Pasta with Pepperoni, Pepperoncini, Peppers

This is truly our favorite pasta dish, and I've been making it for over 25 years.  
I pulled the recipe from a magazine a LONG time ago and can't even remember which one.
Well, somewhere along the way, that paper and I parted ways.  
But I never stopped thinking about it.  
We'd even bring it up and talk about it... my hubby saying "remember that yummy pasta with pepperoni and pepperoncini?" and me saying "yeah, and it was really EASY".

I'm glad to say with some searching online, I found the recipe, but tweaked a couple of things to make it like we remembered it. It involves lots of "pantry" items that you might have on hand, and dinner is ready in under 20 minutes. Nice.

In a way, this recipe is very much like my One Pan Pasta with Chicken and Hot Links recipe, but this deserves a posting of its own. SO here it is.

You do have to like tangy, spicy foods to be grooving on this pasta.
Now, it's an old favorite that I will now have forever at my fingertips without having to search for some waylaid recipe ripped from a magazine.  

Serves 8 (easy to halve)

Ingredients

1 lb uncooked pasta, like penne or rigatoni

1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

2 packages (3-1/2 ounces each) sliced pepperoni, halved

1/2 cup pepperoncini, sliced, plus 1 Tbsp of the juice

1 jar (7 ounces) roasted sweet red peppers, drained & chopped (retain 1 Tbsp pepper liquid)

3-1/2 cups boiling water, or chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-2 Tbsp parsley, minced

In a large skillet, layer the pasta, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, pepperoni, pepperoncini, red peppers and the couple tablespoons of reserved liquid.

Add water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-14 minutes or until pasta is tender. Add cream, parsley and Parmesan cheese; reheat, stir and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 
Serve with more cheese, and a little bread to sop up the fantastic sauce.

Watermelon Margarita

There is something fresh and wonderful about a Watermelon margarita.
I bought a couple baby watermelons recently and when I cut into them, I wasn't thrilled with the texture. 
You know... when it gets a bit spongy and the texture is nasty?
I didn't want to throw them away, the taste of the watermelon was yummy and sweet, just icky texture.
So I made watermelon margaritas!

There are lots of recipes online, but some reviews said they were a bit dull.  I figured that was from being diluted by the ice.  My idea?
The secret to this drink is frozen watermelon.  Cut the rind off a watermelon, cut into chunks and freeze the night before. A great way to use leftover watermelon... Summer's coming, Better get that freezer ready for parties!  Right?  Am I wrong?  I didn't think so.

We found this drink to be sweet enough without any added sugar, or syrup, but if you watermelon isn't tasty enough, add a bit of simple syrup, agave syrup or even white sugar or Splenda.
 
Here's a picture of my ziploc bag of frozen watermelon.  I did have to break the chunks up a bit so it was easier to blend, still, it was easier than grinding up ice cubes, and adds more flavor.

 
Serves 2-3

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cubed seeded watermelon, frozen

3 jiggers tequila, I had a Strawberry Tequila

1 fresh lime, juiced

1 jigger Grand Marnier or Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)

Lime wedges or watermelon balls for garnish

Place 2 teaspoons salt, or sugar in a saucer. Rub the rims of glasses with water; spin rim of each glass in salt, or sugar, to coat. Set prepared glasses aside.

Combine previously frozen watermelon, tequila, lime juice and Triple Sec and next 4 ingredients (through Triple Sec or Grand Marnier) in a blender; process until smooth. Fill each prepared glass Garnish with lime wedges or melon balls, if desired.

NOTE- A friend gave us a Strawberry tequila (it may have been a joke...) but I am going to try the NEXT batch with that....  isn't that nice of me?