Issue #21 – Italian Pasta Salad

One perk of an office job is an endless amount of company luncheons and special functions that allow you to hone your cooking schools while having an entire department of taste testers (aka guinea pigs) at the ready. If your dish is good, there likely won’t be any left. If it’s not so good you’ll get the polite blank-faced, “no, this is really good. I’m just full,” and have a big container of leftovers to cart home.

My department is roughly a dozen people from varied backgrounds, so we usally get a wide array of great dishes for our almost monthly luncheons. We do a potluck luncheon each month for the birthday people, and the celebrants get to choose a theme (Mexican, backyard cookout, etc.) This is such a great idea because it alleviates the typical luncheon routine we tend to fall into.

This month’s birthday folks at my job chose “backyard cookout” as their theme. I was torn between making pimento cheese finger sandwiches and trying pasta salad for the first time. Ultimately, I made both!

Italian Pasta Salad
One 16oz package multi-colored spiral pasta (or your favorite variety)
1/2 bag shredded (or matchstick) carrots
10.5oz salad tomatoes, halved
4 baby cucumbers, sliced into chips
2.25 oz sliced olives
1.5 cups Light Italian dressing
1.5 cups Creamy Garlic Caeser dressing
1 cup grated parmesean (if desired)

Cook pasta as you normally would, add vegetables, and stir. Slowly add in dressing, stirring thoroughly after each cup, so all pasta and veggies are coated. Cover and refrigerate until cool.

I only have an “after” photo of the pasta salad, because it didn’t dawn on me to get any during. My apologies! I also have included a photo of the pimento cheese sandwich triangles, just because they were cute and simple.

Issue #20 – Brown Rice

Hidey ho there, readers. It’s been awhile!

Forgive me for my extended absence. In the midst of learning to cook last year I got myself one of those nice full-time jobs then school started and POOF, there went absolutely all of my free time. I know, this is no excuse, but it happens. In more recent months I’ve had some health issues and had to withdraw from school for a bit, and really, no time like the present to get myself back on the cooking bandwagon, no?

I don’t have much up my sleeve, so my first few posts back will likely be very simple things I’ve been playing around with lately. Thank you all for bearing with me while my life took a busy turn.

Brown Rice

I’ve never successfully made rice, unless you count the boil in bag type, which most don’t. While boil in bag is very convenient and does offer brown rice, as well as some flavored varieties, if you’re low on money and need to cook the basics, picking up a 2-lb tub of brown rice at CostCo for $8 can’t really be beat.

I simply followed the directions on the container. I know, genius idea, right?! You’d think it would be easy, but no. The first time I made it the rice actually came out PERFECT. I was so amazed that I was texting and messaging all of my friends, “holy crap, I just made brown rice!” and they were like, “….ok….”.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

2 and 1/4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt (if desired)

1 teaspoon butter (if desired)

I’ve made the rice using the following liquids: water, chicken broth, beef broth. All of them produce tasty rice, it’s just up to your preferences and what you’ll be pairing the rice with.

Bring water, salt, butter, rice, to a boil, reduce heat to LOW, cover, and boil for 45 minutes. The most important thing with rice, I have discovered, is to leave it alone! Once the lid is on, leave it on. Resist the urge to stir it or “check on it”. Rice can be alone for 45 minutes, it’ll be ok and won’t tear up the house or pee on the rug. Also, if you do have glass lids for your pots, look in and make sure there is liquid. The second time I made brown rice I ruined it because I didn’t have quite enough liquid OR I’d turned the heat up just a bit too high. The bottom layer was crispy and the rice grains didn’t fully cook. Learn from my fail.

What I like about this portion is it is 2-3 meals worth of rice. I usually half it up into containers and add some canned chicken or tuna and a bit of soy sauce, then I have two lunches for work. I also want to learn how to make beans and hope to one day pair rice and beans together. I’m very adventurous like that!

  

  

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