Italian Deli Rotelle Pasta Salad

Make this versatile dish as a side at your next barbecue or for a picnic meal.

Recipe is an excerpt from my cookbook, Three Women in the Kitchen.

Italian Deli Rotelle Pasta Salad is ready for your next cookout or picnic in about 30 minutes.

Who wants to go on a picnic, because I have the perfect salad for the basket.

Whether you’re heading to the park, the beach, or your backyard patio with friends and family, make this dish to take along. You can have it ready in about 30 minutes.

Maybe you have a similar Italian pasta salad recipe in your arsenal, and who among us hasn’t made (or tasted) macaroni salad with mayonnaise dressing? While pasta certainly is Italian, pasta salads—noodles with veggies, meat, and cheese combined with a dressing—are very American, and they’ve been around for a long time.

Macaroni salad recipes were in newspapers and cookbooks as early as 1914. A Washington Post recipe in the 1930s tagged the dish “mock potato salad.” I guess pasta salad could be a cousin to potato salad.

But unlike the heavy mayonnaise salads, this pasta salad—inspired by the corner Italian deli—can safely be kept in a chilled cooler for the afternoon. It’s great served at room temperature. It’s also a versatile dish; you can make it if you have to clean out some vegetables that have been in your crisper for a week or so.

Mom’s recipe that we often toted to our annual church picnic at Sylvan Springs park in St. Louis County includes broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, a grated carrot, and black olives. But my crisper and pantry were out of carrots and olives, so I easily substituted what I had. The fridge was short on provolone cheese, but I had Provel—that crazy cheese blend that hails from St. Louis—so that went into the salad.

For this recipe, you’ll need:

2 cups dried rotelle pasta (the little wagon wheels)

Hard salami

Provolone (or your choice of cheese)

Broccoli and cauliflower florets

Green onion (or substitute with any other onion; leeks would work well, too)

Grated Parmesan cheese

Italian salad dressing (I used bottled dressing)

Cucumber

Grape tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh basil for garnish (optional)

If you don’t have rotelle in the pantry, rotini (the little corkscrews) or even macaroni would work. Any shorter shape, really, can be used in this dish. What’s important is that you cook the pasta until it’s just tender; nobody wants mushy pasta salad. Also, drain the pasta and run cold water over it for about a minute or so. Your Italian grandma will haunt you in your sleep, but it’s a necessary step to stop the pasta from cooking.

Another tip is to add the broccoli and cauliflower florets into the pasta water for the last two minutes. This will blanch the veggies and give broccoli a beautiful deep green color.

While the pasta and veggies are cooking, dice the cucumber, onion, and salami. You can either cut the grape tomatoes in half or toss them in whole. If, like me, you were out of scallions and have a little trouble digesting raw purple, white, or yellow onions, try soaking the chopped onions in ice water for about 20 minutes. It does tone their heat down a little.

For the dressing, I started with a half cup (Mom's recipe called for 1 cup) because I prefer salads that are lightly dressed. But this makes a huge bowl of pasta salad, so I added ¼ cup more and felt it was the perfect amount. Keep in mind the tomatoes and cucumbers will release some of their liquid into the salad, which was another reason I dressed on the lighter side.

Aside from the strong memories I have with this Italian pasta salad, it’s so comforting, thanks to the pasta and cheeses. The crunch of just-blanched and raw vegetables, the sweet tomatoes, and the hum of raw onions or scallions round out this dish that hits every note. Should there be leftovers, store covered in the refrigerator for a day or two. The flavors tend to get better the next day.

Mom’s Italian Deli Rotelle Salad is a meal in itself, and when you pair it with grilled bread (I love to brush ciabatta with olive oil to grill in a pan, finish with a rub of garlic and a pinch of black pepper), fresh fruit, and a chilled glass of rose or a white wine, you may just break into song: “Summertime and the living is easy.”

Easy Moist Lemon Cake

A box mix is elevated to the next level and crowned with a zippy glaze to create the perfect dessert for spring or summer.

Make this Easy Moist Lemon Cake for a light and quick dessert.

I’m sweet on lemons. If sunshine had a flavor, it would be lemony. Lemons just work in savory and sweet recipes, not to mention cocktails. This perfect little fruit is available year-round, but spring’s lighter fare seems to be the perfect backdrop for lemons.

