Italian Pasta Salad with Pepperoni & Red Wine Vinaigrette

Whenever I am asked to provide a pasta salad, I typically make my husband's favorite Italian Vegetable & Shrimp Pasta Salad but I wanted to try something new for a Memorial Day picnic.  I stumbled across a recipe from Food.com that sounded good and received excellent reviews.  I made a few changes to it and it really did turn out to be delicious!  This pasta salad only gets better with time, so make it one day in advance if possible.  

Happy Memorial Day!

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Boiled Lobster & Corn on the Cob

Live lobster was on sale for $6.99 per pound this weekend and I couldn't pass up buying a few pounds.  It's amazing how something so simple to make can be so incredibly succulent.  Don't be intimidated by it - it is an easy, fun and deliciously rewarding experience!  I included butter in the list of ingredients but I'm pretty sure you'll agree that it is definitely not needed.  

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Slow-Cooker Cuban Steak Tacos with Mojo Cream Sauce

I don't know about you but 85 degrees in the middle of May is not my ideal spring day.  Because my husband and I are pushing ourselves to see how long we can survive before turning on the air conditioning, I thought a crock pot meal would be appropriate for dinner.  These Cuban steak tacos are hearty, succulent and perfectly complemented by the intense tart and tangy mojo cream sauce.  

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Southwestern Omelette with Pepper Jack & Black Beans

Lazy Saturdays.  I live for those few-and-far-between days when we can sleep in until 9:00, wear our pajamas until noon, and not have a commitment until the evening.  While making brunch for my family in my pajamas with Blake Shelton serenading me in the kitchen, I decided to put a little Mexican twist on our omelettes.  Yum!  Fresh, spicy, cheesy and delicious!  

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Baked Cheddar, Parmesan & Sage Crackers

Move over, Cheez-Its!  You won't believe how easy it is to make your own delicious crackers at home.  Most store-bought crackers contain artificial flavors, preservatives, etc., so it's nice to know what is actually in your crackers when you're eating them.  You won't be disappointed with these tasty treats! 

While my recipe calls for the dough to be rolled out to 1/16 inch thickness, my family prefers them a little thicker (about 1/4 inch thickness) because they become, as my husband puts it, "delicious mini biscuits with a crispy outside".

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Strawberry-Rosemary Lemonade

Take the edge off of those hot, sunny days with a delicious and refreshing Strawberry-Rosemary Lemonade.  The sweet strawberries paired with the fresh taste of rosemary pushes this lemonade over the top.  Happy hour?  Pour in a little vodka and kick off your shoes!     

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Grilled White Wine & Garlic Butter Shrimp Kabobs

We were blessed with beautiful weather this weekend and most of it was spent outdoors doing fun things including enjoying a community fair, grilling out, taking two long bike rides on the trail, and having a cookout with family.  I didn't realize how much time we actually spent in the sun until I found myself sporting a pretty unattractive sunburn.  One of the things we grilled were these amazing shrimp kabobs in white wine and garlic butter.  So simple, yet so delicious!  I served this with sauteed veggies and corn on the cob.   
  

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Crock Pot Meat Pie - My 500th Recipe!

Today I celebrate 500 recipes on Cooking Creation!  It's kind of hard to believe that I have posted 500 recipes in the last three short years.  Of all of the meals that I make for my family, my husband's favorite is meat pie.  Meat pie is a savory pie consisting of beef stew in a pie crust.  My husband grew up eating meat pie usually as a special treat on his birthday.  I, however, never heard of such a thing until I was introduced to it by his mother.  This recipe originates from my mother-in-law but I have made a few changes to it over the years.  This pie is a very hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of pie. 

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