Parties and Pasta Salad

This past weekend, my baby brother graduated from High School! I still can't believe it! He graduated with straight A's and a full tuition scholarship to Columbia College in Columbia Missouri! I am so proud of him!

We attended his graduation ceremony on Saturday, and celebrated with a party on Sunday! We surprised him with a killer graduation gift too-a Kindle Fire! He can download his textbooks onto it, play games, and surf the web. He definitely deserves the best. :)

My parents threw Mitchel an awesome party-complete with hamburgers, hot dogs, and other fantastic BBQ food! For the party, we prepared our FAVORITE pasta salad recipe of all time! Naturally, I just have to share it with you, so here it is:

From Southern Living

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 (16-oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
• 1 pound fresh broccoli 
• 1 cup mayonnaise 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup diced red onion 
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled
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• 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
• 2. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

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• 3. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets from stems, and separate florets into small pieces using tip of a paring knife. Peel away tough outer layer of stems, and finely chop stems. 

• 4. Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir bacon and pecans.

This recipe is A-MAZ-ING! It totally tastes like summer in a bowl! It is a definite must-make recipe! I hope you enjoy it!