Presto Pasta Night Roundup #72

Last week Gay, the fabulous Scientist in the Kitchen did a great hosting job. See for yourself. I must admit, it's wonderful to share the hosting with such terrific bloggers.

Somehow, emails from Tigerfish of Teczcape often seem to get lost in the ethernet. It has me wondering how many others out there are having the same problem. If you don't see your dish in the roundup and don't hear from me (I always mean to let you know as soon as I receive them, but lately I don't seem able to get around to it until I actually post the roundups on Fridays), then at least leave a link in the comments and you'll be added to the following week's roundup. So I apologize for any I've missed - we all want your recipes and stories!!!

It's hot in many of your kitchens and this week's roundup really reflects that...so let the summer dishes reign!

And now to the real stars, starting with Tigerfish's awesome looking Beef with Oyster Mushroom Fusili


Ivy of Kopiaste was actually the first email I received...late last Friday, too late for last week's roundup but not for this week's. She shares a wonderful Farfalle with Aubergine (that's eggplant to us North Americans), Peppers & Purslane. And if that's not enough of a reason to read her post...check out the perfect place to go swimming. I'm certainly ready to hop on a plane.


Allergy mom of Allergic Kid is a first time PPNer with a great post that got me sidetracked for a while. Read...and I bet you will be too. I'm not sure how old her angel is, but definitely a cool kid if ever there was one. And best of all...I love his name for farfalle...Butterflies! This time served with great stuff in the larder just when you think there's "nothing to eat in the house".


Marija of Palachinka is back with a great idea. Pasta with Poppy Seeds. I love them, but frankly never gave them a thought outside of baked goods...that is until now!


Abby of Eat the Right Stuff has another fantastic salad idea...Salmon & Avocado Pasta Salad with a cooked vinaigrette that sounds awesome and definitely will hit my table soon.


Corrine has a Gourmet Love Affair and shares not one but three perfect pasta dishes that are especially fabulous for all this hot weather I'm having. The photo is of the Lemon Pepper & Asparagus Pasta, but they all sound delish.


Maybelle's Mom at Feeding Maybelle made her own egg pasta and topped it with a fresh "Sauce". It was so delicious...this was the only photo. Personally, I think it says it best!


Ben of What's Cooking? is a great PPNer. This week he made some fantastic looking homemade Cannelloni with Beristain Sauce...and I truly can't wait to try it out. Check out the secret sauce ingredient.


Lesley of Beachlover's Kitchen made a great dish of Fried Sambal Chicken & Shrimp Mee. She even made her own Sambal...how awesome is that!


Ferdzy of Seasonal Ontario Foods shares this brilliant Pasta with Peas & Spinach...quick, easy and no slaving over a hot stove for hours either, which is a bonus in this heat wave we're having.


Daphne at More Than Words has a great soup to share with us. Okay, I'll be holding off until the first cold rainy day, but check out her awesome Tom Yam Seafood Soup.


Sarah at What Smells So Good? (This time, it's Spicy Yellow Prawn Noodles)that I'm drooling for.


Marye of Baking Delights took some time away from baking to whip up this delicious Cajun Style Rotini, and I'm glad she decided to share it with the rest of us.


Katie of Thyme for Cooking shares another interesting story and a great Couscous, Spinach & Green Bean Salad - the only possible salad I could prepare in all this muggy heat. And next week we're lucky enough to have Katie host Presto Pasta Night. You can send your entries directly to her at thyme2.kate AT gmail DOT com


Kitchenetta of Got No Milk tried this Southwest Pasta that has me drooling. As soon as it cools down enough to actually boil water for pasta, I'll be making some.


Serena of Rock Cakes had a dilemma...what to do with that packet of frozen minced pork. She came up with two wonderful dishes, but I'll just mention the Pasta with Meatballs, Roasted Mushrooms & Courgette (Zucchini) and Marsala among other things. Check it out. The rice dish looks great too.


Courtney of Prescription for Good Food says this is a great dish, and I believe her...Turkey Sausage & Arugula Pasta.


Gay, our fabulous Scientist in the Kitchen and last week's terrific Presto Pasta Night host, found time to share this recipe for Linguine with Last Year's Tomatoes (not to mention the 10 cloves of garlic).


Deb at Tastie made the perfect Easy Weeknight Chicken and Pasta dinner. See for yourself!


