Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

 

I guess Dill Pickle Pasta Salad is a hit on TikTok. I don't know anything about TikTok. But I now DO know about Dill Pickle Pasta Salad. It was on the potluck table at our church recently, courtesy of Lauren - one of my former Joyful Noise Children's Choir members. Now she's a mama herself and bringing tasty dishes to church potlucks. (Am I old, or what?!)

I like pasta salads in general. When I saw it on the buffet, I figured it would just be a tasty pasta salad. But this was not your usual pasta salad. The dill pickles packed a powerful puckery punch. After discovering who brought the salad, I asked for the recipe and then promptly tried it myself.

The recipe Lauren shared was from the Together As Family blog. I also did a little Googling, and there are lots of versions of recipes for Dill Pickle Pasta Salad. For my version, I used extra sharp Cheddar cheese. Together as Family suggested Colby Jack, but I think the stronger flavor of extra sharp Cheddar holds up better against the powerful pickle taste. I only had enough of the dill pickles for 1 cup (without a trip to the grocery store), so I used bread and butter pickles for the remainder. (That was a suggestion from another recipe.) You can use the combination that best suits your taste buds. We liked the touch of sweetness that the bread and butter pickles provided. 

The recipe said dill pickle slices or baby dill pickles could be used. I like the chopped whole baby dill pickles for more flavor and more crunch.  

If you try it, let me know what you think! 

Dill Pickle Pasta Salad

Adapted from Together As Family blog 

For salad

1 box (16 oz) rotini pasta 

1/3 cup dill pickle juice (from pickle jar)

2 cups chopped baby dill pickles 

1 block (8 oz) cubed extra sharp Cheddar cheese

1 small onion, finely chopped (opt.)

 

Creamy Dill Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup dill pickle juice 

2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill (or 1 tbsp. dried dill)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper 

 

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.  When pasta is done cooking, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Move rinsed pasta to a mixing bowl and pour 1/3 cup pickle juice over it. Stir to combine. Let sit while you prepare the rest.

 

Chop the dill pickles and cut cheese into small cubes. Finely chop the white onion, if desired. (You can use green onion for a milder onion taste.)

 

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients, mixing well.

 

Drain the pasta again that was sitting in the pickle juice. Add the pasta back to the mixing bowl. Add in the pickles, cheese and white onion. Stir to combine.  

 

Pour dressing over pasta salad; stir well. Salad can be eaten right away or, if you prefer a colder salad, refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. 

 

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. However, after sitting, the pasta absorbs the dressing, making it less creamy.  

 

Stick to Your "Core" Meals

 

Back when I was a Pratt County 4-Her, we worked in the fair's concession stand during the county fair. Sloppy joes provided the mainstay of the noon-day meal. 

As a kid, you don't give a lot of thought to the behind-the-scenes work required. You just show up during your scheduled shift and do the assigned tasks.

But, as I became the 4-H parent and community leader in Stafford County, I remembered those sloppy joes. Then, I was the one responsible for the Stafford County Fair clean-up meal or fundraisers that required a roaster full of a main dish. And my mom got the inevitable phone call asking about that old recipe. I've passed that torch on to the next generation of 4-H parents.

It's Pratt County Fair time this week, but I won't make it to my home county for the fair. There are bigger attractions for me to the east at the Shawnee County Fair. Kinley is back for another year exhibiting in the fair, and Brooke is a first-year 4-Her, showing her projects for the first time. So Grandma and Grandpa will go and check out their fair entries. (Today is foods judging, so I'm anxious to hear how they did.)

I'm not sure whether sloppy joes are still a staple at Pratt County or not. But I'm still using the old Pratt County sloppy joe recipe for things like the Stafford Core meal. Core is a program that helps our community's families overcome poverty through budgeting, peer counseling and fellowship. Each Monday, different community groups provide the meal for Core families before their scheduled meeting. 

I'm the organizer for our church's efforts. It was our turn again last month. As is usually the case, Randy provided the muscle in carting everything to the car and then into the church.

Sloppy joes were on the menu. (I've done other meals, too - meatballs, tostadoes, cavatini, taco soup and a baked potato bar - most more than once).

