Italian Style Pasta Salad

Last summer, I began looking for a good pasta salad recipe. I wanted one without any mayo and with and Italian dressing, but most I came across used bottles dressing. I wasn't looking for anything new and exciting, just classic American/Italian pasta salad. Even though I rarely have pasta salad when I visit my family in the U.S., I seem to want it now and then over here.

I found a recipe for homemade Italian salad dressing that sounded close to what I was looking for. I added what I enjoy to the pasta salad itself, but feel free to add any veggies, cheese, or meat you like to have in yours. I would normally add some black olives, but I made this for a dinner where there was more than one olive-hater invited.

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French Apple Cake

I recently ended up with a handful of apples that were not looking too appetizing. Seeing as how it's summer, I've been eating tons of nectarines and cherries, but have pretty much avoided the good ol' apple. Since I hate throwing away food, I figured I'd bake with them. I found this cake recipe and thought I'd give it a try since I had everything at home.

This recipe calls for a mixture of apples. Since the apple is the star of this cake, it's nice having chunks of sweet apples next to tart apples. This cake is filled with apples, which I love since each bite is has almost more apple than cake. In reviews, some people had trouble with the butter seeping out of the springform. I did not, but to be safe, I baked the cake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

*One of my favorite small adjustments is to skip the rum and increase the vanilla to 3/4 teaspoon, and add 3/4 teaspoons almond extract.

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Green Bean and Tomato Sauté

When I was younger, I remember eating green beans in a tomato sauce at friends and families homes. I loved the dish, but then forgot about it for years. Out of the blue, and after running across the recipe accidentally, I decided to try finding a recipe that sounded similar to what I remembered. This one was the closest bet, and the result was pretty perfect.

This recipe is really simple, but takes a little while to cook. It's a good one to put together when you get home and then get started on the rest of your meal. This makes a great side dish to just about anything. I served this with grilled chicken and fresh bread and ended up with leftovers. It will still be great the next day as well, so you could either prepare it ahead of time or have some delicious leftovers.

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