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Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Today I woke up to a downpour. It was my turn to take the dog out. My umbrella was in my husband’s car, where he put it roughly 8 years ago. I do not own a raincoat or rain shoes. I slogged my dog out through pollen puddles in my husband’s jacket (which I might “accidentally” lose for 8 years) and a pair of flip-flops.

On my way to work, there was a spider in my car. He wasn’t Godzilla-sized or anything, but he was a spider. So he was basically Godzilla.

He was hanging from my rearview mirror. I snipped his web and rolled down my window to hold him out, only to realize the wind sent him . . . straight into my backseat. Somewhere.

Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

I spent 20 minutes once I arrived at work (late) searching for said spider, to no avail. I am now reasonably certain that he is hiding in my hair, ready to kill me in my sleep.

I then began work, where I felt tiny imaginary spider legs on my neck every 10 minutes or so for the rest of the day.

Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

I gave up all but two Diet Sunkists per day for Lent (stop judging me) and today, in the middle of drinking my second one, I set it down. Somewhere. No idea where. It’s probably with the spider.

Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Just in time to head home today, the rain began again. I will now slog home through pollen puddles in flip-flops and my husband’s jacket.

If you need me later, I’ll be tucked in bed dreaming of a bright, sunny Easter picnic, complete with lots and lots of pasta salad, and lots and lots of Diet Sunkist. And no spiders.

The Best Macaroni Salad Ever

Recipe by: Adapted from Pioneer Woman
Yield: 10-12 servings

Pioneer Woman is right: this is the quintessential Best Macaroni Salad ever. I use Wickle’s Pickles to make it, and I highly recommend buying a jar. Don’t skip the pickle juice, either — it makes the pasta salad.

Ingredients:
4 cups elbow macaroni
1/2 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 teaspoons sugar (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
black pepper
3 roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup black olives, finely chopped
1/2 cup diced sweet and spicy pickle slices (I use Wickle’s Pickles)
3 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
pickle juice from sweet/spicy pickles

Directions:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook elbow macaroni to al dente based on package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and a generous splash of pickle juice. Pour this over cooled elbow macaroni and mix. Add in chopped red peppers, black olives, pickles, and onions (saving a few green onions for garnish) and stir to combine. Chill for at least 2 hours prior to serving to let the flavors meld (I refrigerated it overnight). Taste and splash in some more pickle juice and/or adjust seasonings if needed before serving.

Easter Sides: The Best Macaroni Salad Ever & Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

Recipe by: Adapted from Pioneer Woman, originally adapted from Barefoot Contessa
Yield: 8-10 servings

A delicious, luxurious pasta salad with the flare of sundried tomatoes. I loved the cubed Parmesan for texture. I’m not usually a black olive fan, but don’t skip them! They’re an integral part of the flavor profile.

Ingredients:
1 (12-ounce) jar chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1 pound elbow macaroni
heaping 1/2 cup chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
12 basil leaves, julienned
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated (I also cubed some for texture)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook elbow macaroni to al dente based on package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.

In the bowl of a food processor, process together most of the sun-dried tomatoes (reserving about a quarter of the jar to mix in at the end), garlic, and red wine vinegar until chopped. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Pour this dressing over the cooled pasta and toss to coat. Add Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, basil leaves (reserving a few for garnish), and Parmesan cheese, tossing to mix. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill overnight to let flavors mix, tossing again before serving.

One year ago: Samoa Monkey Bread with Ganache Dipping Sauce
Two years ago: Pumpkin Oat Snack Cake with Broiled Coconut Icing
Three years ago: Rich Ice Cream and Coffee Cheesecake
Four years ago: Chocolate Tart with Pretzels

April 15, 2014 by Julie Ruble | 8 Comments

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Easy AND Delicious Sunday Dinners

Okay, no judging. But I asked you guys what you were eating for dinner, and while I got a few “spaghetti carbonaras” and even one full Thanksgiving-style turkey dinner (!!), I also got “leftovers,” takeout, and my personal favorite, “Thin Mints.” (I happen to know that one comes from a gal who loves fresh vegetables — even really horrible ones like celery — so I’ll let her off the hook.) But seriously, let’s chat about easy AND delicious Sunday dinners.

Thanks, Foodie, for sponsoring this post.

Lately, my dinners are frozen meals. If I’d given up freezer food for Lent, I’d have already starved. Of course I bake like a fiend all weekend, but the closest I’ve come to cooking in quite a while is making avocado toast. So I’m in no position to tell you how to live your life.

