Sarah's California Club pasta salad

Tonight was our Relief Society activity - my first one as Enrichment leader. It was a great night, everyone seemed to really enjoy it. We had dinner - salads and desserts. I chose to take a pasta salad and went to one of my new favorite food bloggers for ideas. I'd made one of her yummy pasta salads before, for a Christmas activity at church. It got rave reviews, so I knew she was a trusted source. :) I wanted to change it up a bit for this activity and this recipe caught my eye. I loooove avocados, so I knew it was a good start. I'm not crazy about sprouts and was almost out of Italian seasoning. So, here's my version of this salad - as close as I can get, anyway. (I'm terrible about following recipes for things like this)


INGREDIENTS

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (or a bit more) Ranch dressing
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 - 1 lb chicken breast, cooked and cubed (I used Italian seasoning on mine when I grilled it)
1/2 lb grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 lb pasta, cooked, rinsed in cold water and drained
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used closer to 1 lb...can't have too much bacon)
1-2 avocados, peeled and diced


DIRECTIONS

Combine mayo, sour cream, ranch, salt and pepper.

Put chicken, tomatoes, and pasta in large bowl. Toss with mayo mixture to coat. Refrigerate until serving, at least two hours to let flavors mingle. :)

Just before serving, stir in bacon and avocado.

Enjoy!! Yuuummmmy.......

Seasoning mixes

For the last few years, I've been trying to make my own spice mixes; especially the ones I use all the time like taco and Italian seasoning. I also like being able to adjust the salt in the blends and keep it low. I usually have most of the ingredients in my pantry and so many spices cross over into other blends. Here are two basics...try them out!


Taco seasoning
2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt (or less, if you are watching your sodium)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp garlic (a little less if you don't love garlic)

Mix and store in an airtight container.


Italian seasoning
Combine equal parts:

Thyme
Oregano
Savory
Marjoram
Basil
Sage
Rosemary