COWBOY PASTA SALAD #recipe @vmburns

VMBURNS: As Mama B in my RJ Franklin Mystery series would say, "It's hotter than East Hell" in Georgia. So, the idea of firing up the oven is not appealing. But, I needed something hardy and filling. I went in search of a recipe that was simple, refreshing, yet filling. I found a recipe for Cowboy Pasta Salad from Carlsbad Cravings. I have no idea where the name comes from but it seems like the concept is to throw everything and the kitchen sink into a salad. Frankly, I'm okay with that. My biggest caution with this salad is that it is HUGE! By now, y'all know I don't like tomatoes, so there are none in this recipe. However, you can add them if you're so inclined. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe (as usual). 

COWBOY PASTA SALAD

 

INGREDIENTS

•  
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or any small pasta
• 1 pound lean ground beef 
• 1 4 oz. can mild diced green chiles
• 1 tsp EACH chili powder, ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, salt 
• 4-6 tablespoons diced canned/pickled jalapeno peppers 
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 1 15 oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz. can corn drained
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 small red onion chopped
• 1/2 pound thick center-cut bacon cooked and chopped

DRESSING

• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sour cream 
• 1/4 cup salsa 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp EACH smoked paprika, salt, pepper
• Frank's Red Hot (or whatever hot sauce you like)
• 
  

• INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. Add plenty of Tabasco to taste. Set aside.

   

   
   
2. Cook the bacon to desired crispness.
   
   
   
   
3. Cook the pasta just until al dente according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain. Add to a large serving bowl and toss with half of the dressing.

   

   
   
   
4. Brown meat in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain off excess grease. Stir in green chiles and all spices. Set aside to cool while you chop your veggies.

   

   
   
5. Add beef and all remaining salad ingredients to pasta except bacon.

   
6. If serving immediately, add bacon and stir in desired amount of dressing. If not serving immediately, hold bacon and dressing and add when ready to serve. Add hot sauce for spicier, apple cider vinegar for tangier, brown sugar for less tangy if desired.
7. Cowboy Pasta Salad can be served slightly chilled, at room temperature, or heated through. Leftovers are equally delicious heated in the microwave.

   

   
   


READERS: What do you like to cook when it's too hot to cook?





SNIFFING OUT MURDER




When a murder unleashes a widespread investigation through Crosbyville, children’s book author Pris and her trusty bloodhound, Bailey, must sniff out the truth before the whole town goes to the dogs.

After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series, she’s surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven’t.

Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley—a former high school mean girl—is intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating “frivolous spending” on the arts and social programs, including Pris and Bailey’s beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn’t anything unusual, but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney’s body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the crime.

With Bailey’s sharp senses and Pris’s hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they’re all barking up the wrong tree?

 






BUY LINK