Summer Pasta Recipe: Elegant Orzo!

I'm not big into posting recipes BUT I really love this pasta and it's a recent discovery that I have to share! It's called elegant orzo salad, and it features orzo pasta, feta cheese, spinach, pine nuts, spices, and cherry tomatoes. I varied the recipe from what I found online - I absolutely recommend it, it's the perfect summer pasta - light and delicious, excellent served warm or cold (usually I eat the leftovers cold). It's also easy to double or cut in half, depending on how many you're cooking for. Check it out and enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ready in: 30 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 16-ounce package of uncooked orzo
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 3/4 cup of pine nuts
• 1 10-ounce bag of baby spinach
• 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 6-ounce package of crumbled feta cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or garlic powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes. Firm or slightly undercooked orzo works best for this dish. Drain, transfer to a mixing bowl.
2. At the same time, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring to blend. Stir in garlic, basil and red pepper flakes, and reduce heat to medium. Stir in pine nuts and cook until lightly browned. Add spinach, and cook on low heat until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add in tomatoes, cook for 1-2 minutes until tomatoes are warm.
3. Toss spinach mixture with orzo pasta, adding in feta cheese and balsamic to taste. Portion onto serving plates, and season with salt as needed. Enjoy!

This recipe is SUPER quick and easy and really delicious. I changed it from the original to add in cherry tomatoes instead of tomato chunks, and letting the tomatoes cook for a minute really brings out the flavor. Also, our Trader Joe's sells a feta cheese package "with spices" added in - if you find anything like that, get it! It just adds more flavor! Finally, you can add more pine nuts and olive oil if you like - in my opinion it tastes just as good with a little bit less, and it makes it healthier!

Bon appetite!

Original recipe: All Recipes, Elegant Orzo with Wilted Spinach and Pine Nuts
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/elegant-orzo-with-wilted-spinach-and-pine-nuts/

Central Park Summerstage - Concerts in the Park!

One of the best things about summer in NYC is the outdoor concerts in the parks! Nate and I have been to several in Brooklyn, but this was our first time going to concerts in Central Park - and we went to two! The first one was Foster the People - a new discovery thanks to our friends Amanda and Steven. I bought the tickets months ago and it definitely did not disappoint! Mark Foster is a great live performer, very energetic, and he also did a duet with Kimbra, who opened for them, and it was amazing! I keep waiting for the song to come out so I can buy it - they just finished writing it. The concert was at the Central Park Bandshell, and you could buy beer, walk around, really relaxing! We also got nice cool weather, so it was very enjoyable! The second best thing about the concert was a little kid on his dad's shoulders - must have been 3 or 4 - who used his dad's head as a drum and rocked out to every song. This kid was hilarious - future rock star is what I told him! 

The second concert we went to was free - which is one of the best things about Central Park's summerstage - they put on free concerts by having a few signature concerts that charge admission. This concert featured two bands - Diamond Rugs and Alabama Shakes. Our friends Allyson and Brian were in town to see Diamond Rugs - one of the singers is Allyson's brother-in-law! They were really fun to watch. After they played came Alabama Shakes, and I hadn't heard of them before but they were fantastic, southern rock. I still couldn't believe it was free! All in all it was the perfect Sunday. I highly recommend taking in a concert in the park if you are in NYC in the summer! The concert schedule is usually released in the spring, so check it out!