Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

In a couple weeks, I'm hosting a baby shower to honor the upcoming arrival of my nephew.  Yes -- I'm going to be an aunt again!!  Eric and I are so excited to welcome this new little guy to our family.

Lunch will be served at the shower, so I've been scouring Pinterest recipes to help me figure out what exactly I'll be preparing.  When I saw this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad on Belle of the Kitchen, I knew I wanted to test drive it.  It passed the test with flying colors and has officially been added to the menu.

One thing to note - half way through this recipe you have to refrigerate the pasta for 1-2 hours. Don't you hate it when you think you can whip something up pretty fast then half way through the recipe you notice it has to sit for a while?!?

Ingredients

1 (12 oz.) package uncooked tri-color pasta

5 slices bacon, cook crisp and chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 envelope dry ranch salad dressing mix

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper

1/2 cup milk

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 small cucumber, chopped into 1/4 moon slices

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions
1.  Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente, making sure not to overcook.  Drain well.

2.  In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, ranch dressing mix, garlic powder, and garlic pepper.  Stir in the milk until mixture is nice and smooth.  I used my whisk for this part.  I don't know what it is, but when I "whisk" I feel more like a real cook.

3.  Carefully fold the cooked pasta into the dressing mixture, and stir to coat evenly.

4.  Refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 1-2 hours.  When ready to serve, add in the chopped bacon, veggies, and cheese.  Toss to coat.  You can also add a splash of milk to smooth the pasta salad our as needed.

This pasta salad was full of creamy goodness.  With just enough ranch flavor, it's sure to please my guests.

I'm also pretty pumped about finding Belle of the Kitchen -- they have many, many other great recipes.  You better believe I'll be trying some of them soon!

Linking up with:
Pint Sized Baker
Mandy's Recipe Box

Handmade Tuesday's with Kristen

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop with The Dwelling Tree

Green Fashionista and Martinis & Bikinis: Recipe Swap Eat Drink & Be Mary: Delicious Dish Tuesday Love From The Kitchen: Tuesday's Table The Diary of a Real Housewife Andrea at Momfessionals The New Mrs. Adventures Caleigh's Kitchen Tuesday Talk Pennies into Pearls

Weekending - Wedding Fun

Oh my, my -- what a weekend!  We kicked it off by going to the Muny Friday night to watch Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story.  It was kind of like a mini concert since there was a lot more music than acting.  You might not think you would know any of the songs, but when they started playing them you do.  I'm still humming Peggy Sue and That'll Be The Day!  Pro - fun play with good music.  Con - it was 500 degrees very hot!  This coming week is Into The Woods.  I'm definitely planning ahead and taking some personal air conditioners with us!

Saturday morning we got up with the sun to head to Memphis for our nephew's wedding.  Memphis is about 5 hours from our house.  We were meeting our son, Ian,  and daughter-in-law, Kayla, who were also going down to the wedding, for lunch.  Kayla had been in Memphis on a work trip and had scoped out a fun place for us to share a bite before going to the nuptials.  She did an excellent job!  Babalu Tacos and Tapas suited our taste buds perfectly!  Fun little place in Memphis's midtown region.

They make guacamole table side and the watermelon infused margarita hit the spot.  I'm one that enjoys the presentation of the food as much as the flavor.  Babalu did not  disappoint.  Thanks Kayla for the perfect recommendation!

After lunch we moseyed next door to admire the vast array of sweets at Sweet Noshings.  This little establishment has it all -- fudge, ice cream, candy, popcorn and they even have a nice selection of candles.  Were we full from lunch?  Yes.  Did we still try the ice cream and fudge?  YES!  Delish!

Then it was to the hotel to get ready for the weekend's main event -- Marissa and Josh's Wedding!  Oh how I love weddings!  Here we are waiting for it all to begin.

Love Josh's face as his bride enters the church.  You can tell by the look on Marissa's very soon-to-be in-laws that she's already a very welcome part of the family.

Josh married Marissa in a beautiful ceremony on a hot day in Memphis with a ton of family and friends to witness what two people look like that are truly in love.

On to the reception.  The cakes -- oh, the cakes -- were both stunning and delicious.  Josh and Marissa are quite the St. Louis Blues hockey fans, so it was only fitting the groom's cake be a replica of the Stanley Cup (you know, since the St. Louis Blues are sure to win it this year and all).  The main wedding cake was made with two flavors, vanilla and strawberry.  The groom's cake was cookies and cream.  All were fantastic!

After all the celebrating and dancing at the wedding, we did a little after partying with some of the groomsmen at The Filling Station.  Overall -- great night!