With our sloppy joes, we also served baked beans, potato chips and coleslaw with homemade dressing. And, of course, there were homemade cookies for dessert. (I had some pretzel bites left over from the rehearsal dinner, too, so I shared those, too.)

As we sat at the tables, visiting with Core members, I noticed this sign:

Isn't that the truth?

Do you need a meal for a crowd? These are tried-and-true recipes to add to your recipe arsenal.

Sloppy Joes for a Crowd

Pratt County Fair concession stand

10 pounds browned hamburger (Brown with chopped onion or dried minced onion)

4 cans regular chicken gumbo soup 

1 1/2 cups ketchup

3/4 cup mustard

1 tsp. salt

Pepper to taste

 

Brown meat and onion and drain. Put meat in a roaster and add all other ingredients. Simmer in a roaster until thickened and ready to serve. The original recipe said it served 100. Servings must have been a lot smaller back. Today, I'd say it serves half of that (probably bigger buns). 

NOTE: Chicken gumbo soup is difficult to find these days. This time, I substituted Campbell's Old-Fashioned Tomato Rice. It worked well.

Coleslaw Dressing for a Crowd 

Recipe origin unknown

3/4 cup vinegar

1 cup salad oil

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. celery seed

1 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and emulsified. Pour into a quart jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Use over shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix. I usually keep a jar of this dressing in my refrigerator each summer to use on home-grown cucumbers. (I like my cucumbers with vinegar, but Randy likes a more creamy version. This dressing recipe has fit the bill.)

For the Core meal, this amount of dressing covered about 4 bags of coleslaw mix. You can certainly shred or chop your own. Using packaged coleslaw mix just saved me some time and effort when I was making all the other components in the meal.

Spring Pea Salad

 

I love a good-quality spiral ham for a holiday family meal. Most of the time, beef dominates our dinner table, since I have a freezer full of it, so it's nice to serve something out of the ordinary on a holiday menu.

But as much as I love ham - and the leftovers - I decided to go a different route for our small Easter dinner this year. 

Since our only guests were my parents, I opted to have a ham and cheese quiche as our main dish. It's usually something I make with my ham leftovers.

Ham & Cheese Quiche

This year, I went directly to quiche for the main dish. Instead of leftover ham, I went with a package of cubed ham to jump start the recipe. It was super quick and easy, especially since I already had a pie crust in in the freezer. 

With spring and Easter on the mind, I still wanted the side dishes to have that springtime look and feel. This Spring Pea Salad went together quickly and was a delicious accompaniment to the festivities. I also did steamed carrots topped with Parmesan cheese and a fresh fruit salad. I had some homemade crescent rolls in the freezer. It made for a colorful and festive Easter plate!

Crescent Rolls

 My usual go-to pea salad is a marinated version. I love it, too. 

  Marinated Vegetable Salad

But for this go-around, I opted for the creamy version often found at buffets or church potlucks. Sign me up for anything with sharp cheddar cheese! 

To make this salad even simpler, you can use high-quality packaged bacon bits instead of crisping it up yourself. While the original recipe called for red onion, I used green onions for a milder "bite."

For dessert, it was a family favorite - Lemonade Dessert. (After looking at my 2010 photo, I realize I need to take a new photo. But I promise: The recipe is a favorite among all my kids and granddaughters.)

While Easter is past, this salad would be a wonderful side dish for your next church potluck, BBQ or family gathering. 

Spring Pea Salad

Adapted from Mom on Timeout

16 ounces frozen peas
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 small red onion, diced (I used green onions for milder taste)
1/4 pound bacon, cooked and finely chopped

Dressing

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Remove peas from freezer and place in a colander and allow to slightly thaw while preparing the dressing.

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Add the peas, bacon, cheddar cheese, and red onion and fold/stir to combine. Chill the salad for at least one hour before serving. The salad can be made up to 3 days in advance. 

Note: You may substitute packaged real bacon bits to make this salad go together even more quickly.

 

Fiesta Chop Salad

Farmer's Market season + hot weather: It's the formula for a main dish salad for a tasty meal.

