I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is:

 

 

Mindy from Whiski buisness has been super gracious and kind to award me all these wonderful awards..I can’t find the words to THANK YOU!  

Mindy has an amazing sense of humor and a new twist on things that will put a smile on your face, you read her blog and feel like you are talking to an old friend. Please take the time to visit her blog and enjoy her mouth-watering recipes

Mindy thank you so so so much! I will be passing on the love in my next post along with the part I dread the most.. 7 things you didn’t know about me.

The bad news is..my camera broke a couple of weeks ago 😦 It has been in maintenance for the past 10 days and I have been hoping against hope that the problem would be minor and it can be fixed (the mere fact that it took 10 days should’ve tipped me off that it is NOT minor).

After the first week passed I actually started looking for other options, I asked some of the wonderful food bloggers I follow about their cameras and they were all gracious and helpful. Most of them are using canon cameras and I started looking at prices and models. I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself, I would love to buy a new camera but my old beloved camera could still be fixed. Not to mention the fact that the cameras I saw were NOT cheap.

 On Saturday, I get a lovely new patient who came for a consult, it turns out she works at Canon and they have some really interesting offers on their cameras! (Is that a message for me? I wonder)

Yesterday I had enough and called the maintenance center, they tell me that the lens is broken and they are awaiting a reply from the company about the availability and price of a replacement. I put down the phone with mixed feelings, part of me wants my camera to be fixed (I sort of love that old thing) and another part is excited about the prospect of getting a new camera (regardless of the fact that it will cost a small fortune).

I think that what makes or breaks any pasta salad is one of two components. The dressing and how well the ingredients compliment each other. Pasta on its own is sort of  a blank page, you can write whatever you want on it. The dressing here is probably the one I make the most with pasta salads, I play with the other ingredients, the colors and flavors but I think that  this dressing makes a delectable background for most flavor combos.

I used some charred red pepper because I had some left over and I love the smoky-ness it adds but you can easily replace it with fresh red pepper.

Colorful pasta salad

Pasta of your choice I used fusilli

1/2 cup red beans

1/2 cup corn

1 red pepper charred on the gas top, cooled, seeded, peeled and cut into cubes

Parsley chopped

 

Salad dressing

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon mustard

Juice of a small lemon

1 clove garlic (or 1/4 teaspoon dried garlic)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk all the ingredients of the dressing except for the oil.

Slowly drizzle the oil while whisking .Set aside.

Boil the pasta according to package instructions then drain and allow to cool slightly

Add the red beans, parsley and corn. Add the dressing and toss till  combined