Pasta Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Want a deliciously different pasta salad?  The cilantro lime vinaigrette in this salad is a refreshing change from Italian pasta salads.  This recipe is an adaptation from a local restaurant that you will want to add to your menu!  You can make this salad a main dish if you would like by adding cooked shrimp or chicken.  This is one of our favorite salads at our house!

 

Pasta Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

      Salad:

      8 oz farfalle or bow tie pasta                      1 c julienned carrots

      1 Tbsp olive oil                                         1 c  julienned red bell pepper

      2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley                      1 c julienned green bell pepper

      2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro                      1 basket cherry tomatoes, halved

      2 Tbsp minced scallions                            1 lb salad cooked shrimp or chicken (opt)

            

      Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

       3 cloves garlic, minced                               ¼ c white wine vinegar

       ¼ c minced cilantro                                    1 tsp salt

       2 Tbsp Dijon mustard                                 ½ tsp pepper

       juice & zest of 1 lime                                  2/3 c canola oil            

Cook the pasta al dente using package directions.  Rinse under cold water and drain well.  Toss with olive oil in large bowl.  Add rest of salad ingredients and mix gently.  

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients except oil in blender.  Add oil in a fine stream, blending until well mixed.    Add vinaigrette to pasta and toss gently.  Chill until serving time.  Serves 6-8.

Lemony Lemon Bars

Ok, I have taken a long hiatus.  Life got crazy and then I just didn't know if the time it takes to post was worth it and if it was helpful to anyone.  I do like to share with you the beautiful quilts I find and the yummy recipes I like, so let me know if you find it worthwhile.  Last night I was mentioning to one of my sons how long it has been since I have posted and he replied, "That's pathetic."  Haha.  I don't want to be pathetic, so here I am again!

I thought I would share my Lemon Bar recipe.  Be warned, this is a LEMON bar!  No wimpy "Is this lemon?" taste here.  I love lemon and I just couldn't find a recipe that had a really good lemon flavor with a delicate crust, so I started experimenting a few months ago.  I tried all sorts of recipes but couldn't find one that was just perfect.  Then I started to combine them to get a good lemon flavor in the filling with a crust that just melts in your mouth.  It took a while, but this is what I came up with - and I really like it.

I use a large food processor which makes it fast to mix the ingredients.  If you don't have one, you could use a stand or hand mixer or even a fork to mix the crust into small pieces.  I use parchment paper to line the pan.  I find it very easy to take out of the pan and cut them.  You don't have to line the pan, but it really is a slick method.  So all you lemon lovers - Enjoy!

Lemony Lemon Bars         

Crust:                                                 Filling:

1-1/2 c flour                                       zest of 2 large lemons

2/3 c powdered sugar                         2-1/2 c sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch                              1 c butter ( 2 sticks)

½ tsp salt                                           8 eggs

¾ c butter (1-1/2 sticks)                      4 Tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

                                                         ½ tsp salt

                                                         ¾ c juice of lemons (3-4 lemons)  
                                                             

Pre-heat oven to 350° F.  For the crust, blend flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch & salt in a food processor.  Add butter cut into slices & pulse till the mixture is fine.  Butter the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan.  Line pan with parchment paper with the paper coming up over the sides like a sling.  Place another piece going the opposite direction with the paper coming just above the sides.  Press the paper into the corners.  This will help to remove the bars from the pan.   Pour the crust into the pan and press evenly across the bottom & 1/2" up the sides.  Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

In the meantime, prepare the filling in the food processor.  Add zest, sugar and butter to the work bowl.  Pulse until well combined.  Add eggs, cornstarch & salt.  Pulse until combined.  Add juice of the lemons.  Pulse until combined.  Pour onto hot crust & reduce oven to 325° F.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until filling is set when lightly jiggled & top is starting to get light brown.  Let pan cool completely on rack or in the fridge. 

Using the parchment paper, gently lift the bars from the pan to a cutting board.  Cut into squares and use a fine sieve to sprinkle top with powdered sugar.  Add a raspberry or half a strawberry on the top as garnish if desired.

Granny's Banana Bread

 
We really like quick breads at our house.  I had been using a favorite Banana Bread recipe for years that we really liked, but when I was going through my mom's recipes I found this one.  It was just like the one I had been using, except my mom's used butter instead of shortening.  So I tried it.  Yup.  It was the winner.  Using butter instead of shortening added that little extra flavor that was delicious.  My hubby purposely lets some bananas get over-ripe so I will make banana bread.  You want the bananas over-ripe so they will give the bread a really good banana flavor.  You can freeze banana bread if you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap then in foil after it is cool.  Use within 3 months.  Unwrap and let thaw at room temperature.  But we can't help but eat it when it comes out of the oven.  Enjoy!

Banana Bread

           1 ½ c sugar                                                          2 c flour, sifted                                 

            ½ c butter                                                            1 tsp soda

            2 eggs                                                                 ½ tsp salt

            1 tsp vanilla                                                         ½ c walnuts or pecans (opt)          

            4 over-ripe bananas, mashed

In mixer bowl, cream sugar & butter.  Add eggs, vanilla & bananas & mix well.  Add dry ingredients & mix just until combined.  Pour into 1 large or 2 medium well greased loaf pans.  Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes then remove & cool on cookie rack.

Option:  Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread:  In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 c sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon.  Pour down the middle of the batter in the loaf pan before cooking.  Swirl into batter with a knife, but don't over-mix.  Cook according to directions.

