Spring Pasta Salad

A local grocery store makes this colorful pasta salad.  My mom found the recipe online but it didn't taste quite like what you can buy from her store so she changed it up to make the flavor right and served it this past weekend.  It's sweet, tangy and gets some crunch from the veggies.  Try this for your next potluck! 

Spring Pasta Salad                                                                         Printable Recipe

10 ounces dry shell shaped pasta*  (GF works too)

1-1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 plus 1/3 cup sugar

3-1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar (may need more to taste)

2 cups peeled and thinly sliced cucumber**

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup diced sweet yellow onion

1 cup peeled and thinly sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery***

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #99

Welcome to the

Linky Party!!

Foodie Friends Friday will now have a Guest Host each week! 

(If you are interested in being a Guest Host for future parties, please contact me or any of our regular weekly hosts.)

This week Tina from Cheftini joins us!

Please visit her pages...

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Cheftini
Blog: http://cheftini.com/

Baked Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries

First time we had these at a restaurant my child called them "orange fries" and they were fried.  We enjoy having the orange fries at home but I didn't want the mess or calories of frying them so I bake them.  Then we wanted more flavor and we love Parmesan so a little salty sprinkle of cheese and some fun spices and voila, one of our favorite side dishes!

Baked Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries 

1-1/2 to 1-3/4 pounds sweet potatoes (yellow and/or orange)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Sprinkle of paprika

2 dashes cayenne pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Add olive oil to a medium bowl, mix in paprika and cayenne pepper. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into approximately 3/8" sticks. You want to keep your pieces the same size so they cook the same. Toss to coat.

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #98

Welcome to the

Linky Party!!

Foodie Friends Friday will now have a Guest Host each week! 

(If you are interested in being a Guest Host for future parties, please contact me or any of our regular weekly hosts.)

This week fellow IOWAN Mackenzie from Life in Kenzie's Kitchen joins us!

Please visit her pages...

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lifeinkenzieskitchen
Blog: http://lifeinkenzieskitchen.blogspot.com/

Strawberry Pie

The best way to eat fresh strawberries?  In a pie!  This one is easy to make. Make your own pie crust or buy one (I won't tell!)

Strawberry Pie

1-1/2 cups cool water

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 (3 oz) pkg strawberry Jell-O (or you can use sugar free)

1 pound (or as much as you can fit in your pie crust) strawberries, hulled and halved

1 pie shell

Pre-bake pie shell as recipe calls or as instructed from box or package.  Cool.

"30 Minutes or Less" Main Dish Party

In a hurry?  Need lunch or supper fast?  Here are 50+ recipes to help you out.  These recipes are from my blog and other foodie blogger friends.

An InLinkz Link-up

Homemade Feta Style Cheese

This tangy, salty cheese originated in Greece.  They usually make it with a combination of sheep and goat's milk.  I use our goat milk but you can use cow's milk too.  This cheese can be sliced and frozen to crumble later or crumbled now, frozen on a sheet and then bagged to keep. Its one of the easier cheeses to make and is a bit more forgiving that others. 

Homemade Feta Style Cheese

1 gallon milk (preferably raw and can use cow or goat) 
1/16 teaspoon Mesophilic starter culture powder
1/8 teaspoon liquid rennet 

1 cup (approx) canning salt (non-iodized)
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Heat the milk in a double boiler until it is 86 degrees.