Ok, first of all, try to ignore all of the deliciousness happening in this photo and just focus on the delicious little pink salad in the corner. I know its' being overshadowed by the big green salad that we shared with you on the blog yesterday, but I promise you don't want to over look this pastel pink treat. Frog eye salad is certainly not the most high brow recipe we have shared here, but it is nostalgic, sweet, and will bring you back to the deliciousness that was your childhood. 

Ingredients: 
1 Tbs. flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 box acini de pepe
1 tbs oil
1 (15 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (15 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (15 oz) can pineapple crushed, drained
1 (16 oz) can fruit cocktail, drained
1 (8 oz) carton cool whip

Directions: 
In a pot combine flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in juice. Add egg and cook until thick. Add lemon juice and cool. Cook pasta as directed adding oil, drain, rinse, and cool. In large bowl add pasta, juice, and all fruit. Cover and chill over night. Just before serving, fold in your cool whip. 

Peggy swears this is a hit at any large gathering, and when it comes to food, you always trust Peggy. 

This savory pasta is packed with ooey gooey cheese, a rich pork sauce, and satisfying cavatappi noodles. Its an easy inexpensive family friendly dish. 

Ingredients: 

16 ounces cavatappi noodles

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

4 ounces shredded parmesan cheese 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 pound lean ground pork 

Lavender Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

2 cups tomato sauce

1 tablespoon italian seasoning

6 springs fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions: 
In a pot of salted water, boil your pasta until slightly under done, about 6 minutes. In a large skillet over medium high heat, warm your oil. Add your pork and heat until browned and cooked through (about 8-10 minutes). Add your lavender salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook for an additional 30 seconds. Then add your sauce, italian seasoning, and basil. Stir until combined. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour your noodles into it. Then cover the noodles with the sauce and mix. Then cover with both the parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 degrees until the cheese on top is bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes. You can top with additional basil leaves if desired. 

This is a quick, no brainer meal that will leave everyone in your family happy and with a full tummy. Enjoy!

It's so great when you are cooking to use flavors that just love one another. Mediteranean style cooking is so easy because there are so many wonderful blends of flavors that just belong together. This dish is quick, easy, flavorful, and healthy. Its a perfect easy weeknight meal. 

Ingredients: 

16 oz box pearled couscous 

16 oz raw shrimp

1/4 cup kalamata olives

1/2 cup feta cheese

juice and zest of 1 lemon

fresh thyme 

salt and pepper 

1 can chicken stock

2 tablespoon butters

1 garlic clove

Directions: 

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of your butter. Cook your couscous according to the package instructions, only instead of just boiling it in water, use chicken stock instead. While your couscous cooks, in another skillet melt your other tablespoon of butter. Add your shrimp and cook until pink and opaque. Add your lemon juice. Mince your garlic and add that and your time, cook until fragrant or about 1 minute. Mix your cooked couscous with the lemon zest, olives, and feta cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with your shrimp and serve immediately. 

Bon Apetite! 

The other day I was in the mood for some cookies and I made the mistake of asking my toddler what type of cookies we should bake. His answer? Pumpkin cookies. Ok, pumpkin cookies are a random request for the first day of spring, but I'm fostering his new found skill of decision making. So we rolled with it and made some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. My favorite pumpkin chocolate chip recipe however only uses 6 tablespoons of pumpkin puree. So I am inevitably left with  2/3rds of a can of pumpkin every time I bake them. What to do, what to do. So I invented a new recipe that uses up all the leftover pumpkin! I know I'm not the only one who has left over portions of pumpkin laying around, so without further ado, I introduce to you: Pumpkin Pasta with Brown Butter and Sage. 

Ingredients;
1/2 stick of butter
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried french tarragon
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 box penne pasta (about 8 ounces) 
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup goat cheese
Salt & Pepper

Melt your butter in a frying pan on low heat. Just leave it there and don't mess with it. Let it bubble and get golden. As soon as you see the butter changing from yellow to golden, add your garlic, sage, and tarragon. 

While your butter browns, go ahead and boil your pasta in salted water for 8-10 minutes as the package directs. Strain the water from your pasta, reserving about 1/4 of a cup of the starchy water for later. While that pasta sits in your colander, use your warm pot to heat up your pumpkin puree and mix it with your goat cheese. Once those two are incorporated, add your pasta back to pot and mix. Then add your butter to the pot and mix. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little of your reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Due to the brown butter, pumpkin, herbs, and goat cheese, this is a very flavorful dish. It tastes as indulgent as a macaroni, but due to a lot of the sauce being made up from pumpkin, its much less sinful, and a little bit more sophisticated as well. This will serve 2-3 people. 

Enjoy!