I love main dish salads in the summer. Randy likes them, too, but, in his estimation, some sort of protein needs to be included. And he'd prefer it not be chicken. I've been rationing the few steaks we have left in the freezer, but I decided to pull a package out when I saw the Fiesta Chop Salad recipe in an email from a Hutchinson kitchen store, Apron Strings. 

Covid-19 threw off our butchering schedule, so my beef freezer stash is alarmingly low. But grilled chicken or grilled shrimp would be tasty as an accompaniment to this salad, flavor-packed with spices and cilantro.

The original recipe called for iceberg lettuce. I prefer romaine hearts. When available, I buy the package with three hearts packaged together and chop them myself as I need them. They stay fresher and I can control the size of the bite. 

However, you could use salad greens from your garden or the farmer's market. With this salad, there's a "fiesta" of Mexican-inspired flavors coating the greens and the other veggies. The recipe called for corn grilled and cut from the cob, cherry tomatoes and finely-diced red onion. Randy and I prefer leaving the onion out ... so I did. That's the beauty of recipes like this - mix and match to suit your taste!

I also didn't have corn on the cob, so I charred frozen corn in a hot skillet on my stove top. It worked well.

While I used drained and rinsed black beans, you could use slightly-drained chili beans (like the email recipe suggested) or kidney beans. Sharp Cheddar cheese added flavor, along with the salty crunch of the corn chips tossed in at the very end.

The dressing started with a yogurt base, to which I added vinegar and oil, along with several spices. 

The recipe serves 6 to 8. Because I was making it for just us two, I used the ingredients needed to prepare two servings and kept the rest dressing free. That way, I could make fresh salad for another meal - much better than rehashing soggy salad greens and soggy corn chips!  

We also had more dressing than we needed for our two main dish salads. Just store the extra in the fridge and use the next time you make a salad.

A light meal will likely be on the menu at noon today. Randy test-cut wheat yesterday afternoon, and it was still a little too wet. The elevator at Zenith says it needs to be 13.4% before they'll take loads of wheat. 

Randy is like a little boy waiting for his birthday. He's hopeful that today is the day. And, if you're keeping track of our friendly family wager on our start date, Brent is poised to be the winner ... IF we go today. Susan has June 18, and I'm on the calendar for June 19. (I don't think I'm going to win the contest, but I'll win if we can actually start. And remember: Like a good mom, I had last pick of the dates.)

Randy actually went out twice yesterday to test cut - once right after lunch and once at 5 PM to see if it had dried enough. I accused him of wanting to stack the deck, since he had the June 16 date. We might have had to call disqualification.

Whether you're trying this salad as a harvest meal or just the way to beat the heat on a day when temperature records may be broken, I hope you enjoy! And good luck to our fellow farmers! h

Fiesta Chop Salad

Adapted from Apron Strings kitchen store

Serves 6-8

 

Salad

1 head chopped iceberg lettuce or 1 pkg. of 3 hearts of romaine, chopped

10 oz. grape tomatoes, halved

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

4 ears corn, grilled and kernels cut off the cob

Olive oil for brushing corn cobs

3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

2 cups corn chips

1/4 red onion, finely diced (opt.)

 

To make it a main dish:

3-4 ounces per person to be served of your choice of grilled chicken, grilled steak, grilled shrimp, etc.

 

Creamy Cilantro Dressing

(Makes about 1 cup dressing)

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. dried cumin

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

 

Dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a blender and mix well. Refrigerate until serving. 

 

For Salad: Grill corn over direct heat until char marks appear. Once it's cooled slightly, carefully cut the kernels from the cob. (Because I didn't have corn on the cob, I charred frozen corn in a hot skillet on my stove top.) Wash and chop lettuce (I used romaine.) Half the grape tomatoes. Finely dice onion (if you want to use it. We prefer leaving out the raw onions.)

Assemble: Toss all the salad ingredients (except corn chips) together in a large bowl and combine with dressing, as desired. Top with corn chips. Serve immediately. 

To make it a main dish salad, top with seasoned chicken, beef or shrimp. 

