Pasta Salad with Olives--Insalata di pasta con olive

Sometimes I run out of ideas for side dishes. I get kind of tired of potatoes, rice, and corn. I have been looking for a pasta salad recipe for a long time. Tonight I found one in my Italian cookbook. The one Sarah D gave me. We loved it! As soon as I find my camera cord, I will put on a picture. This is a really pretty salad!

1 pound pasta- such as medium shells, farfalle, or penne
4 Tbs. olive oil
10 sun dried tomatoes- thinly sliced
2 Tbs. capers (rinsed)
2/3 cup black olives sliced
2 cloves garlic-finely chopped
3 Tbs. Balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done. Drain and rinse with cold water.
The the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking soak the sundried tomatoes in one cup of hot water for 10 minutes. In a medium bowl combine the rinsed capers, olives, garlic, and vinegar.
After 10 minutes drain the tomatoes - reserving some of the water to add later. When the pasta has been drained and rinsed, add it to the bowl. toss the pasta with the olive oil and add to the bowl with the other ingredients. Add enough of the reserved water to moisten it. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 4 to 6

Corn Cassrole

One of my favorite restaurants is the Cheesecake Factory.  My favorite dish there is the sweet Tamale cakes.  I made Paula Dean's Corn Casserole recipe as an accompaniment to brisket and it was like de ja vu all over again.  The flavor and consistency are an excellent replica of corn cakes.  So top this with a little sour cream and pico de gallo.  This would go great with tacos or fajitas instead of the traditional beans and rice.

Corn Casserole

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.



In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

You really don't need the cheese if you are using the pico de gallo and sour cream

Unlike Cheesecake Factory this is cooked in one pan.  So you need to spoon it out on your plate.  Sorry about the misleading picture.  I bet you could make it look like this if you really tried.