Last of the Garden & Confetti Pasta

It's hot in Texas finally.  After a mild summer with tons of rain and low temperatures, the humidity and heat has set in.  Our garden that produced so well for us this year is now on it's last leg and veggies are not producing as much as I'd like.

This past weekend I picked some of our last banana and bell peppers from our garden and along with the basil we've grown in large quantities, I created this simple pasta dish.  As my daughter's friend Ashley said, it had a fresh taste to it using the peppers and especially the basil.  The added sour cream, Real Mayonnaise, Rotel Tomatoes and cream cheese made the pasta creamy and delicious too.  If you still have fresh tomatoes, by all means replace the Rotel Tomatoes and use them instead with a sprinkling of cilantro. If you like a little heat, then add a chopped jalapeno to it as well.

                            Click here for the recipe for Confetti Pasta.

Confetti Pasta is just so bright, fun and colorful! 

If you serve this pasta outside, be sure to keep the bowl on top of another bowl of ice to keep this pasta chilled.  I think adding cooked chicken, tuna, salmon or even pepperoni would easily turn this side dish in to a main dish for dinner or a light lunch.

This recipe would be perfect for a church or work potluck or large family gathering or reunion.

If you have similar pasta dishes, please consider sharing them on The Ranch Kitchen Share a Recipe Section of my recipe site.  I love new recipes and would love to share yours on the blog with fellow followers.

Enjoy the rest of your July, try to stay cook and let me know how you like this Confetti Salad!

Alise
The Ranch Kitchen 

Summer Vegetable Tian Via Ilissa and Pinterest

                   

Our Lissa (Ilissa) as we call her is becoming a good cook in her own right.  She's a big girl now with her first job and living in the big city, she has started, as her traveling permits, to cook when inspiration or an event calls for it. Her recent Pinterest (www Pinterst.com) feed find resulted in this healthy dish.  Our family loves zucchini, squash, onions and potatoes, so this dish naturally marries the four. I think her picture below speaks for itself. She sent me the before and after.  

She now has the honor of making this when she come home for dinner during our county festival. Proud of you Ilissa!  Your family won't starve one day and you and Bethany can carry on the The Ranch Kitchen blog!!  Hugs! 

The recipe hails from the site Budget Bytes via Pinterest http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/08/summer-vegetable-tian/.  If you want to know exactly how much the approximate cost for a dish like this is, this site will spell it out for you.  

Summer Vegetable Tian 

By Budget Bytes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• 1 tsp minced garlic 
• 1 medium zucchini 
• 1 medium yellow squash 
• 1 medium potato 
• 1 medium tomato 
• 1 tsp dried thyme 
• to taste salt & pepper 
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).
2. While the onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.
3. Spray the inside of an 8×8 square or round baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.
4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Get cooking,

From Ilissa!

Marinated Cucumbers and Onions

                                    

I think I could sometimes just drink this recipe!  As far back as I can remember my mom made this side dish.  It was always just what we all wanted. She probably didn't use as much sugar as I do and you can most certainly adjust any ingredient or spice below to your liking.

My recipe below is my rendition of her cucumber recipe.  It's fun just to experiment and make it your own. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  On a hot summer's day there is nothing more refreshing than this recipe to me. 

So, try this out this week. It's an easy enough dish that even the most inexperienced cook can prepare and wow their families and friends with!  

                                       

                                                    Marinated Cucumbers and Onions

3 - 4 cucumbers (seedless variety are best, but we usually don't use it)

2 onions sliced, white or red

1/2 cup sugar or non calorie sweetener like Splenda

3 cups cold water

2 cups white or apple cider vinegar (I usually use white vinegar)

2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning spice

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Pepper to taste

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (a little - 1 tsp. goes a long way)

Optional additions:

bell peppers, sliced in 1/2 inch strips

sweet banana peppers, chopped in bite sized portions (one inch in size)

tomatoes, cherry or Roma tomato varieties

dill weed, fresh or dried 

Preparation:

Clean and slice cumcumbers and onions in to 1/4 inch wide rounds.  Place in a large container with a lid or a large bowl. Add other vegetables, water, sugar, vinegar, and seasonings. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours or longer. I prefer overnight.  

We enjoy taking these cucumbers out at each night as a side with dinner.  They will keep for one week.

***Throughout the week we add more cucumbers and onions as they are eaten.  

To us this is one of our favorite things to eat out of our garden.  It's light, quick and easy to make!  

Enjoy!

Alise