Recipe -- "Letting Go of Perfection" Pasta Salad

[unsinkable]

I did something yesterday that was scary and nerve-wracking. I invited dh's sister & family to dinner, knowing I couldn't get my house as clean as she keeps hers in time for the dinner. I knew I'd have time to vacuum and clear off the Black Hole of Flat Surface (dining room table) and prepare the food.

 

My dh's family are particular housekeepers, to the point that they have commented through the years about the state of my house. Our house is lived in. It isn't filthy but the bookshelves are overflowing, the sports & dance bags get piled up in corners, there's dust on things...etc. When the kids were little, there were toys on the floor. The comments hurt and we started to only have them over with a few days notice.

 

Now DH's parents are both gone and I regret not having a tougher skin. I wish I had shrugged off the comments, changed the subject, passed the bean dip :D, and served dinner. DH's sister is just as particular regarding housekeeping but I decided I don't care. I'd rather spend time with them than not.

 

Now, the pasta salad recipe has a similar theme. I had an idea for a great antipasto type pasta salad. I wanted the recipe but I didn't have the money to get all the ingredients. I had a major mind shift and decided to go to the olive bar and buy just enough of different ingredients and add them to some pasta. It wouldn't be the perfect pasta salad I was envisioning but I told myself to get over it.

 

This is what I used:

 

1 to 2 cups of olvie bar yummies. I used mini fresh mozzarella balls, sliced mixed olives and slivered roasted red peppers. I bought about 1 cup worth but I was agonizing over the fact that I felt like it wasn't enough. I also meant to get artichokes from the olive bar but I forgot them. I need to let go & move on...

 

1 cucumber, chopped

 

1/2 cup (approx) onion

 

1 handful of turkey pepperoni, quartered

 

12 oz. box rotini, cooked al dente

 

3/4 cup Ken's reduced fat northern italian dressing

 

I mixed it all up and it was nearly gone by the end of dinner. :D

 

In addition to not feeling like I got enough olive bar ingredients, I forgot to add the fresh tomatoes & bell pepper. Let go & move on...

 

My DS said this morning that my SIL posted on FB that "Aunt unsinkable" fed us like kings last night.:001_wub: I am so glad we had them over and that I pushed past those paralyzing feelings I was having of getting the house clean enough and the food perfect.

 

P.S. Even posting this, I got anxious...I couldn't remember how to spell "wracking." W or no W...either way is fine...NO! I need any answer. And what will the pure/whole food people thing of my recipe? Pepperoni? Bottled dressing?...argh...let go and move on...

Edited July 18, 2010 by unsinkable

[Margo out of lurking]

:party:Yay! Good for you, and your pasta salad sounds delicious.

[PiCO]

Good for you! I have a hard time myself having people over when my house is not so clean, and my in-laws have never said anything about my housekeeping.

 

Your pasta salad sounds yummy. I saw a recipe once that just said past, veggies, meat/cheese, dressing and gave weights for each. I don't remember the weights, but I just use the bucket method when I make pasta salad now. It always tastes great. The problem is I can never repeat a recipe.

[Parrothead]

Well, I'm one of those whole food people (or at least working on it very hard) and I think your recipe was genius! You gotta do, what you gotta go.

 

It was a lot better than what I threw together last night at 9p. Since we were out on the boat we had a jar of Alfredo sauce over angel hair. At lest you had veggies. ;)

[TCB]

My house is almost always less than neat, often way less than neat, and I put off having people round because of it. Your post really inspired me so thankyou :001_smile:. Thanks for being brave enough to step out on a limb and for inspiring me for one to do it too.

[Julie in Austin]

I love this post. Thank you.

[i.love.lucy]

Say, that's pretty much my pasta salad recipe and it's a hit every time!!!! We love it and I think I will make some for dinner tonight since it's so darn hot! My only thing is that it seems like there should be something with it even though all the foods are represented in the salad!

 

I'm quite proud of you! It's really, really hard for me to relax and have people over. I have to have 10 adults and 11 children here on Tuesday night and my house seems way too small for it. I have no idea what on earth those children will do.

 

Good for you!:grouphug:

[Ottakee]

The idea of getting the "fancy stuff" from the salad bar is a great idea. It might be a bit more expensive but otherwise you would end up with left overs of stuff if you bought it all separate and then that would cost more.

 

Your recipe sounds like a winner to me.

[KathyBC]

My house is almost always less than neat, often way less than neat, and I put off having people round because of it. Your post really inspired me so thankyou :001_smile:. Thanks for being brave enough to step out on a limb and for inspiring me for one to do it too.

 

Me too.

[jujsky]

Thank you for this post. I also need to let go of perfection & it helps to hear that there are other people out there in the same boat. Thankfully yours is unsinkable ;)

[Lacie]

Thank you for your inspiration. I too suffer from not getting things done around the house. Some days I am lazy, some days I just can't get up and do it... Then there are days where we are at the doctor or church services all day... And still other days where you are going all day (at home) and at the end of the day look around and try to figure out what you actually did all day.

 

I don't have people over as much as I would like, mainly because of the house, partially because we don't have alot of money and I wouldn't know what to make to feed everyone (cheaply).

 

I try to remind myself that I don't have to be perfect. Thank you for helping prove that when we let things go, everything turns out great.