This post will wrap up the party food and I’ll be back to our regularly featured programming.  I have an exciting plan to recreate an appetizer I had at The Porch Restaurant tomorrow, so tune back in for that.

The end of the party preparation had me totally feeling like the Iron Chef.  There was a point when I was actually running from the kitchen to the grill and back again.  The clock was winding down, the chicken was on the grill, the crostini were in the oven, I was whipping cream for my sauces and had pasta on the stove.  I was flying.  It was really fun.  Intense, but I loved it.  Kind of like that two hour power yoga class I took yesterday in an 85 degree room, standing next to the world’s toughest lady, over 40 weeks pregnant Darcie!  Intense, but I loved it.

This Bruschetta recipe came from one of those grocery store checkout aisle recipe pamphlet things.  The ones that are sort of like a magazine, but with no articles and the pamphlet covers some bizarre theme, like Church Potluck meals or the entirely crock-pot pamphlet or such.  Well this one’s theme was all recipes involving 7 ingredients or less, but every recipe involved Dijon mustard.  I’ve long since lost the pamphlet, but I found the exact recipe on the Kraft website, (Kraft owns Grey Poupon).  I’ve taken this to several parties and people always ask me for the recipe.  It’s extremely solid and very easy.  I brush my cut up baguette slices with olive oil, then toast them in a 425 degree oven.  I made double this recipe for the party and used two whole baguettes and everything was gone.  Click through to the Kraft recipe here, it’s delicious fresh tomatoes, green onions, olives and classic vinaigrette.

The herbed pasta salad is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe, I swapped the ratios on the herbs and changed a few things.  Below is the recipe as I made it.  The garlic infused olive oil was very nice and this would be a great process for making chili oil as well.  This salad can be made the day before.

Herbed Pasta Salad

1000 g. (2.2 lbs) Casarecci pasta

2/3 c. olive oil

9 large cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 c. chopped basil

1 bunch parley, finely chopped

Murray River Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp of salt, and pasta.  Cook 9 minutes or until al dente.  Drain.

In a small saucepan, cook olive oil and garlic over medium heat to sizzling then cook a minute to two more.  Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

Pour oil through a strainer onto pasta to remove garlic pieces.  Add chopped herbs, stir then season to taste.