It's been awhile...

Hello dear ones,
It has been awhile since I've posted on here. But, it's time to get back on track. I've been doing a lot of cooking recently, so I'm sure there will be multiple posts coming up soon. Thanks to Nick I also have pictures for them all :)

I've been trying to spruce up my lunches lately and decided to make a pasta salad that I could eat over a couple days. Here is what I came up with.

1/2 cup pine-nuts
2-4 tablespoons julienned sun-dried tomatoes
Handful of arugula, rinsed
Handful of fresh basil, rinsed and sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1 pound pasta (I used rotelli but penne or bow-ties work well)
3 cloves garlic, diced
2-3 slices of turkey bacon (alternatively, proscuitto or bacon works well)
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2-3 Tablespoons of feta cheese, crumbled (parmesan would be nice as well)
olive oil for cooking
dash of sugar
salt and pepper

1. Start a pot of boiling water for the noodles and cook according to instructions on box. Drain.
2. While the noodles are cooking, add some oil to a frying pan. Saute the garlic, bell pepper, pine nuts, and bacon until the pine nuts are browned.
3. In a large bowl, add the arugula, lemon juice, basil, red wine vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, salt, sugar, and pepper. Toss until well mixed. Add the cooked bacon mixture to this bowl and toss.
4. Lastly, add the cooked noodles and toss. You can eat this warm or cold, but it is meant to be served cold.

Don't skimp on the pine nuts! It's probably my favorite part! :)