Simple Delicious Pasta Salad

An easy weeknight side dish perfect for warm weather days, or picnics. This recipe is good for picky eaters too, as there are no tomatoes or olives present in the salad, and it's not too salty or vinegary.

1. Boil pasta according to the package instructions. It's best to use minimal additional salt as the dressing already contains the perfect amount. When the pasta has finished boiling, drain the remaining water and set it aside.
2. Meanwhile, whisk or stir together mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, black pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder; taste before adding salt, then taste again. The dressing should taste just a little bit too salty, since it needs to provide flavor for an entire pound of pasta. Once the dressing is seasoned to your preferences, set it aside.
3. Use a food processor to mince the onion, pepper, and celery until fine. It's best to mince each vegetable individually to avoid over-encumbering the food processor. Place your minced vegetables in a large salad bowl.
4. Add the drained pasta to your salad bowl followed by dressing,  gently stir until everything is thoroughly combined. Taste for salt and pepper.
5. Serve and enjoy! Feeds a lot, and even better the next day.

Easiest Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce

Throw everything into the slow cooker when you leave for work, and come back to the most amazing italian scent in your home. It's like cooking all day without having to stand there!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 onion chopped fine

1/2 bell pepper chopped fine

2 cloves garlic minced

a sprig of thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup tomato or your favorite pasta sauce

1 cup Parmesan or your favorite cheese

Dump everything into the slow cooker. 

Set slow cooker on high.

Step away from the machine and go have some fun.

In 4 hours check on meat, if not as tender as desired go for another hour or two.

Right before serving stir in cheese.

Serve over boiled pasta.

Feeds 3.