Lemon desserts are some of my favorites, and this super moist lemon cake is easy to make, thanks to the box mix that’s measured the dry ingredients for you. From-scratch bakers, I also have an alternative for you at the end of this post, but honestly, this moist lemon cake recipe is next level, so I hope you’ll try it.

For this recipe, you’ll need:

1. 1 box lemon cake mix (you could also use yellow cake if that’s what you have on hand)

2. 1 package instant vanilla pudding (lemon pudding mix would work here if you’re using yellow cake mix)

3. 4 eggs (Here’s a tip: If you’re short an egg or two, substitute ¼ cup of plain or vanilla yogurt per egg. I had to do this to make my cake this time and it turned out beautifully.)

4. 1 cup water

5. ⅓ cup vegetable oil

I baked the cake in a long loaf pan for 45 minutes.

This can be baked in a loaf pan (that’s what I did) or a in a Bundt. To glaze the cooled cake, microwave about ½ cup of lemon frosting for 10 to 15 seconds until it’s smooth.

Even if you think you’re not a baker, I promise, you can make this cake and proudly take it to a graduation party, baby shower, picnic, or any spring gathering with family and friends.

The pudding mix creates the rich, moist texture, and the cake’s crumb is tender. I baked the cake two days ago and it’s still moist after sitting (wrapped) on my kitchen counter. I’ll probably freeze part of it for later.

This moist lemon cake also is super versatile. It’s perfect plain, but you can use it in a trifle with berries. Here’s another idea: macerate mixed berries in Limoncello, chill, and serve over a slice of the cake. (Maybe I won’t freeze that second half after all.)

My original intent for this lemon cake was to use it in fruit skewers. However, I think a more traditional pound cake would have worked better. The cubed pieces of lemon cake didn’t consistently stay on the skewers; the texture wasn’t dense enough for this application. But I thought the presentation was pretty and a little different. So, if you want to try the cake and fruit skewers, I’d suggest using my grandma’s pound cake recipe, which I featured in the Three Women in the Kitchen cookbook. Here’s her recipe (with my lemony twists.)

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

(From Three Women in the Kitchen: Recipes and Stories of Growing Up in St. Louis.)

Ingredients:

¾ pound unsalted butter

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

3 cups sugar

6 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract (for the lemon cake, use lemon extract)

3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, and cream cheese.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to blend.

4. Add extracts and flour, beating until batter is smooth.

5. Pour batter into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake is golden and toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let cake cool and sift powdered sugar on top to finish.

You can add a lemony punch to the pound cake. Add the zest from half a lemon to the batter or a teaspoon or two of lemon extract. If you grow herbs and have lemon basil, lemon thyme, or lemon verbena, adding a few teaspoons of one of these would be interesting. And don’t forget our good friend, limoncello; use this instead of the lemon extract. You also could swap powdered sugar for the lemon glaze used in original moist lemon cake recipe.

Kitchen tips:

• Storing lemons. Although lemons placed in a pretty bowl look great on your counter, they will not last more than a week, so when you buy lemons, place them in a plastic zip-top bag and store in the refrigerator’s crisper for up to a month. If you’ve cut a lemon but didn’t use all of it, store the remaining fruit in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

• Juicing a lemon: Remember to roll it under the palm of your hand on top of your counter prior to slicing it in half. You’ll get the most amount of juice this way.

• Cleaning with lemons: Taste of Home suggests a number of applications for lemons around the house (some I don’t agree with, like throwing rinds down your disposal). But you can clean your cutting boards and copper or aluminum pots by sprinkling regular table salt on the surfaces and scrubbing with half a lemon.

Now when life gives you lemons, you know that you can create some pretty fabulous food. What’s your favorite lemony recipe? Please share in comments below, and as always, thanks for being a part of our kitchen community.

All hail, the queen

Mother’s Day is Sunday, but Mom should be honored every day.

Orange and Almond Cream Cheese French Toast

I have to be honest with you. Last week while testing this recipe for Orange and Almond Cream Cheese French Toast, I didn’t have an idea for the Mother’s Day story. Truthfully, this is an easy recipe with just a few steps, so it’s not like I need to give you a list of instructions.

So, I I tried to conjure up a memory of a past Mother’s Day with either my mother or grandmother, but nothing came to mind. I’m sure we celebrated, but why couldn’t I think of a story to share with you?

And then it occurred to me: I don’t really like Mother’s Day because my mom is dead.