Note: Since we don't have 6-8 people to serve at our typical noon meal, I just used enough ingredients for the two of us and refrigerated the remaining ingredients separately for another meal. Once dressed, the salad isn't as good for leftovers.

 

Big Mac Salad

 

We don't eat out much. When you're 15 minutes from town, it hardly seems worth the effort. Plus, it's a lot more cost-effective to eat at home.

 

The pandemic impacted our limited dining out even more, mainly because we didn't seem to go anywhere at all. Even on our infrequent travels to see the kids, we took along a sack lunch and ate it at roadside parks, rather than going into a restaurant along the way.

 

McDonald's hasn't been on our regular dining out choices since our kids were little.  Happy Meals from the drive-through were part of the Wednesday night routine during the few years Jill and friends took dance lessons in Hutchinson. 

 

These days, if we go a fast-food franchise, it's usually Freddy's. And finding their sauce bottled and ready to eat at home has been a nice addition to the sandwich/tater toppings in my refrigerator door. 

So I'm not sure exactly why the recipe for Big Mac Salad appealed to me. Probably it's because I have hamburger readily available. And I'm always looking for new - and tasty - ways to use it. So the Big Mac Salad appeared on our noontime table this month, and it got good reviews from both Randy and me.

 

I just prepared enough lettuce for us for one meal and then topped with the toppings. I made each of us a main dish salad on separate plates. I had both hamburger and special sauce dressing leftover for another meal.  Just keep well-covered in the refrigerator until ready to use again. That's the beauty of this: Make as much or as little as you need. 

 

And make it how you prefer: We don't particularly care for raw onions, so I just included some chopped onion when I browned the ground beef instead.

 

And, by the way, it's Kansas Beef Month. Since it's always Beef Month around here, I didn't even think about the fact that this blog post could even be considered timely ... until after I wrote it. What a happy coincidence!

 

According to www.kansasbeef.org, there are more than 27,000 cattle farms and ranches in Kansas. This year, Kansas takes third place among U.S. states with cattle numbers, totaling 6.5 million head of cattle on ranches and in feedyards. That’s more than twice the state’s human population. Furthermore, Kansas ranked second among U.S. states in fed cattle marketed, with roughly 4.97 million in 2019. In total, beef cattle and calves represented 51.5 percent of the 2019 Kansas agricultural cash receipts, bolstering and enhancing the spending power in local economies across the state.

 

Kansas has about 45.8 million acres of farm ground. However, not all of this land can be used to grow crops. Grazing cattle is an ideal technique for efficiently utilizing grasses and plants growing on more than 15.3 million acres of Kansas pasture and rangeland. These acres would be wasted if not for ruminants like cattle who can turn these resources into essential protein and nutrients for humans. Additionally, grazing cattle helps maintain grasslands and reduce the fuel load which can spark destructive wildfires.

 

So enjoy a little beef for Beef Month!

 

 Big Mac Salad 

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

 

1lb. ground beef

Worcestershire sauce

Seasoned salt and pepper
3 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced (opt.)

Freshly shredded cheddar cheese

Cherry, grape, or vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped

Dill pickles, chopped
 

For the Special Sauce Salad Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup French dressing
2 tbsp. minced pickles
2 tbsp. minced onion (red or white)
1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

For Special Sauce Salad Dressing: Add ingredients to a bowl then whisk to combine. Can be made several days ahead of time.

For Salad: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then add the ground beef. (I added onion to cook along with the ground beef.) Let the beef cook undisturbed until the bottom is golden brown then add a few shakes worcestershire sauce. Season with seasoned salt and pepper, and continue to saute until cooked through. Drain any fat, and cool slightly.

Once slightly cooled, divide lettuce between plates or bowls then top with the cooked ground beef, red onion, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and dill pickles. Drizzle with Special Sauce Salad Dressing then serve.

Notes:

• Neither Randy or I prefer raw onions. I just incorporated some minced onion into the hamburger as I was browning it.  
• I just prepared enough lettuce for us for one meal and then topped with the toppings. I made each of us a main dish salad on separate plates. I had both hamburger and special sauce dressing leftover for another meal.  Just keep well-covered in the refrigerator until ready to use for another meal. That's the beauty of this: Make as much or as little as you need. 
• I kept all the components - including dressing - separate for photo purposes. Then we just tossed our own salads together and enjoyed!
  

