Spring Pasta Salad with Asparagus & Prosciutto

Spring is in full swing in the Northeast. Flowers everywhere, the leaves are back on the trees, birds are singing! Ah, I love it, and it means summer isn't far off. Spring also means asparagus is in season. This recipe has a light and tangy flavor. It uses minimal dressing compared to my other pasta salads. Instead of penne or rotini, I've opted for small orzo pasta to soak up the flavors of the sun-dried tomato, lemon, and other great tastes. The prosciutto adds some extra protein, but if you're a vegetarian, you can leave it out.

Spring Pasta Salad with Asparagus & Prosciutto

What you need
1 lb orzo pasta
10-12 oz asparagus, ends cut off and sliced into thirds
3 oz prosciutto, sliced
1/2 cucumber, quarted and thinly sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. matchstick carrots, roughly chopped
1/4 c. diced red onion
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
1/2 of 14 oz can artichoke hearts (drained & rinsed), chopped
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Dressing:
3 T. Lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. vinegar (white wine, red wine, or balsamic all work well depending on your mood)
1/4 c. olive oil
Italian seasoning, to taste
2 T. fresh chopped basil
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

What you do
Boil pasta according to package directions while you prepare your other ingredients. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water when done.

Steam or boil asparagus for 2 minutes then place in cold water bath. Combine pasta, prosciutto, and all other veggies in a large mixing bowl.

Prepare and combine all ingredients for dressing. Pour over pasta and stir to coat. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.

Wine pairing: A light Pinot Noir if you're in the mood for red. Or, if you prefer a white go for a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork BBQ

I love making my own sauces, but the problem is when I make a sauce, I'm very much a "little bit of this, little bit of that, little bit more of this" type person. I taste and taste and taste and adjust and by the end of it, I can only guess what my ingredient ratios are. So, my disclaimer is this is my best guess-timate of my delicious pulled pork BBQ recipe. Everybody's tastes are different, so you may need to adjust according to your tastes regardless. Enjoy this comfort food dish!

When I was first reading about the best way to make pulled pork, there was much debate on whether pork butt roast or pork tenderloin should be used. Well, I have tried both and I must say the pork tenderloin was much better, much leaner, much tastier.

Slow-cooked Sweet & Spicy Sloppy Joes

The sloppy joe has been a staple of the budget-conscious family for years, but if you're from a family that grew up with this in regular rotation at the dinner table - have you even thought of making sloppy joes since? It's time for Sloppy Joe to grow up, get a job, enhance his resume. It's time for an adult sloppy joe - a sloppy joe with sweet, savory, and spicy flavors that a sophisticated palate can appreciate. Do not be overwhelmed by the list of ingredients for the sauce, it will be well worth the flavors you'll get from this grown-up 'joe - and keep in mind it will give you a lot of HEAT hidden beneath it's sweet bbq sauce taste.

I love to hide veggies in recipes where they easily go undetected. I've snuck more than 3 cups of veggies into this recipe by using my mini food processor to make them the same size and texture as the ground beef. Covered in this recipe's sweet & spicy sauce, hungry eaters will be none the wiser.

I typically make a lot of sloppy joe and then freeze portions for nights I don't feel like cooking or nights I'm not home so Mr. B. has something to eat. This recipe makes a lot of sloppy joes. Please feel free to cut down this recipe to a half or a third, if you don't have room in the freezer and are only cooking for a few.

Can we just take a moment to remember this amazing sketch from SNL featuring Chris Farley and Adam Sandler? Sloppy, sloppy joes...

Broccoli Salad

You won't have any problem eating your fruit & vegetables when it comes to this broccoli salad. The ingredients will cost you less than $11, and if you opt for pre-packaged real crumbled bacon, you won't have to cook a thing! Plus, you'll have grapes left over to snack on for the next week. This recipe will make about 9 cups of broccoli salad, costing you barely over a dollar per serving. However, if you're my husband, this salad won't last more than 2 days in the house. So bring on the picnic, and prepare to love eating your broccoli.