Another Greek Pasta Salad

I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I am having guests for Thanksgiving.  None of my guests are blog readers, and that's a good thing.  They won't know how I worked my tail off this weekend, trying to tidy up the house.  I am still not done, but I think I now have the mess at a manageable amount.

Truth be told, I did not spend ALL weekend cleaning.  Against my better judgement, I turned the TV to the UW-Utah game, thinking I would watch for a few minutes then get back to cleaning.  No such luck.  I got suckered in, and, 2 glasses of Kraken and Diet Coke later, I found myself screaming with a few seconds left in the game.  What a nail biter.

Throughout the game, my phone kept going off with updates about another football game.  The HHS football team played Damien Memorial High School for the Division I state title.  Not nearly the nerve-charged game as the UW game, but still exciting, especially since Damien drew first blood.

I was pleasantly surprised at how many friends were at the game.  Not friends who live in Hilo, but friends who live in Honolulu.  Several sent congratulatory messages via Facebook.  One of the well-wishers was someone I worked with nearly a decade ago.  She is lucky enough to be retired now...ahhh, someday.  But hearing from her brought back memories, and that's when it occurred to me that her recipe for Greek pasta salad would make a nice addition to my Thanksgiving lunch.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Flo's Greek Pasta Salad

     1 lb thin strand pasta (angel hair, vermicelli, spaghettini, etc.)

     1/2 c vegetable oil
     3 tbsp lemon juice
     3 tbsp mayonnaise
     3 tbsp Greek seasoning (Cavender's is what we find here)
     1 can olives, sliced
     1 small jar pimientos, larger pieces sliced
     3 tbsp thinly sliced green onions

Cook pasta according to directions on box.  Drain and cool.  Combine oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise and Greek seasoning.  Mix with cooked/cooled pasta.  Toss in olives, pimientos and green onions.  Chill overnight.

Continuing the highlights of my recent Hokkaido trip..........

Sapporo, Japan

October 9, 2017:  Day 1

 

The Keeper made my hotel arrangements for me, and he chose a hotel which offered a complimentary breakfast.  Aside from "suite" type hotels, I am not accustomed to having breakfast provided, and I was quite surprised at what was on the buffet line.  Of course, I didn't take too much food since I knew we would be having breakfast at the Jougai Ichiba.

Jougai Ichiba was on The Keeper's itinerary.  It required a short hop on the train to get there.  I'm not sure which stop we got off, but I know we headed west from the Sapporo station.

Jougai Ichiba is also known as the Hokkaido curb market/Sapporo Central Wholesale Market.  I'm not sure why, as I did not see a curb anywhere, but vendors do have their goods on the sidewalk.  Vendors were very welcoming, suggesting we try the different foods.  I really wanted to buy a crab to eat, but I didn't know how long I'd be out.  And I certainly didn't bring my favorite weapon of choice (Joyce Chen kitchen snips).

Most of the vendors were selling either seafood or fruit.  Some of the seafood businesses had counterpart restaurants which offered to prepare the food for you.  That would've been fun to try, especially since I discovered that I like uni (sea urchin).  Perhaps I need to say that I like the taste of uni in Japan.  I've had uni in Hawaii, and it was either yucky or only okay.  But the uni sample the vendor let me try was sweet and buttery.  Yum.  I knew I would need to have more of it later.

The sweetheart of the fruit offerings has got to be the melon which every fruit stand proudly displays...yubari king melon.  The melon looks similar to the cantaloupes we see in the supermarkets.  But the yubari melon is more globular, and somewhere in size between a softball and a bowling ball.  There is usually a "T" shaped stem attached.  The orange fruit is extremely fragrant and sweet.  This fruit has the distinction of being the most expensive fruit in Japan.  I could probably eat one by myself (as a meal), but it would be my luck that I am allergic to musk melons.  I did allow myself to accept a sample from a vendor, but I quickly rinsed my mouth after eating it.

As promised, The Keeper took us to a restaurant above the shops.  From the picture menu, I selected the kitamae don.  I thought the uni and ikura would make me happy, but it was the raw scallops which put a huge smile on my face.  They were sweet and delicious.  It's hard to believe that I live on an island surrounded by water, but the seafood in Japan is superior.

After breakfast, we made our way back to the station, stopping at a 100-yen shop.  It was my first time at one of these shops.  Wow...the things one can find there!

