Feeling inspired by summer!

Things we're loving in the Arizona summer...

Meals served cold

Playing in the sprinklers after sunset

Crafting indoors

Anything barbequed

Sleeping in

Parks with splash pads

Summer reading (currently The Beekeeper's Apprentice)

Roads trips to the coast

Fresh produce

In keeping with the cold meal theme, I thought I would share our favorite new (super easy) pasta dish. This meal was born of a late night craving I had for a veggie filled pasta salad. It's been a huge hit!

Summer Pasta Salad

1 package of farfalle (bow tie pasta) cooked al dente and drained
olive oil
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced thin.
1 pint grape tomatoes (organic is best!)
2 yellow bell peppers, sliced
2 minced garlic cloves
3/4 cup feta cheese
1 bunch of chopped, thin stalk asparagus
1/2 cup Annie's Natural Tuscan Italian Salad Dressing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Place chopped asparagus in a casserole dish and toss it with some olive oil. Bake it in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until slightly tender. Remove dish from oven and add the yellow bell pepper, the sliced onion, and the minced garlic cloves and toss together. Put the dish back in the oven for another 5-7 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant. Remove the dish from the oven. Toss the cooked veggies with the drained pasta, the grape tomatoes, feta cheese, Annie's Salad Dressing, and 2-3 tablespoons of high quality olive oil. Toss it all together and top with fresh cracked pepper.

You could also add olives, or as my friend Jenny did, artichoke hearts.