April has arrived, with its temperamental temperatures and an occasional warm evening. Out with the soups, in with the salads! There were ten of us around the table (that's outdoor table) tonight, so a pasta salad for a crowd was in order. This one is easy to multiply; just a little more pasta, a little more of this, and a little more of that stretches it to feed an army. I love the way this main course salad brings in so many colors...it just looks like spring.
I'm always at a loss to find suitable accessories to a pasta salad; everything is already there - the starch, the vegetables, the meat. It's a complete meal, but it seems so lonely on the table. A few of the girls have been swooning over dips lately. So, I decided a trio of dips with an assortment of vehicles (aka chips, crackers, pretzels) would be an appropriate accompaniment. And a cool sipping dessert for our fireside chat...
Menu: Asian Pasta Salad
Guacamole, Cajun Seafood Dip, Salsa
Root Beer Floats
Guacamole, Cajun Seafood Dip, Salsa
Root Beer Floats
Although this salad does have a lot of ingredients, it's pretty easy to throw together, especially when you use some lovely shortcuts like a pre-roasted chicken. It takes little skill, just the ability to follow a list of ingredients, and has a decent wow factor, because it's so pretty.
And did I mention what a large crowd it feeds?
We had to kick brother Jon out of the kitchen...his calculus homework and tickling little sister was not going to facilitate getting dinner on the table in time. But it does a mama's heart good to have some laughter in the house among siblings.
Some lovely flowers, compliments of Lisa. Thanks, Lisa!
Conversation tonight? Jon was still working on his calculus homework, so more girl stuff...what girls are looking for in a man, toes, undergarments, second graders, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, no more monkeys jumping on the bed, and nurturing. Diverse topics, to be sure.
I feel like each time I get together with these young women, I am being challenged and stretched to think outside my box. My 1970s/80s box. The one I grew up in. My middle-aged woman box. The one I'm in now. They are my daughter's friends, fast becoming mine, but clearly I AM old enough to be their mom. Gosh, some of their moms are younger than I! I am glad they want to come over and cook with me on Mondays. I appreciate hearing the way they look at the world, the obstacles and frustrations they face, the victories they enjoy, maybe because their predecessors fought those battles already. I'm not into this age-segregation thing, where I have to hang out only with women my age. I don't think that's the way God intended it to be. The generations have something to share with each other.
I feel like each time I get together with these young women, I am being challenged and stretched to think outside my box. My 1970s/80s box. The one I grew up in. My middle-aged woman box. The one I'm in now. They are my daughter's friends, fast becoming mine, but clearly I AM old enough to be their mom. Gosh, some of their moms are younger than I! I am glad they want to come over and cook with me on Mondays. I appreciate hearing the way they look at the world, the obstacles and frustrations they face, the victories they enjoy, maybe because their predecessors fought those battles already. I'm not into this age-segregation thing, where I have to hang out only with women my age. I don't think that's the way God intended it to be. The generations have something to share with each other.
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