4th of July Picnic or Harvest Meal? Orzo Pasta Salad

Fourth of July gatherings may be few and far between in 2020, thanks to an unwelcome guest named Covid.

But even if you're just celebrating with family, I have an idea for a pasta salad with a little different twist that's sure to create "fireworks" in your mouth. OK, the fireworks will come from flavor - not heat - but you know what I mean!

Jill, Eric, Kinley and Brooke were here last weekend for harvest. I had some excellent help decorating and filling the bags for suppers.

We had a couple of suppertime picnics in the field, but our noon meals were at the dining room table since Randy was in fields close to the house.

When I saw the recipe for Orzo Pasta Salad, I thought it would be a good salad to serve with the Greek Meatballs recipe Jill had shared with me earlier. (By the way, I made extra meatballs and used them for meatball subs for supper in the field last evening: Planned leftovers.)

If your garden is already producing cucumbers, tomatoes and fresh herbs, you're in luck. And if your zucchini is as prolific as Randy's plants, you could add a little zucchini to the veggie mix - just for a new way to use up a little bit of that garden crop that seems to multiply behind your back. Or visit your grocery store produce section or the local farmer's market for your fresh veggies.

Instead of the usual pasta twist or elbow, the base of this salad is orzo pasta. With add-ins like toasted almonds and feta cheese and a tangy olive oil-lemon dressing, it's a satisfying summer salad to add to your table - whether it's 4th of July, a harvest meal or just a regular old day.

The recipe may look complicated, but you can do much of it ahead of time. And we're enjoying the leftovers, too, so if you don't use it in one sitting, that's OK. However, you may need to add a little drizzle of olive oil and another squeeze of lemon since pasta has the tendency to absorb liquid as it sits.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Orzo Pasta Salad

Adapted from Carlsbad Cravings blog

ORZO 

16 oz. uncooked orzo pasta

 2 tablespoon olive oil 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 

4 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

1/4 cup lemon juice 

1/4 tsp EACH salt and pepper 

1/2 onion, chopped

SALAD 

2 ears grilled corn, cut off the cob (grilling optional but recommended) 

1 English cucumber, sliced and cubed

2 cups (1 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved 

1 15 oz. can garbanzo (chickpeas) beans, drained and rinsed 

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved 

1/2 cup sliced almonds 

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped 

1/2 cup feta cheese

DRESSING 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 TBS EACH fresh dill parsley and oregano OR 1 tsp EACH dried 

1 teaspoon sugar 

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 

1/2 tsp EACH garlic powder, salt 

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Make dressing, whisking together all the ingredients in a small bowl or by adding to a lidded jar and shaking. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter with olive oil over medium-low heat. Once melted, increase heat to medium-high and add orzo and onions. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until onions are soft. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Simmer until orzo is al dente, 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently the last couple minutes of cooking so it doesn’t burn. Transfer to a large bowl to cool in the refrigerator while you finish chopping your veggies. Add all of the salad ingredients to the orzo followed by the dressing. Toss to coat. Taste and season with additional lemon juice or salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Make-Ahead Notes:

• Vegetables:  Can be chopped 24 hours in advance and stored in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator or added directly to the orzo pasta without the dressing.
• Orzo:  Can be made 48 hours in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Dressing:  Can be made 72 hours in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

If you want to make it ahead, toss all the salad ingredients together with only HALF of the dressing. Cover and refrigerate.  When you are ready to serve, toss with desired amount of remaining dressing.

