It’s hard to believe that I have been home from my trip for almost a week. Slowly, very slowly, I’m returning to Pacific Daylight Time and am now sleeping until 4:00 am instead of 1:30. I expected to go through this adjustment but I think it gets more difficult as I get older. Several years ago I came home from France three days before my farmers’ market season opened and I was all ready to go on opening day. It would be a sad story if I had to do that today. Travel day was a long one with a 9 hour flight to Washington, D.C. from Paris, followed by a 5 hour flight to Portland. My flight arrived at PDX at 8:30 pm and by the time I got my luggage and drove the hour home from the airport it was 11:00 when I walked through my front door.
Our Saturday flight out of Charles de Gaulle airport departed at 12:35 pm so we had a car pick us up at the apartment at 9:30 am. There was very little traffic so the drive took about 40 minutes. We immediately got in the line to claim our VAT tax refunds (there were at least 500 people in the line, I swear), then we had to get in line to check our bags (that took forever), and then had to go through security (which took longer than forever). The fun started when the security person wanted to see the two copper pans that were so carefully packed in my suitcase and I had to undo everything to get them out for a show and tell. There was no problem with the pans, but when they saw ten little silver desserts forks that I bought in the flea market in Paris and said I couldn’t take them through security, honest-to-god I almost started to cry. After a minute or two of intense discussion the security person motioned for me to put the silver back into my suitcase and move on. Whew! That was way too much drama for my nerves. It never occurred to me that there would be any problem with those little forks. I’ll pay more attention next time to what I put into my suitcase. Everything turned out OK and we eventually got through all the lines, but the whole process took forever and we barely made it to the boarding area in time. When they say to be there an hour before boarding they mean it! We thought leaving for the airport 3 hours ahead was enough time…guess not!
If you are wondering why I’m telling you a story about my travel adventure and showing you a picture of pasta salad it is because when I got home almost at midnight, practically starving to death, I found a sweet note from my daughter, Erin, that welcomed me home and told me that there was a bowl of BLT pasta salad waiting for me in the fridge along with guacamole and chips from our favorite Mexican restaurant and a banana and yogurt. How completely thoughtful was that!!!!! My body thought it should be 9:00 in the morning instead of midnight and I was ready for something that tasted like home. That was the best pasta salad ever and I know you will enjoy it as much as I did.
My daughter, Erin, is a blogger as well and I hope you will stop by to visit her at Making Memories With Your Kids. She is quite the baker and is so creative with craft and activity ideas for kids. She has lots of great ideas for parents and grandparents for summer activities for the family.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta - Penne was used in this recipe, but almost any shape would work well
- 3/4 cup Ranch Salad Dressing, homemade or purchased
- 1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup Swiss cheese, cut into a small dice
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/2 pound bacon, cooked crisp, then chopped
- 2 cups chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Drain pasta, toss with a little dressing to lightly coat, and refrigerate until cold.
- In a large bowl toss the cold pasta with tomatoes, Swiss cheese, onions, bacon and lettuce.
- Add enough dressing to coat ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley
This post is linked to FOODIE FRIDAY at Rattlebridge Farm.
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