Congratulations Josh and Marissa!!  We are so happy for you and can't wait to see what the future will hold.

Here's something fun -- this is a picture we snapped at the wedding reception of Eric's mom, Sue, and her best friend, Brenda.  Sue was Brenda's maid of honor 40 some years ago. How cool is it that they have remained such good friends for all these years.

  

Sunday we stopped by Eric's sister and brother-in-law's house for a bit before heading back home.  It was nice to be able to spend a little time with Eric's side of the family.  We got home in time to get the grass mowed before a rain shower popped up.  We decided to squeeze in one more activity before the weekend was over by seeing Trainwreck.  I have to admit, I wasn't overly impressed.  Now, I'm sure the fact I was a little tired might have been a factor, but it was just okay in my book.  Did you see it?  What did you think?

Here we are at Monday and I'm already looking forward to next week.  We have another wedding.  This is the one you've heard me mention helping with before.  Since all the major things are ready for the wedding and I still have a week left, I decided to make a few more things just to enhance a couple of our decorations.  It's going to be beautiful!  I'm also looking forward to a luncheon to celebrate the bride on Thursday at one of my favorite places - La Patisserie Chouquette!  There will be lots to blog about this week!

Hope your weekend was wonderful!  On a side note -- we received a phone call while driving to Memphis that a good friend of mine's father had very unexpectedly passed away on Friday night.  My heart is hurting for her and her family.  Life is short my friends -- don't fill yours with would-a, could-a, should-a.  Get out there and do some living!!

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Life of Meg

More Pieces of Me
Bella and the City
Oak and Oats
A Cute Angle
The Quinntessential Mommy
How To Get Organized At Home

Five on Friday - July 17, 2015

Oh my goodness -- I'm so glad it's Friday.  We have a wedding in Memphis this weekend and you know how I just LOVE weddings!  Today might be a long day because I have all the normal stuff like laundry, wrapping the gift, packing, etc. to do before we head out.  Oh, and we're also going to sneak in a play at the Muny tonight.  Before I head off to work and to do my chores, here's my five for this Friday.

1.  Trainwreck
I'm ready for a good summer comedy - how about you?  Trainwreck is getting great early reviews and I'm excited about having a big belly laughing time seeing this flick.  Rolling Stones magazine gushed about Amy Shumer.  It opens today.  Hope I can squeeze in seeing this over the weekend.

2.  Giveaway
I'm participating in one of my blogger friend's birthday month giveaway.  Want to win some cash?!?  Come on, who wouldn't love to win $200 and a couple other items as a bonus.  See what Amy has to say below about the giveaway.

karli | amy | hannah | katie
hawks & doves | ashley | penny | z & co.

You can win this totally adorable Meriwether leather clutch.

Not only am I in love with the design, I am in love with it's functionality.

It is made out of leather that is made in the USA and will fit an iPad mini, along with your
other daily essentials. 

Jessica from Hawks and Doves is responsible for this beauty, along with dozens of other fabulous designs. 

You really need to check out her shop.

{Oh, and ps. If you love it, you should know that she is currently running a Crowdfunding Campaign through Etsy.  This Clutch, along with a Tote and a wallet are being offered at awesome prices for the

next 20 days as she tries to raise funds for a new leather sewing machine for her shop. You can see the campaign HERE.}

Next up in the list of things that I love…

Candles and sprays.

This farmhouse candle and spray are not only obviously beautiful, but they smell aaaamazing!

Z & Co. is a family business {which I love} and they do a great job at making quality products that are perfect for your home or for a wonderful gift. 

Aren't they so pretty!?

Go and check them out!

Finally, I love... cash.

I mean who doesn't?

We've got EIGHTY-FIVE bones to hand out.

Oh the things I would do with $85…

I'll spare you from the details, but it would most likely include some pampering of sorts.

That's over $200 worth of amazing stuff for you to win.

NOW, what are you waiting for?

It's time to get entered!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

3.  Mosquito Repellent Bracelets

We've had a lot of rain in St. Louis over the past few weeks and now we have a lot of mosquitoes.  I'm not a huge fan of insect spray, so I'm ordering these mosquito repellent bracelets as an alternative.  The reviews are good and a package of 10 is only $12.99.  Each bracelet lasts up to 250 hours and is guaranteed if you are not satisfied.  Great for kids and adults.

Click HERE to purchase

4.  Miles Davis at Newport

It's nearly impossible to think of jazz without thinking of Miles Davis.  Releasing today is the latest Miles Davis CD box set called Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975:  The Bootleg Series Vol. 4.  This is a four-CD, 20-year cornucopia of live performances.  Can not wait to add this to our music collection!