Log Cabin Heart Quilt Pattern

Make a Log Cabin Heart pillow, table runner or wall hanging for Valentine's Day!  This pattern is so cute and easy and you can use your scraps for the heart.   Enjoy!

Go to the "Quilt Block Tutorials" for the Log Cabin Block Design.  You will find instructions for making log cabin blocks and courthouse step blocks.   http://www.quiltingandfood.blogspot.com/2013/01/tutorial-for-log-cabin-courthouse-step.html

Then follow the simple instructions to make your Valentine's Heart.

Supply List for Pillow:

1-5/8 yd dark red for border & back

1/8 yd dark pink for border

Assortment of 1-1/8” white strips

Assortment of 1-1/8” dark red strips

14” square pillow form

Six 7/8” or larger buttons

Assembly:

A.  Starting with a 1-1/8” red square, make (2) 13 piece Log Cabin blocks.

B.  Starting with (3) 1-1/8” white squares, make 2 Courthouse Steps with variation of only 12 pieces as shown in picture above.

C.  Sew the 4 blocks together as shown in picture to make heart.

D.  Sew 1-1/8” white strips around the block.

E.  Sew 1-3/4” dark red strips on each side of heart block.

F.  Sew 2-1/2” dark red strips on top & bottom of heart block.

G.  Sew 2-1/2 “ pink strips on the sides of heart block.

H.  Sew 6-1/2” dark red strips on the sides of the pink strips.

I..  Cut the back piece the same size as the top & sew RST (right sides together) on top & bottom.  Turn right side out.

J.  Press raw edges under ¼”.  Fold over 3/8” to inside & hem.  Fold & press under another 2” to finish edge.

K.  Insert pillow form & sew 3 buttons on each side with pearl floss & tie in square knot to finish.

Variations:

Table Runner:

Follow instructions for pillow A-D.  For table runner approximately 17” x 43”, make 3 hearts.  Sew a 1-3/4” strip of dark red sashing between the hearts to connect them.  Sew a 1-3/4” strip of the same dark red sashing on the top & bottom and then on each end.  Sew a 3-3/4” border of contrasting red on the top & bottom and then on each end.  Quilt & bind as desired.

Wall Hanging:

Follow instructions for pillow A-D.  For wall hanging approximately 28” x 31”, make 4 hearts.  Sew a 1-3/4” strip of dark red sashing between 2 hearts to make 2 sets.  Sew a 1-3/4” strip of the same dark red sashing between the 2 sets to make one row on top of the other.  Sew another 1-3/4” strip of the same dark red sashing on each side and then on the top and bottom.  Sew a 3-3/4” border of contrasting red on each side and then on the top and bottom.  Quilt & bind as desired.

Tutorial for Log Cabin & Courthouse Step Quilt Block Design

I love the Log Cabin block!  It is an often-used and very versatile traditional quilt block.  The Courthouse Step block is a variation of the Log Cabin block.   Depending on color value placement, the Log Cabin block can be used as a 1/2 square triangle in quilt designs.  The Courthouse Step block can be used as a 1/4 square triangle in quilt designs.  Use darks & lights in fabric placement or your 1/4 or 1/2 square triangles will be lost.  Which ever value you start with in the center square will be the dominant value in the block.  Traditionally, these blocks were used in scrappy quilts and the center fabric was red, representing the hearth at the center of the home.

These instructions give you the option of making finished blocks from 2-1/2" to 12-1/4" in size.  Both Log Cabin & Courthouse Step blocks can be made in 9 or 13 pieces.  Choose the finished size block in either the 9 or 13 piece column.  Cut the strips the width found in the left hand column to make your finished size block.  Follow the instructions for the block assembly.  The instructions can be used for chain sewing (sewing multiple blocks at a time) which saves lots of time!  

(To make these instructions large enough to read in my limited computer knowledge - I had to stretch them - which made them a little blurry.  Hope you can still read them!)

Italian Pasta & Bean Soup

I originally found this recipe in a "Cooking Light" recipe book and made a few changes.  It is chuck full of veggies and beans that are good for you and it has a wonderful flavor!  You can use whatever pasta you want - I had farfalle on hand so I used that.  It doesn't have a lot of pasta in it so you could add a little more if you want or leave it out all together.  The star of this soup is the mixture of spices with the beans & veggies.  It has become one of our favorite soups.  Just don't tell anyone it is good for them.  Enjoy!

Italian Pasta & Bean Soup

          2 tsp olive oil                                              1-14-oz can chicken broth
          1 c finely chopped or shredded carrot        1-14.5-oz can Italian-style diced tomatoes
          ½ c finely chopped onion                            ½ c uncooked penne pasta
          1 garlic clove, minced                                 1-15-oz can cannelloni or other white
          ½ tsp dried oregano                                                bean, rinsed and drained
          ¼ tsp salt                                                    2 c fresh spinach
          ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper             ¼ c grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add carrot, onion and garlic.  Sauté 5 minutes.  Add oregano, salt, pepper, broth and tomatoes; bring to boil.  Cover and reduce heat.  Simmer 10 minutes.

 
Increase heat to medium-high.  Add pasta and beans; cook 12 minutes or until pasta is almost done, stirring occasionally.  Stir in spinach and cook until pasta is done and spinach is wilted, about 2 more minutes.  Sprinkle each serving with cheese.  Serves 4.  Can double recipe.