We went back to the Sapporo station and made our way on foot to check out the old government building.  From there we walked down to Odori Park.  Most of us could not resist buying grilled corn.  The corn was so tasty.  It had just the right combination of salty and sweet.
















In spite of being full from breakfast AND corn, we stopped at the Ramen Yokocho in Susukino.  This was where Anthony Bourdain ate when he was in Susukino. 








The Keeper and I decided to try the the chashu grilled pork spicy miso ramen at Teshikaga Ramen (this is not the restaurant which borders the street).  The ramen was a little oily, but that was to be expected.  There were at least 3 types of pork in the ramen:  a spicy ground pork, cubes of soft pork, and the grilled pork belly slab.  And as you can tell from the picture, I was still in denial.  I still thought I liked corn in my ramen.

Now this is where my mind gets a bit fuzzy.  Perhaps it's from too much eating, but our next stop was the Shiroi Koibito chocolate factory.  I cannot remember how we got there.  I think we went underground and caught a subway/train.  I think.  I am pretty sure the chocolate factory isn't too far from the Jougai Ichiba, where we were earlier in the day.  But The Keeper said we needed dessert.

The Shiroi Koibito chocolate factory is known for the famous shiroi koibito, a cookie sandwich.  Two langue de chat buttery cookies are sandwiched together with white chocolate.   It reminds me a little of the Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies.  In addition to shiroi koibito, the factory also has "Candy Labo", the hard candy division.  The Keeper, Nakaz, and I bought a bunch of things from Candy Labo.  I haven't eaten my Candy Labo yet, but I sent some "magic candy" to Heather, a knitting friend in Kansas.

We took a walking break and sat down to dessert in the restaurant of the factory.  The Keeper ordered a gigantic parfait with shine muscats.  I didn't think I could eat something so large, so I settled on something which I had been wanting to eat for nearly 2 decades:  baumkuchen (layered sponge cake).  My dessert would've been fine, had I not been urged by The Keeper to try a shine muscat.  I figured I wouldn't like it, since I don't eat grapes, but the shine muscat turned out to be something other-worldly.  I have never eaten anything so fragrant.

And I don't think I ever ate so much food in a single day.  Little did I know, we weren't done yet.  The Keeper told me that there was a place in one of the malls adjoining the Sapporo station which served tonkatsu even better than Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin (Waikiki).  I found that hard to believe, so I told him to bring it on.  We ended up at Tonkatsu Wako.

The Keeper was right.  The tonkatsu was  tender with a crisp, light and airy coating.  But to be perfectly honest, I prefer the dressing (for the cabbage) at Bairin.  The dressing at Tonkatsu Wako was not the sesame-mayo dressing I was expecting.  It was more like a ponzu.  I like ponzu, but NOT with tonkatsu and cabbage.

And finally, after all this eating, we made it back to the hotel for, what I hoped, would be a good night of sleep.

Pesto Tortellini Salad

It's finally warming up.  I actually went to work without a jacket several times this past week.  I was even tempted to go for a swim.  Tempted.  But it was also windy and I really didn't feel like skimming leaves.

In spite of the Merrie Monarch Festival happening in town this past week, I had a very non-festive week.  Work, which should've been nice since it was a short week, was just blecchhhh.

I supposed teenagers will always be teenagers.  The after-prom shenanigans included the pilferage of the table decorations (kids were explicitly told, in no uncertain terms, that decorations were not to be removed from the tables) and defacement of linens.  Dealing with the aftermath, including tracking down the perps, makes for a pretty shitty week.

The culminating activity of the year, Commencement, was another source of shittiness.  Every year, I discover more adults "on the spectrum" (or at least I swear they are).  And students who are in the running for (and have hopes to win) a class award. . .not pono!  Being pono includes abiding by the direction of adults.  It does not include stirring up trouble by sparking "he said, she said" controversy.  I'm still pissed.

And since I'm on the shitty bus, here's another suck ass thing which happened.  My car repairs are gonna cost big buck$.  Dang!  I got that bit of bad news when I went to Kona this weekend.

In trying to end this post on a positive note, I'm gonna dig deep.  The Kona trip this weekend did yield something good. . .a jar of pesto from Costco.  OllieMama told me a while ago that Costco makes awesome pesto.  I'm glad I listened because she is right. 