But recently I started thinking about all the easy weeknight dinners I made last year. Even though those meals were simple enough to make on a weeknight, I realized that many of them were also snazzy enough for a special Sunday dinner. And even I can manage to cook ONE night a week. I think.

I thought I’d gather those easy AND delicious Sunday dinner recipes in one spot. In the slideshow above, you’ll find some amazing options from my friends around the web. And here are a few of mine:

Hot Sausage & Tomatoes Over Fried Polenta. This is one of my favorite simple meals. I can’t believe how great it tastes considering how easy it is!

Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese. This is my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe in the world, and you don’t have to cook the pasta first OR make a roux — and adding breakfast sausage makes it a hearty dinner!

Sausage & Corn Chile Con Queso Taco Ring: looks fancy, but super easy to create!

Warm Chickpea Salad with Shallots & Red Wine Vinaigrette: serve this with a big arugula salad, some fresh melon, and some crusty bread.

Lasagna Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. Forget the fuss (and the carbs) of a full lasagna.

Easy, Healthy Couscous Tabbouleh: serve this with warm pita, tahini and hummus, and a big salad.

Magnificent Cream of Mushroom Soup with Crispy Leeks: you won’t believe how great this soup is! Serve it with crusty bread and a salad and you’re all set for dinner.

March 30, 2014 by Julie Ruble | 9 Comments

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Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup (with Easy Cheese Toasts)

Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup (with Easy Cheese Toasts)

Welcome to Holland is an essay written in 1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley to help parents raising a child with different abilities. In the essay, Kingsley compares the complicated emotions involved to being on an airplane enthusiastically awaiting your arrival in Italy — only to land in Holland.

Welcome to Holland: Dealing with Life's Unplanned Detours

Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup (with Easy Cheese Toasts)

Holland isn’t Italy. Upon stepping off of the plane, there would be a host of feelings to manage: frustration about your upset travel plans, grief about the incredible art and architecture you’ve missed, anger at the pilot and anyone else you can find to blame, yearning for pasta.

But the point of Kingsley’s essay is that Holland is wonderful too. It’s different, and you’ll never have some of the experiences that you dearly wanted — but you also will have experiences you would’ve missed in Italy. And if you can make peace with where you are, even though the pain doesn’t go away, this twist of life events might surprise you. It might be the best thing that ever happened to you.

It might make you the person you were meant to be.

Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup (with Easy Cheese Toasts)

I don’t have a child with different abilities, or even a child at all — unless you count Byrd and Squirt. But I’ve found that I end up in Holland in lot of different ways throughout life. In fact, I almost never arrive in Italy.

And if I do arrive in Italy, my trip still surprises and disappoints me in so many ways. My luggage was lost. A troupe of guerrilla acrobats was performing in the square. My shoes fell apart. A kind stranger showed me to an incredible café. And on and on and on. Even Italy will never be the exact Italy you planned. You’ll never end up where you planned.

But you will end up where you’re supposed to be. How can you let that truth change your experience?

What is your Holland lately? Do you have advice for appreciating the tulips? Share your thoughts in the comments.

I’m far from a therapist, but I’ve been sharing thoughts lately based on personal experience handling hard times. Read the full series, Managing Life’s Difficult Emotions:
1. Welcome to Holland: Dealing with Life’s Unplanned Detours
2. Radical Acceptance: Help for Dealing with Suffering
3. Opposite Action: Changing Actions to Change Emotions

One year ago: Biscoff Spread Sandy Buddies (Cinnamon Muddy Buddies!)
Two years ago: Sticky Toffee Pudding Cheesecake
Three years ago: Southern Pimento Cheese with Lavash Crackers
Four years ago: Roast Chicken and Onion Jam Panini with Sweet Potato Fries

Light and Healthy Cabbage Soup

Recipe by: Adapted from AllRecipes
Yield: 8 servings

This cabbage soup is simple, warming, and delicious. It’s got a slight kick due to red pepper flakes. Throw your leftover Thanksgiving turkey or anything else you love in it to make it your own, but I love it just the way it is. (Don’t forget the bonus cheese toasts recipe below!)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound carrots, chopped into 1-inch chunks
1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
ginger and fennel seed, optional*
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
7 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

Directions:
*Note: To avoid bloating and gas often associated with cabbage, you can boil it for 10 minutes prior to the recipe. If you have fennel seed and ginger, you can tie the spices up in cheesecloth with some twine to boil along with the cabbage, which is also said to help. After boiling, drain and rinse the cabbage well before using it in the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a medium bowl, mix carrots and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread them out on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until tender (a knife should easily slide through). While roasting carrots, parboil cabbage as instructed above if desired.

