Summer Garden Pasta Salad

Pasta salads seem to be getting the cold shoulder from anything that doesn't resemble a party. It just doesn't seem fair! The only time I ever see one of the nice, cool and refreshing salads is at a potluck, family reunion, or other get together. I never saw that in the cooking rule book and I think it's time to bring the dish back to every day life.

I made a pasta salad the other day for lunch. Yes, lunch. There was nothing fancy going on that day, and it was a pretty normal Monday, but I just had the urge to make one and eat one. It was a little creamy, a tad crunchy, and after only four bites, I was full. Was it good? Yep. Was it that filling? You betcha!

My Mongolian Meal

Chinese food might be my 2 year old's favorite type of food. In fact, he would probably eat orange chicken every day if I let him! My husband and I also love it but ordering take out is pretty expensive. I like to make my own versions every once in while because it really cuts down on cost and it's much healthier. Since it's no secret that Chinese food is loaded with salt, cooking meals at home allows me to control the salt content a little bit. Most restaurants also fry the meat used in their dishes so I use minimal amounts of oil to saute the meat rather than have it soaked with oil.

My version is pretty basic but has all the flavor. It has just the right amount of sweetness without being overwhelming and it's a meal you can feel good about giving to your whole family.

Freezing Summer Berries

It's sad, but berry season will be ending soon. This is about the time that I buy a couple pounds when they're on sale and freeze them for a later use. Frozen berries can be used in so many things (sauces, drinks, desserts, etc.) so it's worth it to stock up before the prices go up.

Freezing berries is pretty easy to do. If it isn't done properly though, the berries will all mash together and it's virtually impossible to separate a few berries at a time if it's all one big, frozen lump.

Here'a a simple step by step guide for freezing berries. A lot of tip sites will have you freezing berries individually on a baking sheet before storing them, but this isn't doable in my house. I have a side by side fridge/freezer so I've devised my own little technique...

Time For A Drink: Banaberry Colada

I usually post meals and such that are friendly for the whole family but I'm changing things up a bit today. Sometimes it's nice to have a something - perhaps a drink - that's just for grown ups.

One of my favorite drinks is a Pina Colada. I love 'em! I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I believe coconut is one of the best flavors ever, right? (If I could make everything in the world taste like coconut, I would in a heartbeat.)

A Little Cup of BBQ-y Goodness

Finger food is the best. There's just something about being able to pick up the food you're eating with your bare hands and just go at it. It's fun, it's primal, it somehow makes food taste better.

I came across a recipe for these little BBQ meat cups many years ago. I think it was from a fundraising cookbook that I bought at one point but I couldn't tell you where it is now. They seemed pretty interesting at the time so I thought I'd give 'em a shot. They turned out to be really good and super fun to eat. I make them a couple times a year to add a little variation to the everyday menu. I keep talking about changing up the ingredients to make a pizza version and an Italian version, so keep an eye out for those sometime in the future.

Fantastically Fun Finger Paint

I made my very first batch of homemade finger paint this morning. It was pretty easy to make and it was even more fun to use! I first got the idea of making my own from a friend who makes her own for her 1 year old to use. It's easy on the budget and you don't have to worry about your kid having a little taste because it's all natural ingredients that are non-toxic and used in everyday cooking.

Before I planned on cooking up the mixture, I did a little research and looked at some recipes on some sites throughout the web. They were pretty standard with some calling for cornstarch and water while others called for flour and water. I wasn't keen on the mixtures that just had cornstarch and water because it seemed like it would be way too clear when all was finished. The flour/water combination, on the other hand, seemed like it would have too much of a glue consistency and be too opaque. I decided to come up with my own recipe using cornstarch AND flour so I could have the best of both worlds.

Simple Homemade Applesauce

When I was little, my grandma would babysit me along with my sister and cousins. She was probably the best cook I've ever known and I can safely say that I'm biased because everyone thinks their own grandma is the best cook. Well, I have one up on them because not only was (and still is) my grandma the best person, but she's Polish which, by default, makes the food that much better. Ok, enough of my favoritism...

One of the many dishes that my grandma would make on a regular basis was applesauce. I remember helping her peel and cut apples after school and being her taste-tester when the batch was just about done. She would make these giant pots full of applesauce and then can them for giving out to the entire family. She was cool like that. I haven't hit that canning stage yet so I tend to make my applesauce in batches that serve only a few. It's so easy to make that I'd rather eat it fresh every time.