We usually mix spoonfuls of pesto into cooked pasta, but in looking for something different, I tried this salad.  The original recipe called for half the pesto, but I wanted a more punched-up pesto flavor.  I also decided to toast the pine nuts because I like the extra-nutty flavor.  Like the crimes of theft and vandalism (the acts committed by irresponsible kids), this salad is so good it should be illegal.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Pesto Tortellini Salad

     1 pkg. (8-9 oz) refrigerated, ready-to-cook cheese tortellini

     1/2 c pine nuts

     1 small zucchini, sliced into thin strips

     1 c grape or cherry tomatoes

     1/4 c pesto

     1/3 c mayonnaise

    

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Drain and cool.  Line a shallow baking pan with foil.  Place pine nuts in a single layer and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.  Remove pine nuts from pan and cool.  Halve grape tomatoes or quarter cherry tomatoes.  Remove seeds.  Combine pesto and mayonnaise in a medium mixing bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and toss gently.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Divine Red Sauce

I have been unbelievably busy.  I'm glad this is the last week before vacation begins.  Warning:  this post was written by someone in a really bad mood.  If you aren't ready to read profanity, stop here and scroll all the way to the bottom for a great recipe for spaghetti sauce.  I will not be allowing any comments which attack my candidness. . .you were adequately warned.  If you want to join my misery, then feel free to read on. 

I spent last weekend baking orange pound cake, a version I adapted based on the Barefoot Contessa recipe.  I made enough mini loaves to give all of my resource team buddies.  They are a joy to work with, and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of that group.  Its like being back at the resource office without the bullshit of middle management.  I made sure to send large, tribute versions of the cake to the office staff, security, and custodians.  Only the custodians thanked me (as of this post).

As I was giving a loaf to one of my work pals, this vile student asked me, "what kine bread dat?"  I told him it was orange pound cake.  He said, "I like one."  He repeated himself several times.  Each time I said no, and I finally told him that if he asks me again, I will deem it  harrassment.  Where the fuck does he get off expecting something from me?  Ever since last year, he has been such an asshole.  When he leaves the room, the other students immediately complain about him.  They say he is irritating.  They are right.  He cannot sit still.  He also cannot keep his fingers to himself.  I had football pics on my board with a sign saying "do not touch the pictures", and yet he touched the pics.  I asked him what part of "do not touch the pictures" did he not understand.  The other week, when I asked him to sit down, I happened to turn around and he was mouthing the f-word at me.  And he expects me to just give him cake.  Talk about delusional.  He has a nice girlfriend, and God knows what she sees in him.  Her parents are nice people, and they would be terribly disappointed if they saw what her boyfriend was really like.  Why do nice girls like these awful, dumbass guys?

Sometimes I wonder from where these students get their entitlement attitude.  Another student, who was an absolute jerk to me all last year, asked me to borrow a quarter.  Never!!!  I will not loan a cent to anyone who is not respectful.  And he didn't get cake either!  Then there are those students who seem alright but then do something to make you scratch your head.  Last week, I offered instant noodles to my students...it was the end of the day, and I was cleaning out some things from my room.  A few students accepted with gratitude.  The next day, this one asswipe, saw the box on my desk and proceeded to help himself because he was hungry.  WTF?!?  One nice gesture from me, and he assumed it was okay to help himself the next day.  Ridiculous!  Where do these kids learn manners?

And since I'm in a friggin nasty mood (and my recent posts have been utterly sanitized), let me go on to say that in the past week, two bitches really deserved slaps from me.  Both times, the commenters were condescending as hell.  But I took the high road and refrained from pointing out to both of them that they ain't foolin' anyone...both have kids who are so far from center and fall under the socially handicapped category.  I feel for these two as parents, but when they pretend as if nothing is the matter, they become part of the problem.  My own kids are far from perfect, and I do not hold back when they need to be corrected.  It's better if they hear it from me and have the opportunity to adjust their actions. 

So given my nasty disposition, I'm in no mood to cook a fancy dinner.  I think I'm especially irritable because last week was filled with obligations...band concert, family in town, workshops...just a whole bunch of stuff.  Perhaps if I was in a better mood, I would have taken the time to dress this up with some meatballs, but because I'm not, I just made the sauce.  The sauce was good, and believe it or not, nobody grumbled about having a meatless dinner!

