Pod Coffee Makers 411

We’ve all been there. The potluck is tonight and you forgot. It starts in about an hour and here you are without a dish to pass. What on earth can you throw together in that short of time?

You have three options: 1) Don’t go, and miss out on a really fun time. 2) Show up empty-handed and explain red-faced that you forgot. 3) Grab a casserole dish, head to the deli and pass something off as Grandma’s secret recipe.

Since none of those options really appeal to you, I think I have a solution; pasta salad! By keeping a few ingredients on hand at all times, you can easily throw together a tasty treat in virtually minutes. Starting with pasta and salad dressing, you can build yourself a dish that will suit any potluck. Let’s get started.

Your pantry should always include a variety of pastas like linguine, penne, ziti, rotini, and macaroni, just to name a few. Mix and match any of these pastas to form the basis of your salad. Be sure to cook like-sized pastas together and pastas that are vastly different in different pots. In other words, don’t expect a big, thick pasta like penne to cook the same as a thin spaghetti noodle.

When it comes to the dressing, you’ll do fine if you use any of the standard salad dressings like Italian and Ranch style. Keep a few varieties in the pantry at all times and you’ll be prepared for just about any food emergency. Of course, if you’re ambitious, it’s not difficult to whip up your own homemade dressing using ingredients like olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar, or whatever you like.

Now it’s time to cook the pasta. Decide on the dressing you’re using while the pasta cooks. Then, drain the pasta and put it into a large serving bowl. Before the pasta cools off, pour on the dressing. You want to do this while the pasta is warm so it absorbs all the flavor. Be careful not to add too much dressing right away. You can add more as you go but you can’t take it out.

It’s time for your creative cooking to take over. Take a peek in your cupboards and refrigerator and start pulling out food that looks good to you. If you have any cheese, tomatoes, frozen peas, chickpeas, olives, onion, or even artichokes in a jar, throw it in. Give it a taste, and keep adding until you’re satisfied. Don’t forget the sunflower seeds in the back of the fridge and those croutons, too.

Cut or shred leftover chicken and throw it in. Or, if you have a bit of grilled steak left, thinly slice that and add it. Do a little taste-testing as you go by taking a small portion of the pasta salad out of the big bowl and put it in a small bowl, then add the next ingredient and taste, until you’re satisfied. Throw it all together in your serving bowl, put the cover on, and head out to your potluck – on time and with a dish to pass.

Forgotten about a potluck tonight? No problem! All it takes is a few simple ingredients and a little imagination and you’ll have a delicious pasta salad ready to save the day!

Would you like to spend time doing the things you love rather than being stuck in the kitchen? If so, you won’t want to miss FreeQuickRecipes.com where youll find free crock pot recipes for mothers and others.

No related posts.

Comments are closed.