If you use all of the dressing initially, your pasta may soak up all the dressing and will taste dry. You can "revive" it with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Notes:

• My local grocery store doesn't carry many fresh herbs, and we don't grow them in our garden. I substituted a sprinkle of dried basil leaves. (If you use dried, DON'T use 1/2 cup. I really just used a sprinkle. There's a lot of flavor in the other ingredients.) I know the fresh would be better, but this was tasty, too! At this time of year, perhaps you can find some at a farmer's market or ask a generous gardening neighbor.
• I also can't get English cucumbers here, and our garden cucumbers aren't ready yet. Since the cucumber I had bought had large seeds, I scraped out the seed portion and chopped up the rest.
• I also didn't have corn on the cob, so I just used frozen corn. It didn't caramelize like fresh corn would, but it still added another texture to the finished dish. 
• I did not use Kalamata olives (or any other olives). I served olives on the side for Randy and Eric. (There aren't many things I don't like, but olives are one of the few.)
• If your garden zucchini are as prolific as ours, you could also add some chopped fresh zucchini to the veggies used in the directions. 
• The original recipe called for sliced almonds. I only had slivered, so we browned them in a little butter until they were toasty. I also served the almonds on the side for the non-nut eaters in the group. 
• You can use water and some chicken bouillon granules instead of the canned or boxed chicken broth. That's what I usually use. 

• There are lots of additional recipe notes on Carlsbad Cravings, if you're interested in even more details from the recipe originator: https://carlsbadcravings.com/orzo-pasta-salad/  

 Here's another pasta salad that we enjoy for harvest: https://kimscountyline.blogspot.com/2011/08/macimum-taste.html  (Sorry the photo's not better. This was early in my blogging days.)

BLT Farmer's Market Salad

It's farmer's market season. What better way to celebrate summer tidings with a yummy BLT Pasta Salad that can double as a main dish or side dish?

Jill sent me the recipe for this salad after she tried it from one of her favorite cooking blogs, Carlsbad Cravings. I'm always glad to get a little inspiration for something new. I don't know whether you're like me, but I can get stuck in a recipe rut. I suppose that's especially true since all our meals for nearly 3 months were straight from my home kitchen.

Even better? It was perfect timing to take advantage of the fresh vegetables that are beginning to ripen in Randy's garden. If you're like me and gardening isn't your thing, a farmer's market or the grocery store produce section will provide the seasonal summer flavor for your dinner table.

The recipe makes a lot, so I kept all the components separate. That way, I could use just enough romaine, Parmesan and bacon, and there were no soggy leftovers. Then I mixed it up fresh for the next meal.

Since our most abundant garden crop thus far is summer squash, I diced up some raw squash to include with the other veggies. Diced cucumbers and other fresh veggies found at the farmer's market would provide color and variety, too. And that dressing is good on anything.

 

Since it's not a meal without meat around here, I served seasoned and grilled chicken and steak along with the salad. If you're planning a 4th of July BBQ or a family potluck, you can feed a lot of people with the original recipe - with or without the meat - making it all at once.

Some of this may end up in to-go containers for harvest meals this week - something cool and refreshing on hot, windy Kansas summer days. (Randy tried a couple of test samples of wheat yesterday afternoon, but ours was too wet. He'll try again today. With a few others in their combine cabs, the peer pressure is mounting!)

My favorite flour brand - Hudson Cream Flour - posted this meme yesterday morning on their Facebook page. It made me laugh! This flour is produced in our county at Stafford County Flour Mills:

From Hudson Cream Flour's Facebook page - Stafford County Flour Mills

Whether it's part of your harvest meal line-up or just finds a spot on your dining room table, give it a try and let me know what you think!

BLT Farmer's Market Salad

Adapted from Carlsbad Cravings blog

12 oz. farfalle pasta or medium shells
1/2 lb. asparagus, tough ends removed then cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 pt. cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 cup freshly-grated or shaved Parmesan cheese
8 oz. thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped
Recipe of Lemon Chive Dressing

Lemon Chive Dressing

2/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. freshly-grated lemon zest (approximately 1 lemon)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. EACH sugar, dried oregano, dried parsley, pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (or 1 tbsp. dried - You can also use the tops of green onion)

Dressing: Whisk together all ingredients for dressing. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Pasta Salad: Cook pasta in salted water just short of al dente. Add asparagus to pot and cook with pasta for 1 additional minute. Drain the pasta and asparagus. Rinse with cold water, then toss with a drizzle of oil oil to keep pasta from sticking.

