Best Italian Pasta Salad

I needed to make a pasta salad for our office party and made this and really liked it, so on to my blog it goes, and of course from cute Mel at melskitchencafe.com

Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients

Salad:

• 12 ounces whole wheat or regular penne pasta, cooked until al dente (see note)
• 1 (6-ounce) can large olives, drained and sliced in half
• 1-2 cups chopped cucumber
• 2 cups sliced or chopped cherry tomatoes
• 4-6 ounces sliced or chopped salami or pepperoni, (about 1 cup)
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella balls, cut in half (see note)
• ¼ cup chopped red or green onions
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil

Dressing:

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine or white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Parm-reggiano cheese
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon coarse, kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
• Pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes

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Instructions 

• Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
• For the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, jar or blender, and whisk, shake or process until combined (use a blender if you want the cheese in smaller pieces).
• Pour half of the dressing over the salad. Toss.
• Add more dressing, if desired (if the salad is going to be refrigerated for several hours before serving, reserve some of the dressing to toss with the salad right before serving).

Smore's Bars

 Smores Bars from Princess Pinky Girl I found on facebook:

https://princesspinkygirl.com/smore-bars/?fbclid=IwAR0jlg_739apk7IJO43oS49a6KdqzqXZZRxSHsGE7drzymGyMnQkubZuf7U

INGREDIENTS

  

• ▢2  Cups graham cracker crumbs
• ▢8-12  Tablespoons  butter melted
• ▢½ Cup powdered sugar
• ▢4 Hershey Chocolate Bar use 4.4 ounce bars
• ▢1 package mini marshmallows

• INSTRUCTIONS

   

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease 9×13 pan with non-stick butter spray.
  • In a medium size bowl mix graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and butter with a spoon (see note below regarding the melted butter and the crust).
  • Place mixture in the bottom of the baking pan. Distribute the mixture evenly and press down and firmly with your fingers to "pack it" along the bottom and sides of the pan.
  • Place in oven and bake for approx. 5-8 minutes (just until sides begin to get a bit golden brown) NOTE: Crust will harden as it cools.
  • Remove from oven and let cool.
  • Lay the Hershey bars on top of the graham cracker mixture – covering up all of the graham cracker as completely as possible.
  • Place in oven for approx. 3 minutes (until chocolate just begins to melt and gets shiny)
  • Let cool for 1-2 min.
  • • Place marshmallows on top of the chocolate – pack them in their closely next to each other.
    • Turn oven to "broil" – put pan into oven and STARE at them! They only need to be in there for about 2 minutes. BUT, every oven is different! Watch them like a hawk or they will burn and set on fire (I am not kidding here – learn from my experience!!) As soon as they begin to brown, take them out of the oven.
    • Let them cool completely (after they initially cooled, I place them in the refrigerator to set even more – this will make them easier to cut)
    • Cut and serve – (tip: they can get really sticky to cut, warm a sharp knife under

    • JENN’S NOTES

      Note on crust: When adding the melted butter to the crust, some people find that there is too much butter and it pools in the mixture. My recommendation is to slowly add the butter and mix it in a little at a time until your mixture looks like the picture in the post above.

      If it does not look like the photo below and you are finding your butter is pooling or it is too wet, you should add some additional graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar to achieve the consistency as pictured.

      The graham crackers that you use absorb differently and this will determine how much butter you will want to add. You want the mixture to be moist, but not wet.

      The butter should not pool, but the mixture should stick together when you press it into the pan for the crust

      Cutting Tips:

      Before cutting them, put them in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

      The marshmallows can get very sticky and can make it difficult to cut, but this,
    • paired with a sharp, warm knife (run it under warm/hot water and dry it off) will make them easier to cut.

Pecan upside down bundt cake

Pecan Upside Down Bundt Cake

I found this on facebook, want to try it:

PECAN UPSIDE DOWN BUNDT CAKE

RECIPE

Ingredients

Pecan Topping

1/2 cup butter {melted}

1/2 cup brown sugar {packed}

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chopped pecans

Cake Batter

1 box vanilla cake mix

3 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

3 tbsp sour cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your bundt pan by liberally spraying it with nonstick spray and set aside.

Pecan Topping

Combine melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt into a medium bowl and whisk until the brown sugar is slightly dissolved. Add pecans and stir until combined. Pour into the bottom of prepared bundt pan and set aside.

Cake Batter

Combine cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, water and sour cream in a large bowl and mix according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan and on top of the pecan topping. Be sure to spread into an even layer.

Bake in a 350° oven for 40-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes run a knife around the edges of the cake. Then invert your Pecan Upside Down Bundt Cake onto a cake plate and cool completely. If pecans stick to the bottom of the pan just use your fingers to remove them and place them onto the cake.

Store your Pecan Upside Down Bundt Cake at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.