Lemony Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

This tasty, tangy, colorful Greek-style pasta salad is the perfect side dish to bring to your next party or potluck.

I love making this easy, flavorful, refreshing salad, especially in the summer. It is the perfect excuse to take full advantage of summer's bounty without spending much time in the kitchen. Your family or guests will devour this dish, as it has garden fresh vegetables, orzo pasta, creamy feta cheese, and a tangy champagne honey lemon vinaigrette (featuring Cherchies® award-winning Champagne Mustard), bringing this dish from great to extraordinary. To make this pasta salad heartier, add some leftover protein, like chicken or shrimp, for an easy, refreshing summer meal. This recipe is best made the day before the event, as the flavors intensify, but making it the day of, earlier in the day, would be perfectly fine.

So grab some vegetables from your garden or your favorite farmer’s market, and make this delightful Greek pasta salad today. You will not be disappointed.

Comment below and let us know if you made this recipe. Thank you for visiting. Come back and revisit us for more delicious recipes, cooking tips, and entertaining ideas.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cooked orzo pasta

• 1 cup coarsely chopped seedless cucumbers

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes (can use cherry tomatoes cut in half if you'd prefer)

• 1/2 cup heaping cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced purple onion

• 1 teaspoon Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1/2 cup Cherchies® Pretty Peppers, drained

• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

• Champagne Honey Lemon Vinaigrette (below)

• Chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

Ingredients for champagne honey vinaigrette

• 1 Lemon, (zest, and juice)

• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 1 1/2 tsp. (teaspoon) Dijon mustard

• 1 1/2 tsp. (teaspoon) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 Salt and pepper

• 1/2 cup Olive oil

• 1/4 cup White wine vinegar

Preparation

Chop the onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and place them in a large bowl.  Season with Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning and set aside. Whisk all ingredients of vinaigrette in a small bowl. Set aside. Cook orzo pasta according to package directions.  Drain Pasta.  

Add the drained orzo to the salad.  Then add Cherchies® Pretty Peppers and lightly season with pepper. Right before serving, add the vinaigrette.

Next add the Feta cheese and mix to combine.  Add more dressing to taste.  Serve immediately. (*The flavors intensify if made a day ahead).

Tangy, refreshing Lemon Greek Salad.  Enjoy!

Lemony Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Recipe

Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

Cook Time: No cooking!  

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

Makes 2-3 crab stacks (or 1 if you're really hungry:)

If you want to wow your guests with a light, tasty lunch, salad, or appetizer, this stacked crab tower bursting with flavor is the perfect recipe for you! Your guests will think you spent hours creating this mouth-watering masterpiece. 

I recently had a variation of this recipe at a local restaurant, and since then, I have been obsessed with recreating it at home; however, the thought of making it myself seemed daunting. That was until I learned I could make this crab stack with a soup can rather than buy another kitchen tool. Hello! Determined to satisfy my crab craving and make something other than our usual crab cakes (which are delicious), I was going to create this tasty culinary tower!

And create I did. I made and treated myself to this delicious stacked crab salad featuring crab, mango, and avocado and drizzled it with a tangy citrus cilantro dressing. And I felt like Mrs. Fancy Pants:) This delicious recipe was not daunting; it was easy, delicious, light, and bursting with flavor, and it all came together in minutes! I will make this for my next "girl's night out" and serve it with crackers as an appetizer.

So, are you ready to get stacking? Grab your soup can and make this delicious crab mango and avocado salad today. Have fun creating different combinations, but report back. We would love to hear about your variations. I may add chopped red onion and our Pretty Peppers to the layers the next time I make this.

Thanks for stopping by; here is how we made it!

Ingredients

• 1 10 oz. can of lump meat crab

• 1 large avocado, chopped

• 1 large mango, chopped

• 1 lime, sliced in half

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) orange juice

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp.) rice vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend

Preparation

Slice an avocado in half, remove the pit by inserting a knife and twisting, score the avocado with a knife, and scoop out pulp into a small bowl. Squeeze one half of the lime over the avocados and gently mix.  Set aside.

Peel mango with a vegetable peeler, cut the fruit off the mango, cut into small chunks, and place the mango in a separate small bowl.  Open both ends of a soup can and reserve contents for another time (perhaps you want soup with this delicious salad).  Thoroughly clean the can.  (If using a can of crab, simply open both ends, empty contents, clean and use in your crab stack).

Drain the crab and place in another small bowl.  Prepare the dressing by mixing the rest of the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, and Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning.  Set aside. Now, let's get stacking!

Place the can on a plate.  Carefully add the avocado to the can and gently press the avocado in the mold with a spatula or spoon.  Next add the mango followed by the crab and tamp down just as you did with the avocado.

Carefully push the stack through the can with a spatula onto the plate.  Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.  Behold, the Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad!  Enjoy:)

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Stacked Crab Mango Avocado Salad Recipe

Tex-Mex French Bread Pizza Recipe

Tex-Mex French Bread Pizza Recipe

Cook Time:  10-15 minutes

Difficulty:  Extremely Easy!