In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes, before adding chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and then add the tomatoes, cabbage, and roasted carrots. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot.

Easy Cheese Toasts

Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 8 servings

These quick, easy cheese toasts are perfect with any hearty winter soup.

Ingredients:
8 slices of a baguette
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, chopped into 18 small cubes
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil. Place bread slices on baking sheet. In a medium bowl, toss together the cheese, butter cubes, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Divide the mixture evenly on top of each slice of bread. Bake for a few minutes, watching closely, until bubbly.

December 5, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 24 Comments

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Quick Weeknight Dinner: Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

I feel like around half my posts these days are about ridiculous things I’ve done. Apparently getting married, switching jobs, and moving to a new city in the space a few months turns everything a bit sideways. And then autumn had to come, and daylight savings time had to end. Who knows which end is up anymore?

If my experience making this soup — which is actually a super (souper?) simple and quick recipe — is any indication, not me. I call it the Pumpkin Soup Incident.

It all started on a cold day last week. I’d seen Sommer’s pumpkin soup recipe circulating around Facebook and decided to make it for dinner. As I always advise, I’d prepared my mise-en-place. I had ramekins of onion, jalapeño, and spices arranged on my counter. I had a brand new bottle of chile oil standing by. I had my brand new immersion blender ready. As I’ve also mentioned, my kitchen right now is not easy to work in. There’s not much storage or counter space, and what there is, is currently consumed with food and appliances that don’t fit anywhere else: a crock pot, a wayward stockpot, my old microwave, roughly 8 boxes of cereal. You get the picture.

So my neat, organized mise-en-place was actually not so neat and organized. My prep bowls were stuffed into crevices, stacked on other objects, and generally in the way. My immersion blender, in particular, was in an awkward position — right in the middle of everything else — and you know how wobbly immersion blenders can be.

I bet you’re starting to get a feel for what transpired.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

About 5 minutes into the recipe, I noticed my onions and spices starting to burn. I was using an old stock pot wherein everything burns immediately, so I half-knew this was going to happen. I was ready, though! All I needed to do was grab my chicken stock and dump it into the pot —

— except that when I went to grab it, I knocked the immersion blender and sent it crashing to the floor. And the immersion blender, being right in the center of everything, took the glass bottle of chile oil and a huge can of pumpkin down with it. Shattered glass exploded clear across the kitchen, carrying a payload of bright red chile oil and bright orange pumpkin.

At this point, my onions still burning in my pot on the stove, it was time for triage. Could the soup be saved? If it had just been me in the kitchen, the answer would certainly have been no. Thankfully, Mike rushed to the rescue, cleaning up debris as I dumped stock in the soup pot and opened a new can of pumpkin. I decided to try and salvage supper as best I could.

That makes me sound like a trooper, doesn’t it? Super (souper?) calm and composed, right? So maybe I should add that I had finally stopped screaming but was still a crying mess, stepping in glass and oil, and generally wallowing in a why-me style kitchen rant.

By the time the soup was almost finished, I was almost calm. Then I opened the fridge to grab the salads and, in doing so, dumped an entire container of blue cheese across the floor. THAT’S RIGHT. THE BRIGHT RED-ORANGE STAINED GLASS SUNRISE PAINTED ACROSS MY KITCHEN FLOOR WAS NOT ENOUGH. I HAD TO DUMP BLUE CHEESE ALL OVER IT.

I’m sure you won’t blame me for what I did next. I fled the scene. I hid in my bed for the next 15 minutes or so with the covers over my head while, again, superhero husband cleaned up the mess. I’m sure he secretly wished I’d given up on dinner.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

Happily, though, that was our last mishap and dinner itself was amazing. The soup was worth the disastrous process: rich, hearty, and topped with lots of crunchy, spicy toppings. We liked it so much that we bought a nice new Dutch oven and repeated the recipe — with a carefully cleared out kitchen — and found that, as I suspected, it was actually quite simple. If you avoided a klutzy meltdown, that is. To help with this, I’ve included instructions in the recipe for how to prepare your mise-en-place (“putting in place,” or your setup of ingredients) before you begin.