Sher of What Did You Eat? is back with a variation of a favorite of mine...Angel Hair Pasta with Sweet Red Pepper Pesto. Nothing better when you can't decide what to do.


Nuria of Spanish Recipes was very creative and came up with Eggplants Stuffed with Pasta and Veggies. Looks very impressive!


And finally, it's my turn...with Pasta with Roasted Chicken, Marinated Grilled Vegetables and Goat Cheese. The only way I managed it was to boil up the pasta in the morning and add the quick stir fry of cooked pasta to the chicken & veggies. And when exactly is this heat wave to end?


Next week's guest host: Katie of Thyme for Cooking will be doing a magnificent job, I know. You can send your fantastic entries to her at thyme2.kate AT gmail DOT com

Plus...Don't forget to check all the Presto Pasta Night Roundups dating back to March, 2007, see who's hosting for the next four weeks and check out guidelines and tips for entering and hosting.

Over at Presto Pasta Nights there are also pasta-related posts that I hope you like.

So far you can learn about gnocchi making and Jamie Oliver's way to make your own pasta. What else would interest you?

If you're a Facebook member, please visit the Presto Pasta Gang on Facebook.

And, of course, a very big thank you to all of you for playing along and visiting every week!!! I can always count on you to make it special.

Don't forget to join in the fun yourself. It's simple....

1. Post a pasta recipe on your site. By pasta, I mean any noodle dish - hot, cold, spicy, creamy, saucy, stuffed, from any and every culture - Pad Thai, Singapore Noodles, Macaroni & Cheese, Pasta salads...the possibilities are endless!

2. Mention Presto Pasta Nights in the post and add a link back here.

3. Email the link to your post to this week's host with the following information:
The name you want to go by, publicly; your blog name; name of the dish.

Check here to see who's hosting in the next few weeks.

Entries will be posted every Friday, so you'll have some great new recipes for the weekend. Please make sure your entries are in by Thursday evening.

Don't worry if you don't have your own blog, you can email your recipe directly to me at ruth@4everykitchen.com and I'll post it for you.

If you're interested, please join the Presto Pasta Night Gang on My Facebook and let's see where the fun takes us all this year!

And if you'd like to be a Presto Pasta Night Host yourself, check out the details and email me directly at ruth@4everykitchen.com

Presto Pasta will be a little late..

I know I normally have Presto Pasta Night Roundups ready for tasty viewing by noon...but this week the cutest little boy came into town to get his check up and booster shots and naturally Grandma had to go along.



The roundup will be up today...just later than usual.

Pasta in the Heat

Who says it's too hot to make pasta? Well, frankly we've been saying that all week. No one wants a steamy kitchen at the end of a hot and muggy day. But I really did want to make pasta, after all, I'm hosting Presto Pasta Nights myself this week.


Penne with Roasted Chicken, Marinated Grilled Vegetables & Goat Cheese


My trick....I boiled my pasta this morning when it was still cool and then let it sit in cool water until I was ready to quickly whip up the sauce. Oh...and earlier this week I took advantage of another cool morning to roast a chicken so I'd have a variety of options for eating in the heat.

So what's your trick for managing to make delicious meals when it's really too hot to cook?

You still have time to send your entries to me at ruth@4everykitchen.com and I'll post them in the roundup tomorrow.

Presto Pasta Night Roundup #71

Don't forget to head over to A Scientist in the Kitchen for this week's Presto Pasta Night Roundup. There are so many interesting dishes and just when you think you've seen every pasta computation there is...well, there are more!

Thanks a million Gay for doing such a great job hosting this week.

Next week it's back to me. So send all your delicious dishes to me at ruth@4everykitchen.com by next Thursday, July 17th.

Salad Dressings for Pasta

I usually think of pasta with one of three kinds of sauces...tomato based, oil & garlic with herbs or cheesy, creamy sauces. So here's a first for me....salad dressing!

The other day I made a delightful Cumin Lime Dressing on our salad...too hot to heat up the stove for anything else. I was reviewing a fantastic cookbook - Grill It! and there was a recipe for a shrimp and avocado salad. Unfortunately I was missing the avocado and the shrimps but we still enjoyed dressing over a simpler salad.

The dressing was so tasty, that I was still thinking about it when I was planning tonight's dinner...some delicious Roasted Cumin Crusted Salmon with Orange Chipotle Butter (it cooled off today) with a side of pasta and I couldn't help but think that the combination of the cumin lime dressing with the pasta would be perfect with the fish ....not to mention that tomorrow is Presto Pasta Night.

Remember to send your entries to Gay A Scientist in the Kitchen who is our gracious host this week. Send your entries directly to ascientistinthekitchen AT gmail DOT com and check for the roundup tomorrow.


Plus...Don't forget to check all the Presto Pasta Night Roundups dating back to March, 2007, see who's hosting for the next four weeks and check out guidelines and tips for entering and hosting.

Mark Bittman's 101 Picnic Ideas and only 6 Pastas

I do love Mark Bittman and I love picnics. So how lucky am I that he just wrote probably the best article yet -101 Picnic Ideas...even if there were only six pasta dishes in the lot.

You can check out the article for yourself and pick out your favorites, but I thought I'd share a few that I'm definitely going to try...


BEET SALAD Peel beets and grate them (a food processor will keep the juice contained). Add pistachios or hazelnuts; dress with orange zest and juice, and olive oil. Add bits of goat cheese and chopped parsley.

CURRIED EGG SALAD Make egg salad with hard-cooked eggs, mayo, curry powder, Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro, red onion and, if you like, diced apple.

WHITE BEAN SALAD (cooked or canned) tossed with chopped seeded tomato, chopped anchovy, chopped olives, oil, lemon juice, lots of black pepper, salt if necessary and parsley.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SALAD (jarred are O.K., piquillo are even better) Puréed with feta, marjoram or oregano and parsley, olive oil and garlic. Serve as a dip.

TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES -he has three kinds, but here's my own personal favorite - tuna, mayo, chipolte in adobo sauce, fresh cilantro.

COLD PEANUT NOODLES Cook Chinese egg noodles or regular spaghetti. Drain and rinse. Toss with sesame oil, peanut butter (or tahini), sugar, soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, black pepper (lots) and chili oil (optional). Pack shredded seeded cucumber, cooked shrimp and chopped scallions separately.

ASIAN SOBA SALAD (but say it quietly, Mark doesn't like pasta salads) Shred carrots and zucchini. Mix lime juice, soy sauce, grated ginger and sesame oil. Cook soba noodles, drain and rinse under cold water. Toss noodles with the vegetables and dressing.

And since I did mention a few pasta dishes....the perfect segue to... Presto Pasta Nights.


Don't forget this week Gay A Scientist in the Kitchen is hosting. Send your entries to ascientistinthekitchen AT gmail DOT com and check for the roundup on July 11.

Plus...Don't forget to check all the Presto Pasta Night Roundups dating back to March, 2007, see who's hosting for the next four weeks and check out guidelines and tips for entering and hosting.

Over at Presto Pasta Nights there are also pasta-related posts that I hope you like.

No Manicotti Tonight

I had every intention on making Robin Miller's Artichoke manicotti in Pesto Cream tonight (mentioned last week). I bought fresh basil (which never lasts more than 2 days here in Halifax, no matter how I store it), ricotta cheese, and manicotti pasta. I always have a jar or two of artichoke hearts in the pantry and pine nuts in the freezer.

However....it's been 29 degrees C, with a humidex that made it feel like 36 (96.8 F) so forget boiling water and heating up the oven for an hour....I had a hard enough time eating a salad.

That said, I don't want you to forget that this Friday Gay, A Scientist in the Kitchen
is hosting Presto Pasta Nights...I'm hoping some of you come up with pasta salads I can prepare in the early morning, before the house heats up. Send your entries to ascientistinthekitchen AT gmail DOT com and come back for the roundup this Friday, July 11.

Plus...Don't forget to check all the Presto Pasta Night Roundups dating back to March, 2007, see who's hosting for the next four weeks and check out guidelines and tips for entering and hosting.

Over at Presto Pasta Nights there are also pasta-related posts that I hope you like.

If you're a Facebook member, please visit the Presto Pasta Gang on Facebook.

And, of course, a very big thank you to all of you for playing along and visiting every week!!! I can always count on you to make it special.

Lobster Heaven

Just in case I haven't enticed you with our own Nova Scotia style lobster dinner yesterday, you have to read this article in the NY Times I'm drooling over my breakfast coffee and wondering when I can pull off my own version of their wonderful lobster weekend.




For today...we're heading off to camp. Hope your day is sunny and lovely, like ours promises to be.