I know there are some leftover haters out there. It's okay...I confess, I used to be one of them! Growing up, I did not understand the concept of eating a meal twice in a row, so as you can imagine, our dog was well-fed...sorry Mom if you're reading this...now you know;) Also, when it came to leftovers and wasting food, another thing I did not understand, my mom would often refer to a money tree growing in the backyard...except I never saw one!  Crazy parents! :)

As a mom of three, I totally get the concept of leftovers, saving money, wasting less, and of course, the money tree. (I have been known to tease our teenage children occasionally...they look at me like I am crazy...crazy kids).  

I see leftovers as a creative challenge to create new masterpieces, to save money, and to waste less. Amen!  For this round of leftovers, I made Tex-Mex French Bread Pizzas, using leftover chicken, sweet and robust Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa, savory Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend, and of course French Bread and gooey cheese!  Sounds dreamy, right? These pizzas hit all the flavor notes and were devoured in minutes!

If you have not added French Bread Pizzas to your recipe cache, you need to do so, and this Tex-Mex version will quickly become a family favorite!  Your pizzas will disappear and so will your leftovers! The money tree?  Not so much!

What is your favorite French Bread Pizza Recipe?  We would love to hear from you!  Thank you for stopping by:)

Ingredients

• Leftover cooked chicken or turkey, diced (leftover ground meat or any meat for that matter would work)

• 1 baguette or Italian bread, sliced in half vertically

• Spaghetti or pizza sauce

• Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa

• Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning Blend

• About 2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese (but who's measuring?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice a baguette or Italian bread in half vertically.  Place bread halves on a baking sheet.  Spread each slice with a generous amount of spaghetti or pizza sauce (maybe 1 cup?  It all depends on the size of the bread).  Sprinkle the diced chicken or turkey over the bread halves.

Next, add the Cherchies® Black Bean & Corn Salsa over the chicken.  Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of Cherchies® Chardonnay Lime & Cilantro Seasoning (or to taste).  Of course, what pizza wouldn't be complete without the cheese?  Add the cheese to you heart's delight...add some more...you decide, it's ok!

If you're wondering about the brown stuff in the first picture, it's taco meat.  I also had leftover taco meat I added to one half of the pizza (a previous pizza night:)  Plop the pizzas into the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until pizza is golden brown and the cheese is melty.  Slice into individual portions and enjoy!

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Tex-Mex French Bread Pizza Recipe

The Real Deal "Shepherd's Pie" Recipe

The "Real Deal" Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Happy St. Patrick's Day, friends! What better way to celebrate the day than to share this lovely Shepherd's Pie recipe? I have been waiting to post this recipe, and today could not be more perfect for paying homage to Ireland and our new Irish friend.

Did you know? Traditional Shepherd's Pie consists of Lamb, and according to our Irish friend, "Cottage Pie" is the correct name for the ground beef version we know in the United States. And apparently, "we do everything backward in the United States" (a little Irish joke).

My new love for Ireland and St. Patrick's Day blossomed last summer when I first traveled to this beautiful, peaceful country to celebrate 25 years of wedded bliss with my dear hubby;). We had the most fantastic time. We toured Southern Ireland, enjoyed new foods, learned about the country's traditions, and laughed until we cried with our new funny friend, Dave, from Dove Chauffer Drive. (He's "a bit of a leprechaun," as he will tell you himself). He's witty and a wisecracker but a lovely new friend and an excellent tour guide. Consider looking him up if you travel to Ireland. He had a lot of funny quotes and stories, and he proudly shared his recipe for Shepherd's Pie and permitted me to add my Cherchies® touches.

Dave, I hope I did your recipe justice! Friends, this recipe is the real deal if you want to make an authentic, savory Irish Shepherd's Pie! It will become one of your favorite dishes you can enjoy anytime.

Comment below and let us know your thoughts on this delicious Irish recipe.

Thanks for stopping by, and we hope you visit again!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground lamb or ground beef

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) olive oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Minor's Beef Base

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Worcestershire Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard

• 2 teaspoons (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) pepper

• 1 can (14.5 oz.) of diced tomatoes

• 1 large carrot, finely sliced

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 2 teaspoons (tsp) Cherchies Basil Pizzazz

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Marjoram

• 1 Bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Thyme

• 6-8 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed

• 4 Tablespoons (Tbsp) salted butter

• 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) Half and half or milk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and peel the potatoes.  Boil the potatoes until thoroughly cooked (prick with a fork to check if done). While potatoes are cooking, dice the onion and slice the carrots.  In a medium skillet, cook the onion in oil until onions are translucent.  Add the ground meat, 1 teaspoon Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, pepper, and beef base to the skillet.  Stir.

When the meat is brown, drain the meat. Return the meat to the skillet and add the canned tomatoes, Worcestershire Sauce, Cherchies® Champagne Mustard, water, the rest of the Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning, Cherchies® Basil Pizzazz, Marjoram, Thyme, bay leaf, carrots, and peas.  Simmer for ten minutes or until carrots are cooked. 

While the meat is cooking, prepare the potatoes.  Drain the potatoes.  Add butter to the pan and mash the potatoes with a fork.  I usually use a hand mixer to do the rest of the mixing.  Add the milk, a little at a time, until the potatoes have a thick consistency.  Set aside.

Pour cooked meat and vegetables into a small casserole dish.  Spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat and vegetables.  Place the Shepherd's Pie in the oven and cook until potatoes are a lovely golden brown. 

Enjoy!

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