Friday

Roasted corn and tomato pasta salad (recipe in the comments)
Fresh peaches

Frozen custard from Anderson's
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So, I just spent about 10 minutes searching the blog for this recipe because I CANNOT believe that we haven't posted this. This is one of our best summer salad recipes. We were inspired by a Whole Foods recipe where you add blue cheese to a pasta salad with corn, but we ended up changing their version to make it more vegetable heavy. The last time we had this T loved it, but this time he completely rejected it. Ahh, the vagaries of the 3-year-old :) The peaches were so perfect they could have been my whole meal.

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Corn, tomatoes, peaches
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: This saves pretty well (excellent for a picnic), but I like itbest fresh and a little warm from the pasta.

Reaction:
"Blue cheese makes everything better!"

Saturday

Cavatappi Nicoise (recipe in the comments)
Herbed goat cheese toasts (recipe in the comments)

Hot tea
Raspberries!
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This is a new recipe and one that will definitely be a keeper :) I love the salad and it evokes all the greatness of a salad nicoise without being quite so difficult to prepare. The toasts are exquisite and a wonderful addition. Of course, few meals are as wonderful as those that end with fresh berries. It was a home run all around - especially because it makes plenty for a picnic outside our art museum the next day!

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Moderate
Chopping: Green beans (halved), grape tomatoes (halved), olives, shallots, parsley, thyme
Time: 40 minutes
Make ahead: This was GREAT the next day!

Reaction
J: "Truly sensational summer!"
M: "The salad is great, but the toasts are transformative!"

Saturday

T's pasta salad AKA pasta salad with corn and roasted peppers (recipe in the comments from June 7, 2008)
Tuscan melon

Hot tea
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Despite having a bit of a cold snap here in Buffalo, we switched the house to our summer decor today. I love our summer look because it's more whimsical then the rest of the year - bright colors, lots of palm leaves, and a lot of Tiki kitsch! It's very fun. To celebrate, we made our signature EARLY summer one dish meal. This summer-y seeming pasta salad doesn't rely on fresh ingredients that really aren't available in late May! We originally planned to try this the week T was born (about 2 weeks early) , but didn't since we were busy having a baby! This always makes me think of him though. Now that he's almost three, he loves to eat it! I've been casually calling this T's Pasta Salad for a while and have officially changed the name :)

Prep Notes
Difficulty: Easy
Chopping: Peppers, garlic, grape tomatoes, onion, cilantro, avocado, Jack cheese
Time: 35 minutes
Make ahead: Absolutely!

Reaction
J: "Welcome summer (at least decor)!"
M: "So good! So good!"