Summer Party Menu

I put together the following menu for our Summer Party that I wanted to share with all of you!

• Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers
• Hot Dogs
• Special Sauce
• Easy Refrigerator Pickles
• Pesto Pasta Salad
• Balsamic Pasta Chicken Salad
• Fiesta Corn Chip Salad
• Pockets of Lemon Cake
• Spa Water

We're also serving assorted sodas and a Key Lime Cheeseball from Tastefully Simple!

Pesto Pasta Salad

I made this recipe for our summer party as a meatless option for our guests.  Delicious!   I sometimes skip pine nuts in a recipe because they're so expensive.  Don't skip it in this recipe!  They really add a wonderful flavor to the salad.

This recipe comes from the August 2012 issue of Cuisine at Home.

Pesto Pasta Salad

1 lb dry penne pasta
2 cups frozen green peas
1/2 cup pesto, homemade or purchased
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp minced lemon zest
1 Tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 grated Parmesean cheese
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Cook penne in salted water according to package directions.  Add peas during last three minutes.  Transfer penne and peas to a bowl of ice water; drain well. (I just rinsed it all in cold water)

Whisk together pesto, lemon juice, oil, zest, and garlic in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in penne, peas, spinach, Parmesan, and pine nuts.  Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 20 servings (about 15 cups).

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

These pickles are AMAZING!  I'm usually a dill pickle person, but these are the best sweet pickles I have ever tasted.  And they are super easy.  I made mine with fresh cucumbers from our garden.

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe from an old cookbook or magazine.  It was clipped out with no additional information, other than the name "Mrs. Homer Hooks, Leesburg, Fla."

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

6 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vinegar (I used white distilled)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp ground turmeric

In a glass or crockery bowl alternately layer the sliced cucumbers and onions. (I made mine in a large plastic bowl with a sealed top)  In a medium saucepan combine sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard ssed, celery seed, and ground turmeric.  Bring to a boil, stirring just until sugar is dissolved.  Pour vinegar mixture over cucumber-onion mixture.  Cool slightly.  Cover tightly.  Refrigerate pickles at least 24 hours before serving.  Store up to 1 month in the refrigerator.