Summertime Salad

I love me a good, complicated recipe every once in awhile, but for some reason come Summertime, I'm all about simplicity and lightness.  Hello, salads!  I love combining different ingredients to try new tastes together. Plus, most of our Summer recipes involve pasta, because I've got to provide for my kids energy and endurance somehow.

It seems that whenever I've failed to plan ahead, and dinnertime creeps up on me before I'm ready, and I'm smack dab in the middle of a huge project that I just can't step away from for more than ten minutes, and I've asked the kids what sounds good to them...inevitably they announce unanimously, "Pasta salad!"

Usually our fall back salad is this one, but I experimented a little this time and came up with this winner.  The kids loved it and I couldn't wait to have it for lunch the next day.  We ate it warm for dinner, but it was just as good cold for lunch.  See, versatile!

SUMMERTIME PASTA SALAD

16 oz. penne pasta

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 lb. small shrimp

1/2 green pepper, chopped

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced

2-3 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese

Italian dressing

salt and pepper

- Cook pasta al dente

-While pasta is cooking, steam shrimp

-Chop veggies and place in bowl with parmesan cheese

-Add hot shrimp and rinsed pasta

-Season with salt, pepper, and Italian dressing to your taste. Serve warm, or cold, it's good either way.

Sausage and Cabbage Soup

I made this recipe up as I went along so there are not exact measurements, but who follows those anyways? So here are my guidelines for a simple and hearty soup.Sausage and Cabbage Soup

1/2 head cabbage
3/4 link of smoked sausage
carrots
potatoes
1/2 onion
1 leek
Beef broth
Seasoning (garlic, pepper, thyme, maybe a bay leaf)
Brown sausage, remove and cook onions and leek down. When almost tender add shredded cabbage. Cook until a little transparent and add broth.
Add all remaining ingredients (can add to crockpot at this point as well). Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender.