Thursday, April 14, 2011

Weekend Cooking and a Celebrity Cook-Along!

Lynn @ Happier than a Pig in Mud is having another Celebrity Cook-Along!  This month's celebrity cook is Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman!


I decided on a pasta salad, mostly because I was starving for lunch and had all the ingredients on hand! It was really easy and Pioneer Woman's Pasta Salad looked so good and so fresh. Although my tomatoes were a little sad looking! So much for fresh. I had found little heirlooms and by the time I knew what I wanted to do with them, their time had come. So I roasted them. Why waste perfectly delicious but getting more wrinkled than my mother tomatoes? I threw in a couple wrinkled yellow peppers, too! An hour in the oven at 350 degrees F with a little garlic, salt, pepper and olive and they would be perfect to eat again. My kids eat them like candy. Too bad they wouldn't touch this salad with the feta, their loss, I made theirs without! Love, love, love this salad, thank you Pioneer Woman, I have your book, and enjoy your site but it's the first recipe I've ever made. I'll be back for more!







Pasta Salad with Roasted Tomatoes, Zucchini, Feta and Lemon
12 ounces farfalle (bowtie) pasta or any small pasta shape, I used small shells
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 whole lemon (more or less to taste)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 whole zucchini, cut in small dice or wedges
10 ounces grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise (I used heirlooms and roasted them first with a little garlic)
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley (more or less to taste)
6 ounces, crumbled Feta cheese Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water until completely cool. Add olive oil and lemon juice, then add salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Add zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, and feta, and toss to combine. Add more of what you think it needs! Squeeze in a little more lemon juice/drizzle more olive oil if it needs more.
Cover and chill before serving.


 Stop by Happier than a Pig in Mud, Lynn throws a fun Celebrity Cook-Along party every month!


Joining Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.


Joining Mary at the Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Stop by the Little Red House to see more mosaics!







71 comments:

  1. That does look really good and I love me some feta.

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  2. Hey Carol your lunch looks great! I'm dying for a good tomato and might have to get some of the little heirlooms the next time I'm out. I'll check out the Weekend Cooking Party you mention too! Thanks for playing along:@)

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  3. Carol, The salad looks really good and your serving dish is gorgeous!
    Blessings, Beth

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  4. Nothing makes my man happier than a pasta salad, so I am always on teh lookout for someting new to prepare; thank you for this one.
    Rita

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  5. Fabulous salad, Carol! I can relate. I eat roasted tomatoes like candy. They rarely make it to an actual meal. To me, they are finger food. :)

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  6. Great thinking!

    Your salad looks delicious and look at all the color.

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  7. Hi Carol, I love the idea of roasting the vegetables first to really bring out their tastes and color! This looks easy and delicious. Thanks for finding it! Linda

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  8. Bet it would be delicious warm, too...

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  9. Good looking salad - but I will pass on the feta too!!

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  10. ummm, we are having this for lunch with a grandson tomorrow. He loves pasta and know this salad is a winner.
    Yummy

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  11. This pasta salad looks delicious. I'm giving it a try soon.

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  12. Sounds like a fantastic lunch! Feta cheese...mmmm

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  13. Looks good! I'll pick out the tomatoes, zucchini and peppers, and add some red onion and snow peas!
    Feta is a staple in this house, always a container in reserve. I don't enjoy a green salad without it, and MUST have red onions! :)
    I know, I am picky!

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  14. What a delicious looking fresh Spring salad! Thanks for sharing it here at Lynn's party.

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  15. This does look yummy, maybe even better with some whole wheat or rice pasta. Thanks for sharing!

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  16. I didn't have time to join Lynn's party this time but I love how you know how to rescue a tomato. Delicious looking PW salad!

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  17. I thought I was the only blogger who hadn't made one of her recipes!! I will be posting mine tomorrow. This salad looks delicious, perfect for summer!!

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  18. I came upon your blog from cruisepictures.

    Very interesting. What I admire about recipes outside the Philippines is the accessibility of the ingredients. I wish we also have that kind of accessibility here. But our food in the Philippines are all delectable. thanks for sharing.:-)

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  19. looks very delicious and very interesting

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  20. Excellent salad,Carol!So refreshing and mediterranean!

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  21. Looks so good! Thanks for sharing.

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  22. What a great salad, easy and ingredients that are on hand most days; a must try!

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  23. Oooh, Carol, that pasta salad looks fantastic! I love pasta with feta. It's a great combo.

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  24. very healthy dish
    looks very beautiful colorful while serving

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  25. oh, that pasta salad looks awesome - getting ready for grilling season that'd be a perfect side.

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  26. Oh yum! You had me with Feta Cheese! LOL Have a great weekend!

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  27. How yummy this looks! I love pasta dishes so much!

