Mama’s Pasta Salad🍅

♥️find your little Friday♥️

I have made this several dozen times and for me it truly is the best pasta salad there ever was. Be prepared to chop for a bit of time but the results are worth it. The secret ingredient is dill and making sure all the veggies are shipped to roughly around the same size, let’s dig in!

-1 pd of pasta(cavatappi or farfalle)

-1 hothouse cucumber cut into quarter dice

-1/4 cup freshly chopped dill 

-1 pt on cherry tomatoes halved 

-1 red onion diced small

-1 red and yellow pepper diced to the same quarter size of the cucumber

-1 bag baby carrots-(this is the long bit) sliced down to about a quarter inch thick rounds. Then boil and blanch them in boiling water and ice water for about a minute in each liquid, drain.

-Half of a cup of extra virgin olive oil

-Half of a cup of red wine vinegar 

-3 cloves of garlic minced 

-1/4 cup of minced fresh dill

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Boil and cook the noodles as the box direction reads instead of under, you want this a little past al dente. Drain pasta and cook under running water, tossing it to get every piece room temperature to touch.

Prepare the dressing while the pasta cooks. Add the oil, vinegar, garlic, dill, plus salt and pepper to taste in a mason jar. Shake vigorously for several seconds. 

Place the cooled pasta in a large bowl and begin to add each of the vegetables, tossing after each addition. The liquid from the veggies will add a mild liquid coating, making it easier to blend. 

Shake the dressing one last time in jar and then pour over pasta and veggies. Toss all together, adjust seasonings, maybe more dill? Enjoy!



Shrimp Cocktail 🍤

♥️Find Your Little Friday♥️

shrimp cocktail

A classic that has been overdone and can be underwhelming, but it remains a staple. My trick to giving it extra flavor comes from roasting the shrimps with their shells on, it is a game changer. Also, the wild caught shrimp just tastes better in my opinion. You do have to wait for them to cool to the touch so you can peel the shells and devein them. This sounds like a lot of work so that’s why I typically buy a quality store bought cocktail sauce. If I have the energy I make my own or sometimes I pair it with chimichurri. Enjoy!

2 pds wild caught shell on wild caught shrimp

good olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 of a lemon to squeeze over the cooked shrimp

Preheat your oven to 400º. On a parchment lined baking sheet, spread the shrimp out into an even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, you can submerge in an ice bath to speed up the process, Peel the shrimps and devein. Squeeze with fresh lemon and serve with cocktail sauce…or any dip of your choice!

Enjoy!