BLT Pasta Salad

Sometimes its the little things in life that mean the most, like picnics in the park with your best friends. Today was such a beautiful day. It was warm and sunny, and besides my zebra-like sunburn that I came home with, things were just as perfect as these pictures.

My friends and I relaxed, talked, went for a beautiful walk in the park, and enjoyed this yummy (and healthy!!) pasta salad. We set up our picnic right next to the water, and had the most beautiful view.

The park also has great walking paths, and the scenery is just GORGEOUS. I'm so blessed to live five minutes away from this place. It's a great place to just come by yourself and clear your mind, or enjoy it with friends like I did today.

Now back to what you probably came here for...THE FOOD. For lunch, I made us ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit salad, and this pasta salad. I didn't want to make anything heavy so this pasta salad was just PERFECT. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of pasta, cooked
• 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 cup lettuce, thinly sliced
• 1 cup scallion onions
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 cup low fat mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

Recipe:

1. In a small bowl, mix sugar, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Mix the mayonnaise mixture with the pasta and tomatoes. 
3. When ready to serve, mix in the lettuce, and place a scoop of the pasta salad on the plate. Sprinkle with bacon and scallion onions. 

Game Day Cuban Sliders

If you are unfamiliar with cuban sandwiches, you are missing out. Normally, a cuban has ham or shredded pork, cheese, mustard and pickles. Then, it is pressed on a panini grill. So yes, this recipe isn't authentic by any means, but it is super fun and delicious. It is SO easy and fast to put together and is great finger food so it is perfect for a potluck or on game day. We ended up having it for dinner with a side, which was also great. No matter when you make it, I'm sure everyone will love it. I'm definitely going to be saving this for game day. I get so excited for football season for the sole reason of getting to make yummy and fun dishes like this, and I already have SO many recipes saved. I can't wait!!

Ingredients:

• 8 small hamburger buns
• 1 package of ham
• 1 package of sliced swiss cheese
• dill pickles
• half of a white onion, chopped in small pieces
• dijon mustard
• 1 stick of butter

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Grease two baking dishes (or one depending on how big your baking dishes are)
• Place the bottom buns in the baking dish.
• Layer two slices of ham, one slice of swiss, and a few pickles on top of the bottom buns, then place the top of the rolls on top. 
• Whisk together melted butter, dijon mustard, and onion.
• Pour butter mixture on top of sandwiches.
• Bake for about 15-20 minutes.