March Madness Cake v. Pie

I love March Madness. I have two brackets filled out and basketball to watch! I ran across this alternative March Madness bracket on Jezebel. I think Team Pie might pull ahead, but it is too early to tell! I know I will be cheering on Apple and Blueberry from Team Pie, and Carrot and Red Velvet from Team Cake!

Feta Pasta Salad

Wisconsin had a warm streak! Sunday night involved important matters. Grilling, pasta salad, and The Pacific (which is amazing). I love making pasta salad. One, it is easy. Two, you can basically clean out the fridge. Three, well they are just yummy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 box Cavatappi pasta, cooked, rinsed, and drained (you can use any kind of pasta you want)

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1 lb asparagus, cut into 1-1 1/2 half inch pieces and saute till al dente

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 can black olives, sliced

1 cup feta cheese

olive oil

balsamic vinegar, i like to use an aged for a sweeter flavor

salt

pepper

Instructions

Mix pasta and veggies together. Add oil and balsamic to coat pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add feta cheese and mix well. Serve cold.

Roast Pork with Creamy Pesto Feta Sauce

Pesto strikes again! I was having a difficult time figuring out what to make for dinner the other night- which is a it shocking considering my "to try list" is huge. After deciding that I wanted pesto I came up with this yummy dish. This is really easy and tastes so good. I love the pesto feta combo! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 lb pork roast
1/4 cup pesto
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
garlic powder
dried parsley
paprika
pine nuts
black olives, sliced

Instructions
Lightly grease crockpot with PAM. Rub roast with garlic powder, dried parsley, and paprika. Place roast and broth in crockpot. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Remove roast from crockpot and prepare pesto sauce while the roast rests. In a small sauce pan, combine pesto, cream cheese, milk and garlic. Once all ingredients are Incorporated and warm, add the feta. Stir until feta is melted into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with pine nuts and sliced black olives.

Beef Tacos with Spicy Homemade Taco Seasoning

I can't believe it has taken me this long to make my own taco seasoning. Slacker. Lazy lazy slacker. I searched around for a flavorful recipe that could pack a punch. I finally found this recipe at A Hint of Honey. That blog has wonderful recipes, and I can't wait to try more. Anyways, this recipe makes a mean taco. Nice and spicy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 cup water

1 recipe taco seasoning (see below)

Taco Seasoning:

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

Combine seasonings in a small bowl. Set aside. Preheat large skillet over medium heat and cook beef until browned. Drain the fat. Stir in the flour and seasoning mix to coat. Pour in the water, bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and cook several minutes until thickened and most of the water has evaporated. Serve warm with soft or hard tortillas, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, and sliced black olives.