The Salads: Main Course Pasta, Rice and Grains

Main Course Pasta, Rice, and Grain Salads make easy dinners for summer.

Tuna Cannellini Pasta Salad; old recipes and…. Cheez Whiz?!

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This is not my mother’s Tuna Salad. She would have never put tomatoes in it. Both the pepper and celery would have been minced and even then only a small amount. She might have been adventurous and added the olives but certainly not the white beans….. I can hear her say ‘Heavens!’ at the very … Continue reading…

Ham, Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Pasta Salad; tomatoes

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I love cold ham in salads of any type. Well, I just love cold ham. Feel free to substitute smoked turkey Beans with basil is classic combination. Add in tomatoes and we have a great summer salad. It’s finished with a naturally lower fat / lower calorie dressing of half mayonnaise and half Greek Yogurt. … Continue reading…

Italian Picnic Pasta Salad; meanderings

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This is the ‘classic’ or original (close to it, anyway) Pasta Salad…. The one that started the whole pasta salad craze back in the beginning of time. The original called for bottled “Italian Dressing” but I prefer to make my own (plus I can’t get it here). This was the salad that I took to … Continue reading…

Pasta Salad with Sausage, Celery and Cherry Tomatoes

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Celery is another underused vegetable. Too often a little bit is finely chopped and added to a pasta or potato salad and barely noticed. We like it…. Mon mari even likes it cooked, as a vegetable side dish. I don’t, however, like raw onion (mon mari likes that, too). So even if all the other … Continue reading…

Warm Chicken Pasta Salad with Spring Vegetables

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Pasta Primavera is an American invention from the 1970’s. I say ‘American’ because both Nova Scotia and New York have a spot in the story. I have always disagreed with most ‘Pasta Primavera’ recipes. Primavera means spring so, in my opinion, the dish should be made with spring vegetables. Many Pasta Primavera recipes have summer … Continue reading…

Salad with Barley, Sausages and Pesto Rosso; the update

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The weather has been lovely, warm and sunny (although we are desperate for rain) and has been busy painting and repairing. One of the more challenging projects was to extend the shutters on the door opening onto Juliette’s Balcony. There had originally been a door there; the former owners replaced it with a window and … Continue reading…