Very Easy and Quick Pasta Salad

The nice weather is now here and it's time to move outside for picnics and barbecues. This pasta salad is my dad's easy recipe but I added Parmesan cheese and olives to the finished product. It can be made in literally 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. tri-colored spiral pasta

1/2 cucumber cubed

1/2 pt grape tomatoes halved or quartered

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 pkg. Good Seasons zesty Italian dressing

1 small bottle of your favorite Italian dressing

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

*olives optional

Method:

Boil pasta until it is cooked al dente, drain and rinse with cold water. Toss in the vegetables and mix in salad dressings. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and mix all ingredients together. Chill for 2 hours. 

My Own Mac-N-Cheese

This recipe I started making when I was in the 6th grade. I like the idea of homemade mac-n-cheese better than the boxed version even as a kid. This recipe calls for sauteed celery and onion and then I make a white sauce and add the cheese. Typically I will use American cheese, but if it is available I will use a combo of American and Swiss or cheddar or a combination of all three!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion chopped

2-3 stalks of celery chopped

2 T butter

2 T. flour

2 1/2 c. milk

5-6 slices of American cheese

4 oz. cheddar cheese

10 oz elbow pasta cooked al deante and drained

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c.seasoned bread crumbs

2 T melted butter

Method:

Melt butter in sausepan and saute the onion and celery until onion is transparent and the celery is soft. Add the flour to make a roux, then add the milk and stir continually until the liquid become thick and bubbly. Add your cheese and melt, season with salt and pepper. Pour in the pasta and mix, then pour mixture into a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Mix the melted butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle onto of the pasta. Bake in oven set at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.