5.  Tired of summer yet....

Have a wonderful weekend and go have some fun!  I'll be back on Monday to fill you in on my wedding fun and anything else we do over the weekend.  Hope you stop back by to check it out!

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Hill Collection

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday
5 on Friday 
The Jenny Evolution
The New Mrs. Adventures
Blonde Ambition

Thinking Out Loud Thursday -- Total Randomness

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  So glad you joined me and Vanessa today for some Thinking Out Loud fun.

I'm going to ramble about a big ole bunch of randomness today.  Lots on my mind and not enough time to really separate it into cohesive posts, so you're getting it all spilled into one big blog.

First -- did anyone get any great deals on the big Amazon Prime sale yesterday?  I got nothing - nada - zilch.  No early Christmas gifts. No birthday gifts.  Nothing for me.  NOTHING.  Kind of bummed.  Don't get me wrong, I still love Amazon Prime, just bummed I didn't grab some great deals yesterday.  If you don't have Amazon Prime and would like a 30-day free trial, click below.  You won't be sorry.

Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

Next, we had an ant invasion this week.  I left an uncut cantaloupe on the counter.  Bad move.  Ants were coming from every direction.  Where do they come from?!?  Seriously, are they like hiding just below the window ledge

waiting for an opportunity to bust out and crawl all over the counter?!?  Well, we showed them.  Have you ever used Terro?  This stuff is amazing.  In just a matter of an hour, all ants gone.  

Click HERE to purchase

Tuesday was our fourteenth wedding anniversary and I would like to publicly say happy anniversary to Eric.  Ian was 10 when we got married and I had lived the life of a single parent for 8 years.  I think being a single parent had solidified a very close relationship with my son.  He was a great kid and making him a priority was something I wouldn't comprise on.  Eric came along and Ian and I both fell in love with him.  Lucky for us, he fell in love with Ian and me too.  Happy anniversary, Eric.

Can you tell Ian was pretty happy about the wedding?

Now the fun part -- link up to Thinking Out Loud Thursday with me and Vanessa at X-tremely Vanessa . The rules are simple.  Link back to me and Vanessa in your post and add your favorite post(s) below.  Super easy!  Tell all your friends to link up too.  The more the merrier.  We'd love for you to follow us too!  #ThinkingOutLoudThursdays

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

A Handful of Everything
Hodges Podges
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
All Life's Little Adventures

The Deliberate Mom
This is How We Roll

                                  This post contained affiliate links.  I may receive a small commission if you click on the link and purchase.  Thanks!

Salmon Sandwich

Happy Bastille Day!!  In honor of this French National Day, I'm sharing something I was introduced to at a little French restaurant in Caesar's Palace in Vegas -- Payard Patisserie & Bistro.  Eric and I took Kayla and Ian to Las Vegas to celebrate their 21st birthdays a few years ago and we stumbled upon this eatery when searching for a place to get a little snack and I fell in love with this sandwich.

Luckily for me, it didn't have any "secret ingredients" and I could easily mimic it when I got home.  It's the perfect go-to sandwich on a hot summer day when turning on the oven just doesn't sound appealing.  Hot summer days have definitely returned to St. Louis.  Like today, my car thermometer read 101.  That's hot!  The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is turn on the oven to bring more heat into the house.  So I look for meals that can be assembled, not necessarily cooked.  This salmon sandwich is a superb choice.  Pair it with a salad and some fruit -- perfection!

WARNING -- my pictures definitely have a novice (even more than my normal novice) look to them.  I was hungry and just didn't have it in me to stage some photos.  This sandwich was made, photographed and eaten in record time!

Here's what you need:

Package of smoked salmon

Whipped cream cheese

Capers

Pretzels buns

This is seriously so easy to assembly.  I feel kind of silly even taking you through it step by step.

Cut the pretzel bun in half.

Spread on the cream cheese.

Dot with capers.  Capers are one of my favorite things, so I usually "dot" pretty heavily.

Lay on the smoke salmon.

Put the top on and enjoy!

This little sandwich is great to take on picnics or slice into smaller pieces and have as a finger food with friends.  So yummy!!

Linking up with:
Pint Sized Baker
Mandy's Recipe Box

Handmade Tuesday's with Kristen

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop with The Dwelling Tree

Green Fashionista and Martinis & Bikinis: Recipe Swap Eat Drink & Be Mary: Delicious Dish Tuesday Love From The Kitchen: Tuesday's Table The Diary of a Real Housewife Andrea at Momfessionals The New Mrs. Adventures Caleigh's Kitchen Tuesday Talk Pennies into Pearls