One year ago: Broiled Southern Pimiento Cheese
Two years ago: Fresh Open-Faced California Sandwich
Three years ago: Deconstructed Margherita Pizza Bites
Four years ago: Gâteau aux Noix

Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Croutons and Crispy Fried Onions

Recipe by: Adapted from A Spicy Perspective
Yield: 6-8 servings

This quick, easy weeknight dinner will warm and fill you right up! The toppings make the soup so satisfying and delicious. The croutons, especially, will be your new favorite little recipe. I’ve included a simple mise-en-place setup to make this recipe a cinch for you!

Crouton Ingredients:
12 slices of a small (~3 inch diameter, ~1/2-inch slices) sourdough baguette, cubed
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt

Soup Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 cups chicken stock
1 (29-ounce) can pure pumpkin purée
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds; for topping)
1 cup french fried onions (like French’s; for topping)
Hot chile oil (for topping)

Directions:
Prepare your mise-en-place:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and cover 2 baking sheets with foil.

Prepare a paper towel lined plate for draining the croutons when they’re done.

Melt the butter for croutons and mix in garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt.

Put olive oil into a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot on the stove.

Put chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeño into medium prep bowl.

Put cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and salt into small prep bowl.

Open cans/packages of stock and pumpkin.

In a small prep bowl, mash together softened butter and flour (this is called a beurre manié and is used to thicken soups)

Put red wine vinegar and honey into two small prep bowls

Prepare a dish with pepitas and fried onions and set this with the bottle of chile oil on the dinner table.

Once mise-en-place is prepared, this soup is super (souper?) easy to prepare. First, make the croutons. Pour the butter and garlic powder mixture over the bread cubes and toss them to coat. Spread the bread cubes out on the baking sheets in a single layer, making sure they don’t touch. Bake for around 20 minutes, flipping occasionally. Allow the croutons to cool on a paper-towel lined plate.

Make the soup. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeño into the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add cumin spice mixture and cook for another 1 minute or so. Add stock, pumpkin, and beurre manié to the pot and stir to mix. Heat this to boiling before turning it down to a simmer. Simmer for around 20 minutes. Add red wine vinegar and honey and simmer for 3-5 more minutes. Use an immersion blender (or a regular blender covered with a dish towel — if you do this, blend in small batches, opening the blender vent and being careful of the hot liquid) to purée the soup.

Serve the soup topped with crunchy fried onions, pumpkin seeds, croutons, and a drizzle of chile oil.

November 10, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 15 Comments

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Quick Weeknight Dinner: Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Our “special occasion” meals at my parents’ house always start with these crisp, cold Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing made by my mom. She chops and preps each salad before hand, placing each serving on its own plate covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. Just before dinner, she uncovers them and spoons on her homemade blue cheese dressing and sprinkles on crumbled bacon and green onions or chives.

Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

I love digging into mine with a fork and a serrated knife, listening for the sharp crunch of the lettuce under my utensils. The salad is perfect as an appetizer for this reason — all the sensory details excite you about the meal to come. But Mike and I recently had these salads as a side dish for heavy, warm Sausage and Thyme Stuffed Mushrooms and they were the perfect balance.

Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

The dressing is my favorite part because unlike recipes that have that tangy, vinegary flavor, this dressing is all cream all the way. It’s thick and indulgent like a steakhouse blue cheese dressing. Next time I’ll whip up a double batch so we can have these salads before our meal all week!

One year ago: “Magic” Chocolate, Coconut, and Pecan Pastry Braid
Two years ago: Naked Vegan Tacos with Corn Relish and Cilantro-Lime Slaw
Three years ago: Handmade Cheese Ravioli in Meaty Red Sauce
Four years ago: French Macarons

Iceberg Wedge Salads with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Recipe by: Adapted from Southern Living
Yield: 3-4 salads depending on wedge size

These wedges are so crisp, cool, and refreshing as an appetizer or side dish (or even as a main dish with some grilled chicken on top!) It’s important to make this dressing in advance and let the flavors meld in the fridge overnight; it makes a huge difference in the finished product.

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise (I use Hellmann’s)
1 cup sour cream
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 head Iceberg lettuce, rinsed, cold, cut 6 wedges
12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped

Directions:
Mix first 6 ingredients for dressing and chill the day before serving. Put wedge onto plate, top with dressing, sprinkle with mixture of bacon, parmesan and chives (mixed together).

October 23, 2013 by Julie Ruble | 3 Comments

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