Last week's game against Notre Dame was AMAZING!!! A come-from-behind touchdown with 2 seconds left gave Michigan a 35-31 lead, and Notre Dame had no time or opportunity left. This was a game so big that ESPN's "College Game Day" show was based here in Ann Arbor, the Goodyear blimp was hovering over the stadium, and scalpers were seeking as much as $4000 for some tickets! And we won!
Now, this week, next door neighbor Eastern Michigan University - from just 5 miles down the road - is coming to The Big House on Saturday.
Sadly, this isn't particularly a fair play date: Eastern is a small school from the MAC conference rather than Michigan's Big 10. Eastern also doesn't have a particularly stellar football history, though they did beat Howard University in style in their season opener, 41-9. They're also 2-0 for the first time since 1998 after beating Alabama State last weekend. I'll spare you my rant about these uneven match-ups; I'm just here for the food, after all!
So, what food to offer for a game between Eastern and U of M? And what to serve when the weather 'round here can go from morning temperatures in the 90s to thunderstorms in the afternoon, followed immediately by days of highs in the 60s?
Pasta. Everyone loves it, it's easy to make, it goes with almost everything and is appropriate no matter what the weather is. I even made it green and white to honor Eastern's team colors. A girl's gotta have some fun with feeding the masses for the football games, after all!
Eastern Michigan University at University of Michigan
Saturday, September 17 at 12 p.m. EDT
GO BLUE!!!
Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
6 asparagus spears, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup green beans, cut into 1" pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
12 ounces green and white rotini
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup jarred pepperoncini, drained, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pesto
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 400F. Place the asparagus and beans into a pie pan; toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes until tender and slightly caramelized.
Prepare rotini according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold water, then place into a large mixing bowl.
Add the roasted vegetables to the mixing bowl, along with the feta, pepperoncini, oregano, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Combine the pesto, lemon juice and remaining tablespoon of oil; pour over the salad and toss to coat.
Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Makes 8-10 servings.
It just doesn't get any better than salad like this, Mary. It sounds soooo good to me this morning! That sounds like a really exciting game. We love football in our house and the ones like that are the best. Hope everything is calming down for you and that you and your family are happy and healthy! Have a beautiful day, Candace
ReplyDeleteI saw the end of the end of that game last week.. THAT is what college football Saturday's are all about!! WHEW!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThe pasta looks and sounds amazing - love the addition of feta and pepperoncini.. YUM!
What a game!!! If I was eating this salad during it, it would have ended up on the floor after that touchdown as we all jumped off the couch!!! :) But it looks so good I may have called 5 second rule and eaten it off the floor.
ReplyDeleteLots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma What's For Dinner
www.mawhats4dinner.com
My eyes start to glaze over when people talk football, but you knew you'd get me with that amazing salad recipe, Mary! Love the Feta, the pesto, and Pepperoncini!!
ReplyDelete