As the weather warms up, it is nice to lighten up our pasta sauce, and make a summer pasta for dinner! Yum! I love this light and healthy pasta which I put together on a warm day for dinner.
This is a really easy recipe to make for dinner. So, without further ado, here is what you need to make this yummy pasta dish at home.
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 lb. pasta (pick your favorite shape!)
1 cup fresh basil
3 cloves diced or crushed garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon paprika
Shredded or grated parmesan cheese (save for after cooking)
In a large pot, boil water for your pasta. In a small sauce pan, simmer butter or margarine, olive oil, garlic, and paprika until melted and blended together. Once melted and blended, set it aside.
Wash your cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Keep them cool and place them aside for after the pasta is done.
Once your pasta is cooked, drain it and put is back into the pot you cooked it in. Pour your sauce into the pot and stir until pasta is coated.
Serve your pasta on a dish and sprinkle basil leaves and cherry tomatoes on top of the pasta. Top with parmesan cheese.
Then, serve and enjoy! Yum!
I hope you love this summer pasta dish as much as my family does. It is light and yummy!
Are you looking for a really easy guacamole recipe you can make mild for the kids, and spicy for the adults? You’ve come to the right place! This guacamole recipe takes almost zero kitchen skills, it is really easy to make, and your guests will think you are a chef! Love!
This particular guacamole is Mango Guacamole and it has a bit of sweetness to it which counteracts the spice and gives it a little somethin’ somethin’. If mango isn’t your thing, you can use pineapple, or nothing at all for a regular guacamole side dish.
I love using guacamole as an appetizer with chips, or as a side dish served with tacos, taquitos, flautas, burrito bowls, and more! It is a superfood side dish with endless possibilities.
So, without further ado, here is my super easy mango guacamole recipe which serves four people:
Ingredients:
4 avocadoes
3 tablespoons of Paul Newman’s Mango Salsa (I told you this was easy! HA!)
1/4 cup Lime Juice
Cayenne Pepper (season to taste)
1 teaspoon Paprika
3 dashes Salt
Peel and de-pit the avocadoes. Put the avocadoes in a mixing bowl and mash them using a strong fork or a potato masher. Once the avocadoes are mashed to your liking, add three tablespoons of Mango Salsa. You can substitute Paul Newman’s Pineapple Salsa or use regular salsa; your choice of flavor. Then, add the lime juice, paprika and salt to your liking. Add the cayenne pepper slowly to ensure it is the right level of spice for you.
Mix all of the ingredients together. The avocadoes will be less green due to the salsa, but the lime juice preserves them from turning brown right away, keeping your guacamole looking fresh. Love that!
Be sure to taste the guacamole before serving it and add more pepper for more kick. If you want it to be mild, do not add the cayenne pepper until you started to taste the guacamole. Then, add cayenne as needed. For small children, you might want to leave the pepper out altogether to give them a mild guacamole.
My favorite way to serve guacamole is in these cute and colorful salsa bowls! We use the bowls for more than just guacamole. They are great for serving any type of sauce, as well as serving eggs or keeping ice cream to one scoop. My kids use them for snacks too such as goldfish crackers and nuts. I highly recommend investing in a few of these bowls, they are incredibly useful, and I am not really sure how I lived without them before I bought a few! Love!
If you are local to the Bay Area, I recommend the chips from the Safeway deli instead of the chip aisle. They are less expensive and taste a lot better! Love!
Things you might need for serving and making guacamole:
I hope you love this easy guacamole recipe as much as I do! It is a great way to serve fresh avocadoes to your kids and serve a yummy appetizer everyone will love at parties.
Eataly Silicon Valley has opened their doors! This well-known Italian marketplace and restaurant and been long-awaited at Valley Fair. We have been walking past the “Opening Soon” signs for what seems like forever in anticipation of getting our own Italian marketplace in Silicon Valley, and now it’s finally here! Love!
My ancestors are Italian, so obviously I am always looking for fresh Italian ingredients for when I cook. I also enjoy authentic pre-made food, because my Mom cooks everything better than me anyway. haha
Eataly is a marketplace and restaurant which was first opened in Italy, so it isn’t an American creation which is trying to be Italian. So many American chains, which claim to be Italian, are really just pretenders; which is very annoying when you know what the food is supposed to taste like, how it should be cooked, and the ingredients which should be used! I watched my grandmother, who came here from Italy, spend hours upon hours in the kitchen. While I may not be amazing in the kitchen like she was, I do know Italian food, so let me tell you about Eataly with confidence.
As an American, you will expect pizza, pasta, and risotto. That’s great, Eataly has you well-covered with these types of food. I love that you can find food from various regions of Italy throughout the marketplace, and in the restaurants within Eataly. My family is Northern, so I notice the food my family cooks right away! Since I attended a press event, I was able to sample a few dishes, and they were all delicious. So, whether you prefer southern food or northern food, you will find what you love.
Eataly Silicon Valley is also a marketplace! The ground floor has snacks, coffee, pastries, and gelato. When you venture up to the second floor, you will find a variety of wines in all price points. I love how Eataly labels the region the wine originates from. It made it easy to find wine from where my family is from, and still lives. Love that!
The third floor was my favorite spot, as this is where both restaurants are located, and there is a fabulous market. You will find a variety of packaged foods from Italy, a butcher, fresh cheeses, meats, packaged food, dairy, produce, breads, and more. I was in heaven. Seriously, we have small Italian markets in Silicon Valley, but nothing this vast and all-encompassing. This is a one-stop-shop for Italians like me!
Eataly opens early, before the mall, at 8:30am. This is perfect for shopping for groceries. We can pop in before the mall gets crowded and buy everything we all need to cook at home; in one location! Love that! In addition, there is more wine on the third floor plus you can find gift items, cooking tools, and cookbooks. Wear your walking shoes, and get ready to spend time shopping when you go to Eataly! You will love it.
I hope you stop in and enjoy the food! You can learn more about Eataly by visiting their website at Eataly.com.
Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO Cathy
*I received free food at the press event, I was not paid to attend. All thoughts and opinions in this article are my own.
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