And in case some deaf people didn't hear me when they asked, I don't know where D1 is going to college, but I do know she did her own work.  Oh, and by the day, when you're teaching your kids some manners, teach your hubby some manners too!

I hope to return to my normal, cheery self by next week.  I think the nastiness should be out of my system by then.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Divine Red Sauce

     3 tbsp olive oil
     1 giant jar (45 oz) Ragu spaghetti sauce (Costco)
     7 oz red wine
     3 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add Ragu, wine and brown sugar.  Stir and heat.  Serve over cooked "strand" pasta.  Garnish with parmesan cheese.

If you are using a "supermarket" size jar of spaghetti sauce (24-28 oz), use 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 c red wine and 2 tbsp brown sugar.

Just for you, January (or February) Boy: Ono Pasta

Happy belated Easter!

I spent a nice Easter Sunday at Hilo Bay Cafe, enjoying the brunch festivities.  It was The Help's idea to go there.  He figured all the Beautiful People would be on the other side of the island, celebrating the day at one of the fancy-schmancy hotels.  I missed them terribly.  not.  Hilo Bay Cafe brunch was probably the best kept secret.  There was a steady stream of people, but it wasn't so crowded that it was difficult to get food.  The buffet had enough selection, and the spicy ahi sushi was possibly the best I ever had.  I am not a fan of ahi, so this is definitely a compliment.  If the Ds had come, there would've been plenty of suitable options for them.  I need to have The Help call tomorrow to find out if they are planning a buffet brunch for Mother's Day.  I think Kikukat Mom would love it.

The long weekend was much appreciated.  I always say that a short work/school week forces kids (students) to squeeze all their bad behavior into 4, rather than 5, days.  That's why they seem so awful during a short week.  This was certainly true of this past week.

My favorite student charlie has a major case of senioritis.  Too bad he's had it all year.  He threw a tantrum when I told him his grade.  Can you believe that???  High school senior throwing a tantrum?  Oh wait, my mom told me my dad threw a tantrum once when I took his car.  Anyway, back to charlie. . .buggah should be thankful he is passing!  Never mind trying to bargain for a higher grade.  This is not Patpong Night Market...no such thing as bargaining for a grade! 

What I find interesting is that other students are beginning to diss charlie behind his back.  These are people he considers friends.  One of them said, "I do my work.  I not like some people." and nodded towards charlie, who was facing another direction.  Another student refused to work as charlie's partner and yet another refused to even help him.  I'm sad for charlie because if these "friends" can turn on him in school, once they are out of school, they will likely not even bother with him.  Charlie prides himself on being the star attraction, so this will certainly make for an interesting adjustment.

In a few months, most of charlie's classmates will be matriculating at institutes of higher education.  Not charlie.  He has no plans for any education.  Says he doesn't need it for what he plans to do for a career.  He may be right, but as an educator, I'm very sad.  Part of successful "teaching" is instilling a thirst for knowledge, and given charlie's attitude and words, I was not successful.  But I am happy for charlie's classmates.  They will soon be knocking on the door to the rest of their lives. . .college!

I often think about my days in college.  College was a great time for me.  Many good memories come from my years in Seattle.  I was fortunate that my parents had the means to send me to the mainland.  I hope to provide the same opportunity for my own children.  While exploring the Pacific Northwest was fun, it was also nice to return home on vacations and share stories with high school friends.  On my first vacation home, we got together and exchanged Christmas gifts.

One of the gifts I received was a local boys (not nekkid kine) calendar for Christmas.  I had the calendar hanging in my dorm room.  The boys who garnered the most ooohhs and aaahhs were January boy and February boy.  Some of my friends would even flip backwards to stare at them long after January (and February) was over.  Maybe I did that too.  Perhaps that's why I can still remember their names.

Fast forward nearly several thousand years. . .I was flipping through one of my gazillion cookbooks and came across a recipe submitted by January (or it might have been February) boy. . .or someone with his same name.  Actually, I'm quite sure it is his recipe. . .the graduation year is about right.  I was hesitant to try the recipe because I didn't think others would like it, but I finally decided to go for it.  The directions for the recipe were fairly loose, so I ended up doing my own thing, changing a little here and a little there.  What resulted was phenomenal.  No complaints from anyone here and a whole lotta ooohhs and aaahhs from the Facebook set.  I guess January (or February) boy still has his mojo, albeit as a cook instead of beefcake!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