This isn’t a recent loss; the 15th anniversary of her passing is next month. She was a big part of my life, and it’s on holidays when I acutely feel her absence.

Please understand that I’m not sharing this for attention or pity. Rather, I’d like to give space for other people who may similarly find it hard to “celebrate” Mother’s Day. So, if you just want the recipe, go ahead and skip to the end now.

But for those of us who are missing our mothers at this time of year, let’s spend a few moments together.

Tell me, what was she like? Was she a great cook? Did she teach you about cooking? What made the two of you laugh? Has she been gone a long time from you or is this a recent loss? Please share your comments below if you’re so moved. I mean, a blog really is just an online community of people sharing the same interest, right? Let’s be here for each other.

Mom celebrates (I think) her 65th birthday. This photo is on my bedroom dresser.

I’ll start with a story about my mother, Katie, and my grandma, Dorothy. I’ve introduced them to you before while sharing a couple of their recipes; you'll find these under the home cooks category. More of our family's recipes are in the new Three Women in the Kitchen cookbook. In fact, the reason I started this project last year was in homage to them because they both taught me how to cook and how to be generous.

Mom was one of six surviving children (a sister died as a baby). She’d often relate how her mother, Margaret Brolaski, was worn out by the time she was 30. Margaret’s marriage to Louis was an arranged one, and it wasn’t happy. The family always struggled, and Mom once told me that it wasn’t unusual for her to go to bed hungry as a child.

Although I didn’t have a relationship with my maternal grandmother, Mom described her as generous, a woman who’d give you the coat off her back. Maybe that’s who modeled generosity to my mother, or maybe she just had a heart for it. What I remember is Mom always making room at her table for anybody who cared to stay for dinner, whether that was a recently widowed uncle, one of my friends, or somebody from her church.

In fact, after I left home, Mom often invited a young man from her church who was studying to be a minister. And while she spooned generous portions of food onto his plate, she nourished his spirit by reminding him, “Rick, you’re going to make a fantastic preacher one of these days, so don’t give up.” The Rev. Rick Oberle shared that story as part of Mom’s eulogy and also mentioned how she ministered to people by making them food.

My grandma Dorothy.

Mom and Dad (Bob) both were young children during the Great Depression, but Grandma “Bubba” had to run a household during the hard times. She raised chickens, planted gardens, and fed any destitute man looking for work or a meal who came to our backyard gate.

Bubba always had the coffee pot on and ready to pour a cup for a relative or neighbor. And I don’t think it’s a stretch to say she adored me. She and Grandpa (Larry) lived on the second floor of our old townhouse, and I often climbed the stairs as a kid so Bubba and I could have play time together while Grandpa watched Bonanza on television. I also knew not to take any of Grandpa’s caramels without first asking. (He always said yes.)

I had the ridiculous good fortune to grow up with parents and my paternal grandparents in the same home. In my sheltered world, I just figured everybody’s family was like that, which is course wasn’t the case. Mom and Bubba are so sorely missed, but my heart is full, and I believe I’m richer for having spent so much time with them.

And honestly, shouldn’t we all treat our mothers like the queens they are every single day? We shouldn’t need a national holiday to remind us to “call Mom” or to send her a card dripping with sentiment.

I find it interesting that Anna Jarvis, the woman who conceived the first Mother’s Day in the U.S. in 1908 to recognize the sacrifices moms make for their children wanted the holiday removed from the calendar in 1920 because it had become so commercialized. I wonder what Anna would say today?

Daughter Emily and me—two peas in a pod! Taken a couple of years ago at a Missouri winery.

I’m fortunate in that my daughter often thanks me for the things I do. One of my favorite cards from her lists what she loves about me, and No. 1 is “you make me good food.” The fact that we'll spend time together takes some of the sting out of Mother's Day for me.

Those of you who have living mothers (if I still have your attention), allow me to impart some motherly advice; do nice things for your mom on a regular basis. Call several times a week, send pretty cards “just because”, and do things together whenever you can.

Realizing daughters and mothers sometimes live far apart, and that this relationship can be a complicated one, it’s important not to allow yourself to grow distant. If COVID has taught us anything this past year, it’s the truth “you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.” Text her “good night, I love you” before she turns in for the night. Make the effort to ask her about her life before you showed up on the scene.

Because one of these days, you’ll be in my shoes wishing you could invite Mom over for dinner on Sunday, only to realize oh yeah, she’s gone.