Sometimes in life you get blocked. No inspiration, no motivation, no passion for a lot of things you use to have passion for. Sometimes you may just need a day or two to unwind, time for yourself or an overdue vacation. While a vacation has not been in the cards for years for me and definitely not for many people these days, a little bit of quiet time at home or even at the park early in the morning to take the sun in can really help boost your mood and spark a little bit of inspiration. For me, things have been very chaotic. A roller coaster that won’t stop and a steep plunge into depression city. Cooking has always been a source of escape. A love and passion I have had for years. So what do you do when that passion has all but died? Watch some cooking shows on TV online! I have finally found some inspiration again with the little time I have so I have been watching a few like the Pioneer Woman, Goop cooking videos, Chopped, Chef Ramsay and my favorite Rachel Khoo. CUE Pharrell’s “Happy” song!!!!!!
I got into that kitchen today and I put together this pasta salad inspired by the Pioneer Woman’s Primavera Pasta Salad which I of course change to make my own and let me tell you, it was GOOD! What inspires you?
Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients
1 box of Rotini pasta
5 tablespoons cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
1/3 cup half and half plus more if needed
2 1/2 tablespoons of sour cream
2 tablespoon basil chopped finely or in a chiffonade
1 tablespoon of Coriander
1 teaspoon of Cumin
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup of Havarti cheese*1
1 bag of frozen edamame
1 package of baby portobello mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup of sliced black olives
1/3 cup of green olives
1 red pepper diced
1 cucumber chopped
1 package of cooked bacon *2
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the Rotini pasta and cook until al dente about 10 minutes. Drain put in a large bowl.
- Season the In a large pan, add a drizzle of olive oil, then add the mushrooms, edamame, red pepper, black and green olives and spices and cook for about 8 minutes. Then add the basil, parmesan and havarti cheese, half and half and mustard and cook another 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Now add all this to the bowl with the pasta along with bacon and mayonnaise and stir until well combined.
- Can be served warm or cold.
*REVISION CORNER
*1 Instead of bacon you can use one package of turkey bacon or one package of Canadian bacon
*2 Instead of Havarti Cheese, you can use any other cheese that melts well. IE Mozzarella, Edam, Italian Fontina

I just tried this today. it was better than I expected! My mother in law loved it
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