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Green Pea Salad

July 17, 2011 By Kate 3 Comments

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We go through a lot of peas in our house! Even though the kids would gladly eat them straight out of the freezer, Eric and I need a bit more variety. So since it’s summer, a pea salad seemed like the perfect alternative for a side dish. It was a hit with everyone, which I completely expected.

I used frozen peas for our salad, although I’m holding out hope that I’ll be able to use some peas fresh from our garden before the end of summer. I haven’t talked much about our garden, but it’s doing great and everything seems to be flourishing, although we haven’t yet been able to harvest anything. Hopefully that will change someday soon!

Green Pea Salad

  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  • 2 T. sugar
  • 1 T. vinegar
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. pepper
  • 1/2 t. thyme
  • 1/4 c. sliced green onions
  • 5 slices bacon, diced and cooked
  • 3 c. peas (frozen or fresh)

1. Combine mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper and thyme in a large bowl. Stir in green onions, bacon and peas until completely mixed. Refrigerate until serving.

This couldn’t be any easier, yet it tastes so good! It’s best to make at least a few hours ahead of time so that the flavors have a chance to develop fully. And it’s easily doubled or tripled for a crowd.

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Peach & Blackberry Sundaes

July 12, 2011 By Kate 2 Comments

I think one of my very favorite things about summer is the abundance of delicious fresh fruit. I wait for it all year and crave fresh berries, watermelon, peaches, and pretty much any other fruit you can think of. I absolutely refuse to buy our usual stand-bys of apples and oranges during the summer. It helps that the kids love all those fruits as much as I do. You better believe that a big fruit salad serves as dinner for all of us at least a few times each summer.

We also love to incorporate those fruits into desserts as often as possible. Since we have really been enjoying the combination of peaches and blackberries lately, I thought it would make a wonderful ice cream topping. I added a little cinnamon to give the syrup a little something extra and it was just the right amount of spice to give the whole sundae a delicious and almost unexpected flavor. We loved it. (And the extra syrup spooned over pancakes was a huge hit too!)

Peach & Blackberry Sundaes

  • 2 peaches, divided
  • 1 1/2 c. blackberries, divided
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 c. water
  • 1/4 t. cinnamon
  • 2 t. cornstarch
  • 1 T. water
  • Vanilla ice cream

1. Cut the peaches into slices. Reserve 8 slices for the sundaes. Cut the remaining slices into cubes. Reserve 12 blackberries for the sundaes.

2. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Heat to boiling over medium heat. Stir in the peach cubes and remaining blackberries. Continue simmering, stirring frequently, until peaches and berries can easily be mashed with a spoon, about 10 minutes. Stir in cinnamon.

If desired, mash some of the fruit with the mixing spoon while stirring for a less chunky sauce.

3. Stir together cornstarch and 1 T. water until smooth. Slowly pour into the simmering sauce and stir well. Continue to simmer the sauce until thickened to the consistency of a thick syrup. Remove from heat and let cool at least 5 minutes before spooning onto ice cream.

4. Scoop ice cream into 4 serving dishes. Spoon on the berry syrup and top each sundae with 2 peach slices and 3 blackberries. Enjoy!

Refrigerate any leftover sauce and use for more sundaes or as a breakfast syrup.

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Pasta Salad Skewers

June 30, 2011 By Kate 7 Comments

My husband laughed at me when I first told him I had this idea. He thought “pasta salad on a stick” was the craziest idea he’d heard in a long time. But I just knew it would work, so I didn’t let his laughter dissuade me.

And I’m so glad I didn’t because these came out so great. The kids are thrilled to have these for lunch both because of the novelty and the taste.

My idea for these originally came about because I wanted a quick lunch that could be ready in the fridge and that all of the kids, even the 4 year old, could just grab when it was lunchtime and head back outside to eat. Since these stay good for at least 3 days, I love to make up a big batch and have them on hand all the time. The skewers would also be perfect for a casual picnic since they don’t require any silverware.

Pasta Salad Skewers

  • 1 lb. cheese tortellini; cooked, drained and rinsed in cold water
  • 1/2 lb. grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1/2 lb. pepperoni
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 bottle Italian dressing
  • Bamboo skewers

1. Alternately thread tortellini, tomatoes, cucumbers and folded pepperoni onto skewers. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in a large casserole, bowl or big plastic bags and cover with salad dressing.

2. Refrigerate until serving, but at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to develop.

You can obviously play around with this idea a LOT and replace or add different veggies and meats as desired. The dressing can be played with too, although I’m not how well a creamy dressing would work. If you try it out, let me know!

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