Heat wave!

Well, "heat wave" for us it seems. We were in the 50s today, more melting snow, and all that stuff. Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to enjoy it. We had co-op registration this morning. The classes fill up fast, and I was able to get two great classes for each of the kids. They've only each had one before at a time, and these will be spread out over two afternoons. It will be a bit of a change, but it's only for a couple of months. It should be FUN! In the afternoon, I volunteered. It was just proofreading, a little tedious, but the company makes it rather pleasant. Holly and Trevor were the ones who suffered. They stayed in the main room where all the action was swirling nearby. They sat at a table on nasty folding chairs for THREE hours. The only time they got up was to get something out of the car. They were ANGELS. Here's a view on our way home, yes, all real colors. We made dinner plans without knowing how nice it would be, and it was the perfect choice. Robert bbq'ed bratwurst and vegetables--green and yellow peppers, and red onion. My sister made this suggestion a dozen years ago, and it's been a favorite of ours ever since. I'm wondering how she came up with the combination. She does NOT cook, I can't imagine her eating at restaurants that serve this sort of food, and she probably only has Evian, diet soda, soy milk, one food item from Whole Foods, and a bottle of fancy mustard in her fridge. (Okay, Lori, how close am I?) I also fixed our favorite--Dijon Pasta Salad--it's easy and doesn't need to chill before eating. DIJON PASTA SALAD

1 lb. rotini, tricolor (I use plain elbows or shells)
2/3 cup oil
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons mustard, Dijon
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 large celery stalks, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Paprika

Cook pasta in boiling water just until done, usually 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to stop the cooking process. 

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard and mayonnaise. Add the pasta, celery, bacon, eggs, scallion, salt, and paprika to the dressing and mix carefully.

That's it!

It was one of several recipes I've found in Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear's Culinary Mysteries series. While I'm not a mystery fan, these books are very light and put an equal emphasis on food--definitely a winner for me! The stories take place in a fictional mountain town west of Denver, and it's always fun for me to recognize places in the books. It's a fun series, one I've followed from the beginning, about ten years ago. As I was doing the last minute rush to get the salad made and the house at least vacuumed before Robert came home, the volunteer coordinator called to tell me everything will finish early and I'm FREE tomorrow afternoon. Yippee, I am pretty happy about that! Robert's off tomorrow. We have a light school day planned. Another storm coming Friday. No comment on that yet!