Summertime Recipes

ByKaren Witemeyer
10 Comments

One of my favorite things about summer is all the wonderful salads, fruits, and tasty grilled meats we get to enjoy. I have fond memories of visiting my grandma and eating strawberries straight from the vine in her backyard. I didn’t even wash them first.

These days I don’t cook as much as I used to, but when my daughter came to visit and asked if I would make one of our summertime favorites, I eagerly got busy in the kitchen. Chicken pasta salad is a great option when you want something quick and light. I thought I’d share our simple recipe with you.

Karen’s Chicken Pasta Salad

1 package garden (tri-color) rotini pasta
2-3 cups cooked chicken, cubed (leftover grilled chicken works great)
1 cup raw broccoli, cut into small pieces
Italian salad dressing (Olive Garden dressing is espcially yummy)
Parmesean cheese

Cook and drain pasta. Rinse in cold water to speed cooling process. Add chicken and broccoli to a large bowl. Add pasta. Add generous amount of Italian dressing. (I often end up using about 1/2 of a regular sized bottle.) Stir. Add several generous shakes of parmesean cheese. Stir again. Add more dressing and/or cheese if needed. Chill in refrigerator for an hour or eat immediately.

What are some of your favorite easy summertime recipes?

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Another recipe for summer fun calls for lighthearted reads by the pool or in a backyard hammock. I just happen to have such book on sale this month. I’ve got your virtual summer getaway covered with In Her Sights.

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For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a multiple award-winning author and a firm believer in the power of happy endings. She is an avid cross-stitcher, tea drinker, and gospel hymn singer who makes her home in Abilene, TX with her heroic husband who vanquishes laundry dragons and dirty dish villains whenever she's on deadline. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.

10 Comments

  1. Thanks for the recipe. We have a similar favorite: Tuna Macaroni Salad.
    Cook, drain, and chill macaroni or shell pasta ( 3 cups cooked, 1 and 1/2 uncooked) Toss with small can flaked tuna.
    Add 2 T minced onion, 1 stalk chopped celery, 1/4 cup chopped green pepper, 1 cucumber chopped, and toss well. Lastly, add 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese and toss.
    Mix thoroughly with mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. I slice 2 hard cooked boiled eggs on top. We enjoy sliced tomatoes with this salad.

  2. That sounds yummy! My favorite things in the summer happen on the grill, so we do a lot of grilled chicken or salmon on a salad or with grilled veggies like corn or zucchini.

    1. I love eating off the grill. Tastes great, and so much easier than scrubbing pots and pans. Ha! Love grilled zucchini, and chicken and salmon are favorites as well. Yumm.

  3. Just the recipe I needed today. Daughter-in-law coming for lunch and chicken breasts were already marinating in Italian Dressing. Thanks.

  4. Yum, that looks so good. My kids love spiral tri-color noodles.

    One of my family’s favorites is a variation on a spinach berry salad. I rarely, like never, have spinach in my fridge, so I traded it out for English Cucumbers, which are one of my go-to veggie staples.

    Berry Pecan Salad

    Ingredients:
    English cucumber
    raspberries and strawberries (or other fresh fruit)
    string cheese
    praline pecans (mine are from Costco, so tasty)
    bacon bits
    Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette (I used Ken’s Steakhouse brand)

    Preparation:
    1. Cut the English cucumber into bite-size wedges.
    2. Cut the string cheese into discs.
    3. Cut strawberries into quarters.
    4. Sprinkle string cheese, raspberries, and strawberries on top of cucumbers.
    5. Add a sprinkling of bacon bits and a handful of praline pecans. 😊
    6. Add Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette and enjoy.

    If you don’t have Raspberry Vinaigrette, it is also great with Ranch dressing. 🙂

  5. I’ve never been a fan of cold pasta salads, mainly because they almost always have something in them that I don’t like. Such as raw onions. Or raw bell peppers. Or tomatoes. But I think I’d like to give your recipe a try. It seems simple enough, which is always a plus. I’m willing to go out on a limb & try it with Italian dressing because I like all the other ingredients. 😉 I’ve been labeled a picky eater all my life – & I am :/ – but I’m learning that sometimes when you try new things, you just might find out they’re good afterall! 🙂 So thanks for sharing your recipe… I’ll have to give it a go!

  6. Thanks for sharing your summer pasta salad recipe. My husband is not a big pasta salad person, but I decided to try it because I liked all the ingredients that were listed. He took one bite and said, “This is really good! Where did you find this recipe?” From one of my favorite authors, I replied. 🙂 He had two big helpings! It was so fun to finally find a pasta salad he enjoys. Yay!
    PS Just finished your book, “If the Book Fits”….so, so good! I highly recommend it!

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