Pasta A La Marco!

Yesterday at work, we had this potluck. Normally, I hate work Pot Lucks because I work with these people every day. I know their bathroom habits now, and some people do not exactly have good ones, if you catch my drift. Truly, how adults can forget to wash their hands after going to the bathroom is beyond me.

However, if  I know and trust the person who made the dish, I'll eat it. Marco is someone who I adore at work. He's the sweetest person I have ever met and he's also a fantastic cook. When he brings something to the table, I'll eat it.

This is a kinda/sorta version of the pasta dish Marco brought yesterday. I think the only thing it really has in common with his dish is that I used a pasta and there's taco seasoning in it, oh and peas. Normally, I'm not a big pea in my pasta fan, but this just seemed to work. He also added carrots to his, I think he must have had a frozen bag of mixed vegetables and just added it in.

Anyway, here is my version of Pasta Taco Salad, and I've decided to name it:

Pasta A La Marco!

Start with either shell pasta or a macaroni pasta (about two cups). I really wasn't feeling the shell pasta today, so I went with the elbow macaroni. I cooked it to just the point where it's soft but still a little chewy. It's important not to make your pasta too soft, because when you add it to a liquid substance and keep it in there, it's just going to get softer.

I had no idea what how Marco made his sauce. I could have asked, but Marco speaks Spanish better than English, and I speak English better than Spanish. The last time he tried to tell me what was in a recipe we spent five minutes trying to figure out the right word for paprika.... It's Paprika by the way.

So anyway, I pretty much just made up my own sauce, but I think I actually came pretty close his.

In a bowl:

Add about 3 heaping spoonfulls of mayonnaise

4 heaping spoonfulls of sour cream

1 to 2 teaspoons of your favorite taco seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

Stir it all up until combined.

At this point, you want to taste it to see if you need to add more of anything. If you like it more taco like, add more taco seasoning, if you want it creamier, add more sour cream. I wanted just a bite of taco seasoning and more cream, so I added another two spoonfulls of sour cream.

Next are the basic ingredients that I decided to add. I didn't have much in my fridge, but tried to add what I would normally put on a taco. Onions, olives and chopped green chilies. You could also add smoked red bell pepper, I think that would be a great addition, and add some nice color to the dish.

Add the veggies to the pasta.

Mix them all up.

Add your sauce. At this point, only add about half of your mayo and sour cream mixture. You may add more later if you feel you need it. I kind of like the sauce on it's own, and think it would make a great vegetable dip, so I'm saving some for later.

I felt like it needed some cheese, so I added about half a cup's worth.

I also felt it needed more color, so I found some Spanish Paprika.

I have no set amount to tell you what to add, other than sprinkle a little on at a time until you get a nice soft pink/orange color.

So it should end up looking like this.

A smart person would have frozen peas handy, but well, I'm not exactly the brightest bulb in the pack, so I have to make do with what I have. I added these last because I didn't want to mush my peas. If you add frozen, you could pretty much add them any time you want and not have to worry.  If you take from the can, just be gentle when you fold them in.

Next up are hard boiled eggs, but while I was waiting for my eggs to harden I got distracted by my messy dogs. Claud has been rolling in something interesting 

Cowboy is always a nosy little dog and if there's pictures to be taken, he wants in on it! (Actually, he heard me give the other two dogs a treat and practically slammed into the door trying to get my attention).

After his snack, Claud decided he needed a rest. Notice the vacant stare. It's common with this dog. He's there, but he's not there. He's an odd three legged dog that Claud.

So, anywho, my eggs are done. I only used three eggs. I have to say, it freaking amazes me that whenever I want to make deviled eggs, they never peel right and end up with craters. When I want to chop up and egg, they come out perfect.

Notice the inside of my egg. No greenish/grey on the outside of the yolk. That means I cooked them perfectly. Love this! The trick is to put the eggs in the water before they boil. As soon as they come to a rolling boil, remove from heat and cover for about 10 minutes (or 15 if you have a lot of eggs in your pot). As soon as your time is up, place the eggs in an ice bath. You also want a slightly older egg if you want a good peel.

Fold in your eggs with the peas. Taste your dish. If you feel it needs something more, try a little more salt or taco seasoning.

I will now confess the true reason I made this dish.......

I really wanted to use my new decorative plate I bought from Hobby Lobby last week for 50% off. It's so dang cute!

I am very happy with the way my Pasta A La Marco turned out. It's not a spicy dish, but it hits the spot if you are tired of Italian type pasta salads.