January (or February) Boy Pasta

     1 lb strand pasta (nothing smaller than vermicelli; nothing thicker than fettucine)

     1 flat can anchovies

     half head of garlic, coarsely chopped

     1/4 c olive oil

     3 tbsp butter (may replace with vegetable oil)

     1 onion, sliced from pole to pole

     2 cans of clams, drained

     2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

     1/2 c shredded parmesan cheese

     flat leaf parsley, chopped

     lemon wedges

Boil pasta in salted water until al dente.  Drain and set aside.  Drain anchovy oil into wok.  Add olive oil and butter.  Heat on medium.  Process anchovy fillets and garlic with a food processor or immersion blender until garlic is chopped and anchovies are minced (you can actually do all of this by hand, but its oily).  Add to oil in pan.  Add onions.  Cook 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add drained pasta, clams, and tomatoes.  Toss gently.  Place on platter and garnish with cheese and parsley.  Have lemon wedges on hand for diners to add a squeeze of lemon juice.

Greek Pasta Salad

KABOOM!!!  By now, most people have heard about what happened at work this past Thursday (it made the Huffington Post).  I was talking to 3M in her office as recess ended and students made their way to their 5th period class.  We heard a loud noise.  It sounded like a single firecracker (although someone thought it was much louder).  When I looked outside 3M's door, the kids were proceeding to class as usual, and nothing looked awry.  I went to the main parking lot to move my car to the makai driveway (it was Thursday so D1 had to go to the hospital for her internship) because its a lot easier to get out from the makai driveway than the main entrance.  I went back to my room and found a slip of paper I meant to give to another teacher for her meeting that afternoon.  While in her room, the lockdown alarm sounded.  I was on my way back to my room (running) when I saw D1's friend in the building corridor.  She had been in the bathroom and got locked out of the near classrooms.  Poor thing!  I told security I'd take her so we ran to my room and locked down.  We busied ourselves by eating snacks and drinking soda.

Lockdown lasted about an hour-and-a-half.  Two students were arrested for detonating a water bottle bomb near the auditorium.  All of this was on the local news. . .including a picture of my car parked on the makai side of campus!  I'm glad nobody got hurt, and I am so proud of the way the situation was handled by the administration.  We really do have the best administrators! 

The uproar caused by the bottle bomb notwithstanding, this was a busy week.  I attended two boys basketball games (both losses).  One game was against the dreaded crosstown rival.  The other game was against the "haves" (we are the "have nots").  The Help came along to take pics for D1's cheer coach.  Of course, he took the opportunity to snap some practice shots of the game.  In spite of all the running he had to do on the football field, he declared that taking football pics was much more enjoyable than taking basketball pics.

Hilo had another week of mostly cold (by Hawaii standards), wet weather.  I took advantage of the opportunity to wear some of the boots & covered shoes I bought.  After years of wearing sandals & slip-ons, I decided to go back to wearing covered shoes.  I love it.  It keeps my feet nice and warm.  Come to think of it, the day of the bomb was the first dry-ish day we've had in a while.  Anyway, a bunch of my fb friends drove up to the mountain this past weekend to play in the snow.  Some random trucks could also be seen driving through Hilo with snow in the cargo area.  Oddly enough, by the time the weekend came around, Hilo was warmer. . .in the 80s.

I'm beginning the countdown until the next holiday.  TEN days.  I might need to start the spring break countdown soon too.  I know there are 73 days of school left for the seniors.  We counted together.

It is too early to be thinking about salads, but with all the counting down, I'm kinda looking forward to summer vacation (or spring break. . .since it will come before than summer).  And I took advantage of the warm weekend weather to throw this salad together for Super Bowl food.  Actually, I wanted to make something else, but there must be some kind of onion shortage going on because I could only find reasonably priced red onions at the market (and I didn't feel like driving around).

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Greek Pasta Salad

     1 c orzo (uncooked)
     2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
     1/2 red onion, finely chopped
     1/2 c minced flat-leaf parsley
     1/3 c red wine vinegar
     1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
     1 tsp salt
     1 1/2 tsp sugar
     1/8 tsp pepper
     1 tomato, chopped
     1 bell pepper, chopped
     1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
     1/2 c kalamata olives, drained and sliced
     1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

Cook orzo as directed on package.  Drain well and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, combine onion, parsley, vinegar, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper.  Add orzo and toss to coat.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.  Just before serving, toss pasta with remaining ingredients.

