Guest blogger here. I am a sister to this salty cook. And I love her a lot. Seriously. I also love her enough to make a post on a cooking blog. I say that because I am not always super confident in my cooking skills... but I have a few tricks up my sleeve that seem to be people pleasers. Summer cooking for me is a LOT of pasta salads. Mostly cold ones that I make in the day and stick in the fridge ready for dinner that night. But the other day my cute bff from elementary school (who's birthday is today!) brought this pasta salad to a shower and I have salivated over it ever since. It was so simple- yet had such a fun fresh flavor. Love it! Julie's Pesto Pasta Salad
box of bowtie pasta
chicken cooked on the grill- and cut into pieces
purple or sweet onion
craisins
pesto sauce ( I use Costco's- I know she makes her own sometimes)
Cook your chicken on the grill. It looks so much prettier when done on the grill, and for this pasta it adds a nice smoky touch. Cut it up and set aside. While your chicken is grilling, cut your onion and throw it on the stove with some olive oil. I let these caramelize for a really long time. Like almost a half an hour- til they are nice and clear and stringy! After your noodles are cooked, drain and then toss them with the pesto sauce. Add the chicken, onions, and craisins. Serve warm.
My own twist: I added a little half and half to the sauce to make it a bit creamier. Also it was delicious topped with crumbled feta. Another addition you could add would be toasted pine nuts.
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11 comments:
yea! thanks for resurrecting my blog! can't wait to try the pasta salad!
I've had that pasta salad before and it sounds fabulous! Thanks for the recipe. I can't wait to make it. :)
Yeah a summer salad for those of us that live in climates too hot to cook in or habitate.
As the beneficiary of both of these tasty treats, I can give both of them a 10. The pasta is smoky and delish, (I love craisins on everything.) And the fruit pizza, well, was to die for. They were just like the little beauties you would find at Bakers de Normandie. Well done Ash. And Adrianne, where is the cookie of the month? I miss it.
I love the idea of the carmelized onions and craisins adding sweetness to pesto. We'll be trying this soon!
made the pasta and it was divine! I'll work on the fruit pizzas later...thanks for inspiring me. I am happy to pass the cooking baton on to my very capable daughters anytime!
New recipes! You made my Friday night!
Both look and sound delicious! Thanks Ash! (and A!!)
your fruit pizza's look so beautiful... umm... and delicious!
We made the pasta salad with the pine nuts and the feta cheese. Yummers! Adriene is a pesto fanatic so she couldn't get enough of it. Thanks for the great recipes. It really does take a village, doesn't it?
I made both the pasta and pizzas for some friends and they died over it! Thanks for making me into a good cook.
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