Summer Pasta Salad

Summer Pasta Salad1 box ring noodles
1 large can black olives, sliced
1 large cucumber chopped
1 carton of cheery tomatoes
2 cans of mini shrimp
purple or yellow onion chopped
Miracle Whip lite
vinegar
sugar
milk
dill weed
salt & pepper

Boil noodles according to the box. Strain and rinse with cold water. In a serving bowl stir noodles, slived olives, cucumbers, onion, shrimp (drained), and tomatoes.

Dressing: Put a generous amount of miracle whip in a seperate bowl, add a teaspoon or so of both sugar and vinegar. Stir well, test and adjust the sugar/vinegar to your liking. Stir in milk to thin to dressing. Add about 3 tablespoons of dill weed. Pour over noodles mixture and stir well. Chill. Serve.

Enjoy!

Berry Ice Cream Treats

My family always gets together over the 4th of July to celebrate our freedom. We take in a parade, have a potluck, fireworks of course, etc! It has been tradition for years that someone would make Great-Grandma Zelda's "Ribbon Salad" (recipe coming soon!) but this year I wanted to try something different. This is what I came up with!

Berry Ice Cream Treats

- strawberry sorbet

- vanilla ice cream

- blackberries (or blueberries)

- 1 packet of Stevia (or Splenda)

Thaw the strawberry sorbet until it is soft enough to line a custard dish. Place in the freezer until frozen well. Repeat this process with vanilla ice cream and layer over the sorbet. Freeze.

Meanwhile, place fresh blackberries in a dish and sprinkle with 1 packet of Stevia. Smash berries with a fork until it's pureed. Let the berries sit for about 15 minutes in the fridge while the dish is freezing. Spoon berries into the layered custard dish and freeze.

To serve: dip the bottom of the custard dish into a bowl of very hot water.

**You want to dip it for only a few seconds as sorbet thaws quickly.**

Tip the custard cup upside down on your seving plate. Once it releases from the cup it is ready to serve.

Serving::  This is where you get to be creative and make this dish your own! These can be served alone, on  short cakes, decorated with piped whipped cream, or with fresh fruit and so on.

Options::  If you are serving larger groups and don't want to use custard cups, use a bundt pan or any type of decorative bowl! Depending what dish you use, there are other ways of releasing your goodness to serve. You might laugh but use a small torch and heat the outside slightly while it is placed upside down on the serving platter, it works!

This recipe can be used with any type of sorbets, ice creams, or fruits to fit the theme of your party. Your guests are going to love it and want to know how you made it.

Enjoy!

Tortellini Kabobs

'Tis the season for picnics, grilling, and fun summer sides. I put this idea together for a party I hosted last year. I apologize in advance for not using exact measurements. I got my cooking/baking skill from my Grandmother who's recipes call for "a little of this" and "a splash of that" and "enough to taste"!

Tortellini Kabobs
Ingredients:

- Cheese Filled Tortellini's

- Black Olives & Green Olives
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Mini Pepperoni's
- Cucumbers
- Italian Dressing

- Kabob Sticks

Prepare the Tortellini's according to their package.   Once the noodles are done boiling rinse them with cold water. Put the noodles in a nice Tupperware bowl.

  

Pour a generous amount of Italian Dressing over the noodles, cover and put in the refridgerator until completely cooled. *I normally let them marinate for at least 2 hours.

When you are ready begin assembling the kabobs by alternating the ingredients above. I absolutely love using the mini Pepperoni's. They are just the perfect size for a Kabob.

 I encourage you to be creative with this recipe and use vegetables that your family likes. Once you have your kabobs filled place them in a storage container with a lid. Chill. Moments before serving these mouth watering kabobs drizzle Italian dressing over the entire platter. Not only will they taste amazing, they will look beautifully catered!

Enjoy!