On Saturday, The Help and I stopped by Short N Sweet Bakery to try the creme brulee cupcakes we saw on their FB page.  What a treat!

The cupcakes have that classic carmelized sugar topping which shatters when you dig in with a spoon.  But you will definitely need to use a spoon to get all the custard goodness (a nice surprise!).


If you're on the Big Island and you're looking for a nice treat for Valentine's Day, call Short N Sweet and place an order.  These are worth the price!


They are also cheaper than Maui onions.  I am NOT kidding.  When we went to Safeway, a bag of Maui onions (with 3 small-ish onions) was over $10!  That is crazy!!!

Sesame Chicken Pasta Spinach Salad

I played tennis when I was in high school.  While I was good enough to make the team and get regular playing time, I was not good enough (not good enough=too lazy) to continue competitive tennis in college.  There were tennis courts near my dorm, but I think I never went to hit more than twice (okay, once).  There was a cute guy in the dorm next door who was a paraplegic as a result of an MVA.  He competed in wheelchair athletic events and always suggested we challenge.  Uh, no. . .cute or not, I always politely declined.  Ask me to dinner, not a tennis match, you moron!

My tennis hobby remained dormant for over a decade before I decided to play again.  By that time, racket engineering had come a long way so the racket I played with in high school was a total relic.  Yes, I seized the opportunity to buy a new racket.  I had to.  I was too embarrassed to be seen with my Pro Kennex Silver Ace.  Okay, anyway, back to my tennis story. . .

When I finally decided to play tennis again, I got rated (USTA) and joined a team for the HTL (Honolulu Tennis League) season to warm up for USTA season.  We had so much fun, we continued playing together for the USTA season.  What I liked about playing league tennis on Oahu was the orderliness of matches.  You show up to the site, play your match, then leave.  Our team got together at the end of the season for a potluck.  That was it.  Being fairly antisocial (group gatherings are really not my thing), this pattern was a good fit for me.  I liked that I could play a morning match and then meet friends for lunch.  In other words, my whole day wasn't taken up with tennis.

When I moved to Hilo, things were so different.  You show up to the site, play your match, have a potluck, and then hang out until dark at the courts.  The Hilo tennis day was indeed a full day long!  I never enjoyed that part of league tennis, which was just another reason why it was so easy to stop playing.  Of course, Hilo being Hilo, standard tennis equipment also included a squeegee.  One would expect, in a town known for rain, there would be ample covered tennis courts in order to provide a venue independent of the weather.  There are 3 (three, in case numbers aren't your thing) public covered tennis courts in Hilo.  There may be a few private covered tennis courts, but they are certainly not available for public play.

But not every aspect of the Hilo tennis scene was a bad experience.  At one of the after-league match potlucks, someone from another team (yes, you had to put on a smiley face even after they whooped yo' ass on the court/made bad calls/argued with you about the score) brought this fabulous salad to share. 

I used to make this salad quite often, but I noticed I had a real gritty feel in my mouth after eating all that spinach, so I stopped making this and forgot about the recipe.  But last school year, D1 would come home and rave about her friend Casey making the best chicken pasta salad.  I decided to try this recipe again, using baby spinach instead of regular spinach leaves.  The baby spinach leaves didn't leave my mouth as gritty.  And the kicker. . .D1 said the salad was good!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Sesame Chicken-Pasta-Spinach Salad

     3/4 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

     6 oz curly pasta

     2 tbsp parsley

     1/4 c green onion, chopped

     6 oz (around 6 c) baby spinach leaves

     1/2 c vegetable oil

     1 tsp sesame oil

     1/3 c shoyu

     1/3 c rice vinegar

     3 tbsp sugar

     1/4 c sesame seeds

     1/4 tsp pepper

     1/2 tsp grated ginger

Boil chicken for 10-15 minutes.  Shred into strips.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  drain well.  Combine vegetable oil, sesame oil, shoyu, rice vinegar, sugar, sesame seeds, pepper, and grated ginger.  Toss with chicken and pasta.  Add spinach, parsley, and green onions just before serving.

Upon the advice of coworkers, I took a few minutes to acquaint myself with a TLC show called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.  My coworkers felt the family resembled a common acquaintance we have.  While they were right on the money, I was only able to watch 25 minutes of it before straying.  It was awful.  Talk about lepo!