LETS GO GIANTS!!!!!

What an exciting Sunday for us Giants Fans!!!  We got a great game with a winning outcome!!  We had a very busy Sunday Funday with lots of goodies. This weekend I decided to make side dishes that can go along with any meal you make when entertaining.  Enjoy!!!!

Side dish 1 - Pasta Salad
I found this recipe a few months ago when I wanted to find a new way to make pasta salad. Every time I make it, it is a huge hit. Here is the recipe http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Veggie-Pasta-Salad

This weekend I decided to use some different vegetables than what the recipe called for. I used green pepper, carrots and corn. It is really up to you if you want to follow the recipe or just use your favorite ingredients.

While cooking the pasta, I combined the vegetables, 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar , 2 t dried basil, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 t salt and 1/8 t pepper.

Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it and rinsed in cold water. I then added it to the vegetable mixture.  I also added parmesan cheese.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Side dish 2 - Cole Slaw

My friend made a delicious cole slaw for New Years Eve and I wanted to find a similar recipe because I enjoyed it so much. This recipe was pretty close to what we had - http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1843,146164-250206,00.html

I first mixed together the 1/2 c oil, 2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and the chicken flavor packet from the ramen noodles.

I then mixed in a cole slaw mix (from the store already premade) and the package of chicken ramen noodles, broken into pieces. ***I would only add the noodles in 20 minutes before you want to serve this dish. I added them in to early and they got soggy. They are supposed to give the salad a crunchy consistency. However, it still tasted delicious!

Toss all the ingredients together. If you desire, you can add 1 handful of chopped cashews and almonds to the salad.



Side dish 3 - Vegetable Couscous Salad
I found this recipe in a food magazine I get each month. For 4 people, I doubled the ingredients, but the regular recipe calls for 1 package of couscous, red onion, cucumber and tomato.

Cook 1 cup couscous according to the package instructions. In a medium bowl, combine cooked couscous, 1/4 medium red onion, 1/2 thinly sliced cucumber (halved) and 1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Add 1 tbsp each extra-virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper if you'd like.  (To store, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days)

These three dishes were enough to accompany two different meals. They are fun to make for company as well!

Next week is another BIG football weekend. Stay tuned!