“The heart, like the mind, has a memory. And in it are kept the most precious keepsakes.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
Memorial Day weekend marked 4 days with temperatures in the 90s, and we even hit 100 for the first time this year. If this is any indication, it’s going to be a scorching summer! The weekend before Memorial Day, however, was our real family memorial weekend where we spent treasured time with family. We were first in ND to say goodbye to my dear Uncle Cliff, then in WI to remember my Uncle Bob. He was the groom in the wedding photo above… I was the 2 1/2-year-old flower girl. He was the last in that generation… the adults in the photo are now all gone. My cousin Andy (tallest kid in the middle) brought along his graphical representations of mathematical string theory (used in the Nova television series) for input on which representation should be made into a sculpture for the new mathematics building at the University of Indiana.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
With such hot temperatures I was looking for something cool. This simple pasta vegetable salad from The Spruce Eats fit the bill.
PASTA VEGETABLE SALAD
- 8 ounces rotini pasta
- 1/2 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1 cup diced seeded tomatoes
- 2.5 ounce can sliced ripe olives, drained
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsely
Cook the rotini pasta in boiling salted water following package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Set aside to cool and then transfer to a large serving bowl.
Toss the cooled pasta with the diced cucumber, tomato, sliced ripe olives, bell pepper, celery and onion.
In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, pesto, lemon juice, coarsely ground black pepper, salt and parsley. Combine with the pasta and stir gently until blended. Taste and add more salt as needed. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until serving time.
