photo ALD2_01_zps50dad88e.gif photo ALD2_02_zps675202e8.gif photo ALD2_03_zps760ab72c.gif photo ALD2_04_zps4c8c616a.gif photo ALD2_05_zps83ef5d6e.gif photo ALD2_06_zps31aa4937.gif

January 13, 2012

In the Kitchen: Orzo Dill Pasta w/ olives, feta & sun dried tomatoes

Hi guys! It's been AWHILE since I last really blogged, sorry for the absence. I was starting to miss you guys! I definitely took the Christmas break thing seriously. My office is closed between Christmas and New Year's so I was relaxing in Michigan for a nice, looong break just hanging out with family and friends. I brought my laptop home with me and literally never opened it. Kind of refreshing! Although, I was on my smartphone quite a bit :) Anyway, hope everyone is having a great start to 2012!

I made this pasta the other week and it turned out so delicious! I was inspired by a cold pasta salad sold at Treasure Island, a European style market in the Chicago area and one of my favorite places to grocery shop! I served this warm, but it was equally delicious the next day as a cold pasta salad.

Ingredients:
- Orzo pasta, about half of a 1lb package
- Fresh dill to taste, chopped
- 1/4-1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup feta cheese, I used domestic cow's milk feta
- 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, cut in halves or thirds
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Note: All amounts can be done to your preference, I didn't measure exact amounts of anything, just threw in as many tomatoes, olives, etc. as tasted good and believe me, it does taste good!

I have the WORST kitchen lighting for pictures ever! It doesn't help that it's always pitch dark out when I'm cooking after work...sigh. Please excuse this picture quality.

Preparation:
Begin by bringing water to a boil for the pasta. While you wait for it to boil, cut and chop all the ingredients. Cook pasta until al dente. I just LOVE Orzo pasta! My family has always used it in our traditional Italian chicken soup recipe, but lately I've been using it for all sorts of pasta recipes.

Once the pasta is done things get pretty easy, just throw all the ingredients together and mix! The reason I liked serving this warm was because the feta cheese started melting and added a creaminess to the pasta that was delicious. The feta I used was domestic and made from cow's milk, whereas a lot of the fetas I normally buy are imported and have a slightly stronger taste. This type tasted milder and ended up working perfectly in the recipe.


January 11, 2012

Words for Wednesday

Via Quotable Cards

Eleanor Roosevelt sure was full of good words! How true this one is.

Been busy, busy over here with work, gym time, birthday celebrations! and life in general, but hope to be back with more updates soon!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails