At this point, I could probably whip up this pasta salad in my sleep. It’s always in heavy rotation at my house during warmer months because it is hands down my husband’s favorite dish I make. Can’t say I blame him though- what’s not to love about creamy pasta with bacon? Personally, I love that this recipe allows me to get my pasta fix without actually eating that much pasta (the whole recipe only contains 1/2 box of pasta, which you’d never guess if you didn’t look at the recipe).
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This post may feel random since I haven’t left the tri-state area in ten months, but I’ve been dreaming about the places that I will travel to once the COVID-19 pandemic is fully behind us, and at the top of my dream list is Charleston, South Carolina. Part of me feels silly for saying that since right before the pandemic began I’d traveled there twice within a 12-month period, but there is something about Charleston (maybe it’s the coastal beauty and Antebellum history, or traditional Southern charm and some seriously superb food and shopping) that swept me off my feet from the moment I arrived there and has me daydreaming about it often while I’m away. Since I’m waiting to travel until I receive both doses of my vaccine (which is now just a few weeks away!), I’m going to write about my trips down to the Holy City in the meantime.
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I am not a vegetarian or vegan, nor do I follow a gluten-free, keto, paleo (the list goes on) lifestyle. I love a juicy burger as much as the next meat-eating gal, and cheese is and will forever be one of my main food groups. That being said, I love vegetables and am not opposed to eating meals without meat or dairy.
Yet I have never gravitated towards vegetarian and vegan recipes or cookbooks until I discovered Power Plates, a vegan cookbook that has quickly and surprisingly become one of my favorites. The cookbook is written by Gena Hamshaw, a registered dietitian, food blogger, and cookbook author. Since Gena is a registered dietitian she has carefully made sure that each meal is balanced- pairing protein, healthy fat, and complex carbs together to help you sustain energy throughout the day. Her recipes leave you feeling full and satisfied, but not weighed down or overly stuffed. On top of this, and most importantly to me, her recipes are so flavorful that you don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything.
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When you hear pimento cheese, I’m sure the South comes to your mind, and for good reason- it’s a Southern staple. But a little known fact is that pimento cheese was invented north of the Mason-Dixon Line, specifically in my home state of New York.
According to Serious Eats, back in the 1870s, New York farmers started making a soft, unripened cheese that eventually evolved into cream cheese. Around the same time, Spain started sending canned red peppers or “pimiento” over to the United States. The two ingredients were eventually brought together in 1908, in a Good Housekeeping recipe that called for cream cheese, mustard, chives, and minced pimentos. The combination of cream cheese and pimento was such a hit, it started to be mass produced and sold in many regions across the Country.
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I go through phases with my media and literature consumption- one where I’m a sponge and try to learn as much as I can about the past and present world we live in and another where I want to read page-turning, riveting trash. I think both groups are important, but I’m currently in the first phase where I have a desire to consume information, as you can see by the movies and books that I’ve read and watched recently. I highly recommend each of these picks, so I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
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life after five 