Pasta Salad

I am super picky about my pasta salad. I don't like a lot of other things in it besides the pasta, really. I always pick around the tomatoes, olives..etc. I like those things by themselves, but I'm not a food mixing person.

Last night I went to Publix and all of their boxes of pasta were $.89. I got the tricolor rotini and got in a pasta salad mood! Usually I put only italian dressing in it, which sort of grosses me out as I type this. It leaves a weird metallic aftertaste if that is the only thing in it, so I added a couple more things. After I cooked the pasta and cooled it, I put about half of the usual amount of italian dressing I normally would and then added italian seasoning and parmesan cheese. I was trying my hardest to re-create this pasta salad that I eat from one of our local restaurants, but it's still missing something. I like it, but I will still tweek it a little bit next time. While also at Publix last night, I bought one little green plum that was labeled "pluot" and "dinosaur egg." Can they not just call it a green plum? Curiosity bought one. I don't usually like the less ripened plums, so we will see how it goes.

I discovered Groop Dealz, for the first time yesterday. And that might be a good thing because I got this necklace that is very similar to one I have been eye-ing at JCrew, but couldn't break down and spend $70. This one on groop dealz is $19 bucks! I was so excited!!

I got the turquoise one, like the one I borrowed from a friend for a rehearsal dinner!

Hope you have a great Tuesday! Maggie

Lately...a collection of random thoughts

Oh, I have a blog? Talk about neglectful. I have lots of stuff to share, though!

-Back in April I got a cookbook for my birthday, Weeknights with Giada. It's a great book, it's written well and very descriptive and the pictures are gorgeous. So far I have made the salmon cakes with lemon-caper yogurt sauce {my favorite}, grilled creamed corn with spinach and broiled tilapia with mustard chive sauce. This book is one of those cookbooks that you read through and want to make everything!

-Recently, my boyfriend moved cities, down to the coast of SC and while I was visiting last week we went to River City Cafe. He enjoyed a HUGE "doritos burger" and I had a reuben. His looked amazing, and was totally gone before I was done with half of my sandwich. Be sure to check out their menu online and see what awesome burgers they have!!

-I was craving a rum cake last month and found this recipe...it was so moist and you know it's a good rum cake when your nose burns! :)

I think what also makes it great was my grandmother got hand shucked pecans from her "beauty parlor" that were picked locally. -We have a local road side market in the 'burg called Bellew's Market. I love going in there, mostly for the boiled peanuts, but also the smell. It is a mix of fresh picked produce and old wood, and I love it! I saw these gorgeous eggplants when I was browsing...

I ended up with boiled peanuts {duh} and some homemade Bellew's chow chow, which I dropped on the concrete outside of my house...fail. The sweet lady at the register also told me to grab a canteloupe on my way out, gotta love free stuff! I was tempted to buy a very strange item I saw, moonshine jelly...anyone had it? I can't imagine it would be good at all. -At the beach this past April my friend introduced me to his version of baked beans, which includes bacon, so of course I love it. He uses a large can of regular, Bush's baked beans, puts it in a baking dish, adds ketchup, mustard and brown sugar. Stir all of it together, and lay uncooked bacon on top. Bake until the bacon is cooked to your preference! It's so good, and so bad for you :)

-Lastly, one of my blogger friends Christina, from Hungry Meets Healthy, put this goat cheese + honey + cinnamon + peach concoction up on her blog and I HAD to try it. I am pretty sure I will eat anything that includes goat cheese. It was so simple and so delicious!!

Happy Fourth y'all!!