Pasta Salad with roasted red pepper, balsamic vinigerett dressing

My pasta salad is more like a meal than a side salad. I make my pasta salad with backed chicken, pepperoni and an assortment of vegetables.

Salad

1 box of tri color Rotini pasta

1 red bell pepper chopped in 1/2 inch chunks

1/2 onion chopped in 1/2 inch chunks

3 stalks of celery chopped in 1/2 inch chunks

1/2 cups carrots chopped on thin slices

15 cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 cups or 1-1/2 chicken breast, roasted and chopped in chunks

2 cups of pepperoni cut in chunks

1/2 cup of parsley chopped

Cook pasta al dente. Bake chicken sprinkled with Mrs Dash sundried tomatoes and basil. Once pasta and Chicken has cooled combine all the above ingredients and mix.  

Dressing

1/2 cup of Olive Oil

1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 cups of roasted red peppers

1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes pesto

2 tablespoons of Mrs Dash sundried tomatoes and basil

1/4 cup of fresh basil or basil pesto

3 cloves of garlic

In a food processer blend all ingredients except for the Olive Oil and balsamic vinaigrette. After everything is mixed, slowly add the balsamic vinaigrette while mixing. Once the balsamic vinaigrette is incorporated, do the same with the Olive Oil. Pour dressing on to the salad and mix well.  Salt to taste.

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Work Hard and Play Hard!!!

Yesterday we started out our day in the backyard cleaning out all the dead plants. We loaded and dumped about 30 small trailer loads of leaves in a wooded area on our property. We had a massive burn pile burning all day. Florida has these terrible plants called palmetto bushes and they are so hard to get rid of. Every year the chief attacks them a little bit at a time. The only way to get rid of them is by pulling out the very large root that is crazy strong. The chief got out his chain saw and started cutting them down. The crazy thing is we are not even half way done. Still lots of palm tree branches to trim and shrubs to cut back.

My Tough Guy!!!

Later that day we went outside, not to work but to let the Cisco Kid play. He was so helpful picking up leaves and dumping them in the woods.  We are ready to fall down and he is still going full speed jumping on his trampoline!!!!!

   Then some of our friends came over to play. These kids can really play hard. 

The Cisco Kid was four years old when we got him this swing set.  It is starting to get small for him.  We have decided that we are going to build The Cisco Kid a tree house in its place. He has wanted one for a couple of years.

After a hard day of work and play, I was not going to cook. The Chief went out for Chinese and of course, the Cisco Kid had to have Mc Donald’s.

Ten times larger!!!

Last night our Cub Scout activity was about geology. Now that the boys have completed their Cub Scout requirements and have their badge, we are going to do different things. We are going to start out with Geology. Once we complete this section, the boys will get their geology belt loop. I collected lots of different mosses, rocks, fungus, plants and bugs. We looked at it all under a Microscope. The boys were so amazed how different everything looked. They got very adventurous. One of the boys wanted to look at his finger under the Microscope. Instead, I cut off a piece of his fingernail and we looked at it. They were so curious and amazed that a nail would look like a scaly bone. It was so funny to see their response.
Here we are waiting for the rest of the den to arrive. 

All the different kinds of earth items the boys saw, stagnated water, spanish tree moss, moss that grows on a rock, burnt wood, air moss, fungus growing on a stick, a weed, pollen on a leaf, wood mushroom fungus, rocks, a spider and a silver fish. 

They could not get enough of everything they saw. They want to do it again next week. But this time, I am having all the boys bring in something from home that they want to see under the microscope 

A taste of Spring!!!!

The past two days we have had a taste of spring. The temperatures have been in the high sixties and low seventies. After two months, I finally got out in my back yard where it is usually in full bloom. I have lush green plants and flowers growing all over the yard. I love living in Florida because everything blooms all year long. This time last year, all my lily and tulip bulbs were starting to grow. Due to the hard freezes, I have nothing growing. The plants that were hit the hardest are my palm trees. I have tons of work ahead of me to get everything back in shape. I know I cannot compare Florida to most of the country with the horrendous snowstorms. Hopefully the weather will stay worm.

I didn't think Pompas grass could freeze...Hummmm