Side: Chilled Pasta Salad with Basil Cucumber Ribbons

Difficulty: Easy

Prep/Cook Time: 20 min

Chill Time: 30 min

Serves (4)

This dish stays true to the simplicity of traditional pasta salad, yet offers a bolder appeal and elegance. With vibrant flavors and distinct textures, each ingredient can be tasted for its full potential. Don't let the chill time steer you away. Prepare the meal up to 24 hrs ahead of time, and when ready to serve, top with shaved cucumber ribbons for some added pizazz.

Ingredients: 8 oz spaghetti, 1 cucumber, 2 small onions, 1 1/3 cup sweet peas, 2 medium tomatoes, 1 cup sliced olives, basil, salt, pepper, romano cheese for topping, and your favorite Italian dressing

Bring water to boil and cook spaghetti until al dente. Once cooked, drain spaghetti and spread out on plate for faster cooling. Place plate in refrigerator.

Slice onions. Place in lightly oiled pan with peas over medium heat. Heat onions and peas until onions begin to soften and peas are soft (about 10 min). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. We want the onions to keep most of their brightness and crunch--so be careful to not overcook them. Remove peas and onions from pan and spread out on plate. Place plate in the refrigerator.

Slice tomatoes into chunks. Slice olives. Place tomatoes and olives in refrigerator.

Peel cucumber. Slice cucumber in half. Using a potato peeler, peel cucumber into strips until you reach the seeds. Sprinkle cucumber peels with basil. Refrigerate.

After 30 min, remove all ingredients from refrigerator and combine in large bowl. Mix with your favorite Italian dressing. Plate spaghetti. Roll cucumber peels to make tubes (it's fine if some tubes unroll). Arrange on top of spaghetti. Top with grated romano cheese.

Sandwich: Fried Bologna and Sweet Mustard Sauce on Peppered Whole Wheat Bread

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time 10 min

Serves (1)

Forget slimy bologna on white bread. This sandwich leaves the playground lunchbox behind, and kicks bologna into adulthood. With cracked pepper, crunchy onions, sweet mustard, and a cooling cucumber finish, bologna has made a bold comeback.

Ingredients: Sandwich—2 slices whole wheat bread, 6-8 thin slices BEEF bologna, cucumber, onion, mayo Mustard Sauce—2 tsp mustard, 1 tsp mayo, ½ tsp brown sugar, cracked black pepper to taste

Mix 2 tsp of mustard, 1 tsp mayo, ½ tsp brown sugar, and cracked pepper in small bowl. Set aside.

Heat pan with butter over medium heat. Spread light layer of mayo on outside of each slice of bread. Set bread aside. Cut ¼ inch slice of onion as if about to make onion rings. Cut slice of onion in half. Once pan is heated, place onions in pan until caramelized—adding extra butter and/or oil if needed. Resist the urge to add salt to the onions.

While onions are caramelizing, score each slice of bologna to the center to prevent bologna from curling while frying. Set aside. Peel cucumber. Thinly slice the cucumber lengthwise into strips, being careful not to cut into the seeds. A mandolin would work well here if available.

(Amount of cucumber will vary depending on the size of bread slices being used. Slice enough cucumber for two layers on sandwich.)

Once onions are caramelized, move to sides of pan and place bologna in pan. Do not overcrowd the bologna or slices will not fry evenly. Fry each side for about 30 seconds. Remove bologna from pan and place on bread slice (non-mayo side). Drizzle mustard sauce over bologna. Add caramelized onions and cucumber slices. Place other slice of bread on top (non-mayo side). Place sandwich in pan and crack pepper over mayo on outside of bread. Fry each side for 1 min. Slice sandwich in half while in pan to help warm the center. Remove from heat.