Look What We Have!

It might be hard to tell what this is...but it's our first tomato of summer! We planted a couple of planters of tomatoes earlier this spring. It's taken a lot of babysitting - taking them in at night and if it's too windy. But it looks like it might pay off with some early season produce! Yum!

My cousin, Sean, helped make a 3-wheel tomato hauler to make it easier to transport.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

I've made this salad a couple of times this summer, and think it's a great! It takes hardly any time to put together and it has some fantastic summer flavors. Any my favorite part of any recipe - the leftovers are still good! I found the recipe at http://thepioneerwoman.com Check out the website, it's one of my favorites!

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad
adapted from Ina Garten
Dressing (makes more than enough; spoon leftovers over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers)1 7-oz jar sundried tomatoes, drained4 cloves garlic3 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 cup extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper
Salad16 ounces corkscrew pasta1 jar Kalamata or assorted olives1 pint rip cherry tomatoes, halved. Several (10 to 15) basil leaves, chopped or julienne1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Prepare dressing by blending sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped. Blend while drizzling in olive oil; continue blending until mixed together.Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water until no longer hot. Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta, add olives, and toss together. Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking. Serve on a big platter with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.