Reviewed: Aug. 19, 2011

Picnic Pasta Salad (variation) First begin with I scaled the recipe to 4 and then used ingredients on hand as follows: 2 c tri color pasta (used med shells - next time I'd use smaller pasta or spirals) 5/8 (10 oz) package frozen corn, thawed (used 7.4 oz corn from leftover cooked cobs) 1-1/3 c cherry tomatoes (used 2 med tomatoes, seeded and chopped) 1-1/4 sm zucchini (used about 6.5 oz zucchini, diced) 2/3 cup small pitted ripe olives (sliced was about 1/3 to 1/2 c) DRESSING: 3 tablespoons and 1-3/4 teaspoons tarragon vinegar (used rice vinegar, same amount, and added scant 1/4 tsp tarragon leaves, crushed) 1/3 cup olive 1-1/4 teaspoons dill weed 3/4 teaspoon salt (scant) 1/4 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder Keeping in mind I wasn't particularly accurate and used what I had, the salad was quite good if a bit strong tasting for to my grand daughters. So, next time I would use Dijon mustard instead and use about 1/2 of the total dressing.

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Reviewer:

Bubbe

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Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Albany, Oregon, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 25, 2011

I used yellow squash because I have an abundance coming from the garden. I added thinly slice onion and salt, used the garlic powder and pepper and Ken's Nothern Italian Dressing which contains basil and Romano and an added sprinkling of parmesan chees. Not oily, just absolutely delicious. I don't know what it's like as written, but I give my version 5 stars because I served it at a barbeque and every one including the kids had seconds and thirds.

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Reviewer:

biddy32

Reviewed: Jun. 20, 2011

I added a hanful of parmesan cheese, and my family loved it

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Reviewer:

Dresden13

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Sacramento, California, USA

Living In: Sparks, Nevada, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 4, 2011

I struggled with this recipe as a amateur cook. I didn't what tarrgon vinegar was and of course didn't have any on hand, so tried to substitute with red wine vinegar with some balsamic. An epic fail. I did not like the taste of the dressing. The vinegar and dill were too much for me. Glad I tasted it on a test bowl before putting on the full salad.

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Reviewer:

ykg8or

Reviewed: Apr. 4, 2011

Delicious! I made this for a party and everyone loved it! I substituted apple cider vinegar in the dressing. I used multi-grain noodles instead of tri-colored, and I left out the zucchini and added mozzarella cheese cubes (cheese sticks cut in 1/2 inch pieces). I increased the amounts of everything but the dressing, and seasoned with oregano, parsley, and kosher salt right before serving. I will definitely make this again.

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Reviewer:

Breanna W.

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Aug. 17, 2010

The dressing was bitter to my family and myself. I was not impressed!

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Reviewer:

Mariah20az

Home Town: Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 27, 2010

I agree with others that this recipe is a tad oily. Reduce the oil somewhat (possibly by half, I have not experimented.) However, the dressing is otherwise an excellent base recipe. Instead of tarragon vinegar, I used a mixture of red wine, balsamic, and rice wine vinegars, plus a squeeze of lemon juice. I used farfalle pasta, cooked al dente and rinsed, minced red peppers, minced sweet yellow onion, and cubed summer sausage and sharp cheddar. These were just my personal choices (and what I had on hand). The dressing went very well with my topping choices, and I think it would work well with others. One last piece of advice: don't leave out the sugar! Just a little bit takes away the sour taste and makes a truly wonderful combination.

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Reviewer:

Traintendo

Reviewed: May 23, 2010

oily oily oily

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Reviewer:

fran

Reviewed: Apr. 6, 2010

I do not care for raw squash so I used cucumber and I added a few jarred red peppers. I have made this recipe 3 times and absolutely love it. The spices and oil and vinegar mixture is perfect!

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Reviewer:

Abby Cornine

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Cumberland, Maryland, USA

Living In: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA

Reviewed: Aug. 14, 2008

I followed the recipe, but thought it lacked in flavor and a little too oily. I'm going to start adding some stuff to get it where we like it, but I'm glad I tried it!

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