Fire Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is one of the easiest go.to salads to make during the Summer.  Fresh veggies that are sun.ripened are easily available and packed with good nutrition.  There is no right way or wrong way to make one.  It is easy to use up your leftover veggies for a one.of.a.kind salad as well.  It is also super versatile as it can be the main dish or a side salad.  It's up to you!!

With this fire roasted pasta salad, my hubby likes to add in a few of the fresh crunchy veggies while adding in the soft.roasted veggies that add a bit more depth and flavor.  If this were my recipe, it would be called "Lisa's Charred Veggie Pasta Salad"!!  Doesn't that sound appetizing?? :}



Scott's Firehouse Fire Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad

2  {16 ounce} packages tri-colored pasta...prepared according to directions on package.

Boil noodles in sea.salted water and drain.  Rinse with cold water and then salt and pepper noodles a bit.


1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 of one red onion, sliced...save the other 1/2

1/2 of 1 large tomato, cubed...save the other 1/2

1 zucchini, sliced

Add these veggies to a large Ziploc and add a bit of olive oil and 1 pressed garlic clove.  shake.
place in a BBQ veggie basket and roast over hot coals.  Let cook until roasted.  Cool a bit.

Add to pasta.

1 package sun dried tomatoes  {I use the dry ones}

1 small jar of artichokes, drained

1 can of black olives, drained

1 small jar of green olives, drained

3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

Add the rest of the veggies including the other half of tomato and red onion to the pasta.
Pour 1 {12oz.} bottle of Romano Caesar Dressing on pasta.  Toss salad and serve.

MINI PICNIC PIES

M was once a mini-pie,
Pidy,
Widy,
Tidy,
Pidy,
YUMMY insidy, mini-pie!

We are right in the thick of picnic season, although we picnic all.year.long as it is so much fun.
I'm always trying to find little treats that travel well and that are simple to make.  These little pies are just perfect tucked into individual parchment bags.

This time, I used Trader Joe's pie dough and homemade freezer jam!  {Speaking of freezer jam, last night I had a few friends over to make jam...it was the perfect little get-together to not only make jam, but to laugh, learn and snack away.  It took almost zero prep and we all combined our berries at the end for a mixed berry jam that was to.die.for!!}
For the PICNIC PIES,  I used a 4 inch round, fluted cookie cutter for the dough and put about 1 tsp. of jam in the center. Use fork tines to seal the half-moon pie and brush with a silicone pastry brush dipped in one beaten egg. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top. Gently, place the pies on parchment paper and bake at 425* for about 15 minutes. Aren't they sweet? Just small enough to enjoy with a cup of iced lemonade!!

Little rhyme adapted from Edward Lear...thank you Mr. Lear!