Sh*t, that’s fresh: Chapter 2

Feel good food 🤙

Apr 25, 2024

I had originally planned to give you a sneak peek into Lisa (that’s me!) circa 1999 this week.

Spoiler Alert: You wouldn’t recognize a single thing about her.

But while developing one of the recipes I wanted to feature, I realized I had purchased a ‘healthy’ mayo in place of our typical full-flavor one - and I’m sorry, but that just won’t do when creating a creamy and delicious Mac Salad recipe for you.

Spoiler Alert Number 2: A fabulous plate lunch recipe will be coming your way soon.

So instead, please enjoy my newest obsession, just in time for eating outside, on a tailgate, in the sunshiiiiine - a Pasta Salad Sandwich.

Here’s what you’ll need:

sourdough bread
salami
Sharp white cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
mayo
2 cups cooked pasta of your choice, we used Delallo’s Gemelli for this one
1/4 cup kalamata olive tapenade
1/4 cup peperoncini rings
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp garlic, minced

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Set aside to cool completely.

Pro Tip: When cooking pasta, always salt your water like the sea.

Now let’s make your pasta salad dressing by mixing the extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon, garlic, and honey until incorporated. I like to do this in a small lidded jar so I can do a little dance and give it a shake shake shake to mix - but using a bowl and whisk will do just fine, too.

In a large bowl, combine cooled pasta, olive tapenade, peperoncini, and green onions.
Fully coat everything with the dressing.
Chill (not you, the pasta salad) while we get the rest of our sandwich ready.

Lightly slather one side of your bread with mayo and place (mayo side down) in a pan over medium heat to toast. While toasting, add a thin layer of cheese to the bare side of the bread to melt. Once toast is golden and delicious, remove from heat.

Layer salami on one slice of cheesy bread, followed by a handful of thinly sliced red onions and a heaping pile of pasta salad. Top with your other slice of bread, cut in half, and enjoy!

Oh, and here’s a printable version of the recipe for you. 👇

Pasta Salad Sandwich

85.6KB ∙ PDF file

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Feel good food! A Pasta Salad Sandwich and a Bubble Waffle Ice Cream Cone (recipe below).

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Now how’s about a little dessert?

Not a day goes by that I’m not overcome with gratitude for the time we’ve gotten to spend on the island of Oahu.

Two months of the last year, to be exact - which is just incredibly mind blowing to me.
A dream come true.
Somewhere I’ve always wanted to be, and never want to leave.
And our experiences from that time are something I carry very close to me on the daily.

Which brings me to Bubble Waffle Ice Cream Cones.

A treat we found at Oahu’s Double Three in Kailua, we knew we had to figure out a way to make these once we got home to Montana.

Soft, yet crunchy, these waffle cones are not only made fresh to order, but are filled with your favorite ice cream, sprinkled with toppings of your choice, AND THEN drizzled with chocolate sauce (or otherwise).

And I’m not gonna lie, it takes me longer to clean the waffle maker than it does to make the entire recipe AND enjoy my cone when we make these at home, but that won’t stop me from having this whimsical treat on repeat.

Especially, when I’m in full on Grammy mode.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1.5 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla
ice cream
favorite ice cream toppings

Here’s what you’ll need to do:

Put flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and zhuzh it around with your fingers until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, water, extra virgin olive oil, and vanilla.

Add your bowl of wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until the lumps are gone and you have a nice silky batter.

Spoon batter onto bubble waffle maker and cook according to bubble waffle maker manufacturer directions.

Remove waffle and IMMEDIATELY form into a cone shape and place in a cup or cone holder to set.

Pro Tip: Waiting even a few seconds to do this because you’re too busy having a kitchen dance party will cause the waffle cone to crack and fall apart when you finally try to shape it.

Once waffle cone is cool, add ice cream and as many outlandish toppings as you’d like.

This isn’t your typical ice cream cone, it’s a party - so GO ALL OUT.

Personally, I like vanilla ice cream topped with a drizzle of peanut butter and chocolate sauce, a sprinkle of Maldon salt and a heaping pile of whooping cream.

With rainbow sprinkles, of course.

Bubble Waffle Ice Cream Cones

86.2KB ∙ PDF file

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Not that into food and wondering how you even got here?
Please enjoy a few photos from the islands that make me smile.