and asked everyone to bring some food and we all met at the park.

Jonah and I brought this miniature amp we have and hooked my phone up and played some music, we had chips, strawberries, veggies and ranch dip, and this delicious pasta salad that Jonah made. It was perfectly filling and refreshing. Great for a summer day! And it was a big hit.  We found the recipe on Martha Stewart’s website. We adapted a little bit (because I’m not a huge fan of bell peppers, which is beginning to change), so here’s our version.

Pasta Salad with Feta and Snow Peas

Ingredients

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound fusilli
4 oz snow peas, strings removed, cut in half
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese (we did a bit more)
2 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Cook your pasta according to the package. During the last minute of cooking, add in the snow peas so they’ll be a little cooked. Drain the pasta and peas and rinse with cold water to cool and stop from cooking. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and peas with scallions, cilantro, feta, oil, vinegars, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Roasted Corn with Serranos and Onion

Corn

Corn

This corn recipe makes a lovely summer side dish. My dad taught it to me years ago. And it’s one of those recipes that’s really hard to mess up. Want it spicier? Add more serrano (or add more seeds). Want it more caramelized? Roast longer. The only thing I don’t like is how much it cooks down. So it can often turn out to be less than you anticipate. So be aware of that.

Roasted Corn with Serranos and Onion

Serves 2

Ingredients

3 ears of corn
1 medium white onion
Olive oil
Salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Shuck the corn and cut the corn off the cob with a very sharp knife. This part can be a little tricky, so be careful not to cut off your fingers. Sharp knives make this step way easier. And cooking much easier in general. I got a really nice knife for my birthday, and let me tell you, it makes a world of difference.

Moving right along. Put the corn into a baking dish – I used a pie dish, but if you’re making lots, one of those big casserole pyrex dished is good. Chop up the onion, throw that into the dish too. Now, chop up the serrano. Careful not to touch your face. More seeds means more heat, so be aware of how much you’re adding. Mix that in with the corn. Toss with olive oil until just evenly coated (you don’t want it too oily) and salt.

Bake in the oven for anywhere from 30-45 minutes. The longer you cook it, the more roasty and caramelized the corn will get. But be sure to check on it; there’s a point when it crosses the line from roasty and delicious to dehydrated and a little tough. When it’s cooked to your liking, remove and enjoy!