To serve immediately: Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl. Once pasta has cooled, add dressing and toss until evenly coated. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

To serve later: Add pasta, asparagus, peas, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes to a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing once the pasta has cooled. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Prepare the lettuce, bacon and Parmesan and refrigerate separately. 

When ready to serve, add the lettuce, bacon and Parmesan and the remaining dressing and toss until evenly combined. Taste and add a splash more lemon if desired and salt and pepper to taste.

NOTES:

• Since I was just feeding the two of us, I kept ingredients separate. Then, as I wanted to make the salad, I combined enough lettuce, pasta/vegetable mixture, dressing, Parmesan and bacon to serve for just one meal. That way, I could have fresh salad every time! 
• I had green summer squash from the garden, so I diced up some raw squash and added it to the veggies. You could also add cucumbers and other in-season vegetables as they are available in your garden or from the farmer's market.  
• Add grilled chicken or grilled steak to make it a full meal.

Summer Abundance Main Dish Salad

Between raindrops, we've been enjoying the grill. Honestly, we grill year-'round since we have home-grown beef in the freezer, but, during the summer, there's more lingering on the backyard swing and listening to the birds call in the trees while the steaks or burgers are cooking. Winter or summer, the cats always linger longingly in the vicinity, hoping some of that aroma will end up in their dish. And they do eventually get the scraps.

This recipe combines grilled steak with the fresh fruits of summer. Farmers' markets may have Kansas-grown strawberries at their stands right about now, though the season is way too short. Even if you have to rely on the grocery store's produce section, there are plenty of specials on fresh fruits at this time of year. The season never lasts long enough to suit me. I'm always a little sad when the price for a box of blueberries or raspberries makes it a luxury, rather than an option. (I guess I should be happy for the berry farmers.)

Thankfully, Randy doesn't have to have a meat-and-potatoes offering every meal, so a main dish salad can take center stage at noon with this Summer Abundance Main Dish Salad. It's dressed up with a homemade raspberry dressing and Maple-Bourbon Pecans. If you don't have time to make homemade dressing, top with bottled raspberry vinaigrette.

You could also make a chicken farmer happy and use chicken instead. Or support a fishery with salmon to top the salad.

 

You can build these salads for any number of diners. That's why I didn't put amounts for the lettuces and fruits. For those with hearty appetites, arrange a big hand-full of greens as the salad's base. I used a combination of romaine and spinach, but mixed greens also are tasty. Use a luncheon plate for a smaller serving. Add your selected summer fruits. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Top with the freshly-grilled steak. Just before serving, add the dressing to taste and sprinkle with the pecans.

Summer Abundance Salad

with Grilled Steak and Maple-Bourbon Pecans

Seasoned, grilled steak - 3-4 ounces per serving
Spinach
Romaine lettuce or mixed greens
Strawberries
Blackberries
Raspberries
Peeled orange, cut up
Feta cheese
Maple-Bourbon Pecans (recipe below)
Raspberry Dressing (recipe below)

Maple-Bourbon Pecans:
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. real maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp. bourbon
1 cup pecan halves
Pinch of coarse sea salt

Raspberry Dressing
10 raspberries
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. dried tarragon (or 3 tbsp. fresh)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil

For the dressing: Combine the 10 raspberries, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, tarragon and salt in the bowl or a food processor or blender. Process until the raspberries are pureed. With the processor running slowly, pour the oil through the chute until combined. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

For pecans: Place a piece of parchment paper or a silpat mat on the counter and set aside. Add brown sugar, butter and maple syrup in a small skillet over medium heat. Once melted and bubbling, stir in bourbon and then pecans. Cook while stirring constantly until mixture begins to crystallize around the pecan halves. Spread pecans onto prepared surface and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Cool completely. If you don't use them all for the salad, store in a tightly-sealed plastic bag and use for more salads or for snacking.

To assemble the salad: Put a nest of mixed greens on each diner's plate. Top with fresh seasonal fruits and feta cheese as desired. Sprinkle with Maple-Bourbon Pecans. When ready to serve, top with homemade raspberry dressing.