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  28. Looks very good! I could eat pasta every day! :)

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  29. Oh don't you just love PW. We have been cooking our way through her cookbook this year. I am trying the onion staws this week. The pasta salad does look fabulous.
    Thanks for sharing, blessings!

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  30. This pasta salad looks so refreshing, light and so delicious!

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  31. Man that looks yummy!! I can't wait for the farmers market to start up -- so I can make this salad with farm-fresh heirlooms.

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  32. oh looks great! would love to try it next week!

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  33. Mmmm, this pasta salad looks like the perfect dish to celebrate the beginning of Spring. Great idea to roast the withering tomatoes!

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  34. I love feta...
    and yes, I love that it used up some veggies before they went over the deep edge.

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  35. I like the variety of ingredients in the salad. I've copied it and will give it a go as soon as I get some feta.

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  36. Great pictures! I'll save this recipe for when the tomatoes appear in my garden! Maybe I won't even roast them. :<) Thanks.

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  37. YUM! That looks delicious! I'm a few days behind in visiting from WW but now I'm glad I was late! I love trying new recipes! Happy weekend!

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  38. I could eat roasted tomatoes like candy also! Your kids and I have similar tastes. :P This pasta salad looks fantastic! Shockingly healthy for a P-Dub recipe.

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  39. It really does look like a delightful salad. It's so nice to be moving to the foods of spring and summer. I suspect your recipe will be used a lot this summer. It sounds delicious. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  40. That salad looks so vibrant, fresh and yummy! I love roasted vegetables, but I'm afraid I have to side with your kids on the feta issue, lol.

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  41. What a gorgeous salad! I'll have to check out that cookbook; it sounds wonderful.

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  42. Beautifully colored pasta salad! Now that the weather is getting warmer this is a great idea for a light meal!

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  43. I love all the ingredients you used! Great reminder, now spring has arrived, it's time to make pasta salads again :)

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  44. Great looking dish...it would have to be delicious..I love all of the ingredients!

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  45. Very pretty pasta salad. Excellent use for just past their prime veggies!

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  46. I will be making this next weekend! Delish Carol!

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  47. This salad looks delicious, I will be trying it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  48. That salad looks so yummy and so easy to make, thanks for sharing. Have a great week.

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  49. Looks yummy, but then everything you cook looks yummy! :D :D

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  50. A pasta salad is always good when the weather gets warm! Love this recipe! Hugs! ♥

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  51. I love this pasta recipe and think it's the lemon that is the attraction.
    You've served it on a pretty plate too.
    Judith

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  52. Ree has tons of amazing recipes. I can hardly wait to get my hands on this book.

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  53. Nothing looks better in a mosaic than food. LOL Well that food looks good any where. blessings this week.
    QMM

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  54. Your pasta looks too pretty to eat!

    I am visiting from Mosaic Monday.

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  55. What beautiful photos of this yummy looking dish...perfection!!!
    Have a beautiful week!!!

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  56. I love her cookbook, it is chock full of wonderful dishes! That pasta salad looks great, I will have to try that recipe asap :)

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  57. What a lovely pasta salad! Roasting tomatoes gives them such flavor, too. Very summery...we eat a lot of pasta salads in the summer.

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  58. Looks and sounds so good! reminds me - I need to fix some lunch. :D
    Thanks for stopping by and nice comment.
    have a great week.

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  59. Carol, this pasta salad looks perfect! I made a similar version of the same recipe with parmesan and sauteed zucchini. Thanks for sharing. You have a beautiful blog and I'm looking forward to exploring your recipes! :)

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  60. I've had this recipe bookmarked for awhile now... thanks for reminding me!

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  61. This looks great. Hope to see you at My Dream Canvas

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  62. Hhhhhhhhhhhhh, slurp! I'm email you a pic of my latest creation: crispy skinned roast chicken breast and mushrooms marinated in soya sauce and sesame served with fresh orange, beansprout and lettuce salad topped with orange and walnut oil dressing.

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  63. Wowie! The roasted tomatoes and peppers are the best! I want to try this, cause I use fresh grape tomatoes on my pasta salad.

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  64. Hi carol, nice looking salad perfect for the hot days we are having here. I never knew that you can eat the zucchini raw ,always thought you had to cook them

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  65. The pasta salad looks excellent! Even though it's still cold here, I think I'll try this. :)

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  66. Nammi, zucchini is delicious raw. You can also slice it very thin, add a little lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan shaving, salt, pepper and toasted pine nuts, and it's a nice light side dish for the summer!

    Ellen, it sounds delicious, going to check my email now!

    hey, still chilly at times here, too, but then I have soup in the summer, too :)

    Thanks for all the nice comments!

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  67. This pasta salad makes me hungry, suddenly.

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  68. Just found you through It's a Keeper cookbook review. :) That looks great. I don't know that I would have thought of feta in my pasta salad.

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