This summer has been really weird. I started working immediately after finals… and if you have ever talked to a law student after finals after over you understand how mentally weird law people can get by sitting alone in the dark reading statutes. My job, as a research assistant, was literally to sit in the library (again) all summer reading random things and taking notes. And to top it off, all of my friends have been out of town, or working crazy hours at law firms. But, that’s all good because I really needed time to train for the marathon (the first one for me!)… but then I got some really strange arch injury, and then I tripped and scraped/bruised both legs, hips and elbows. And then when I finally started hitting the groove again, I fell during my long run (my fault for running at 10pm). And, because I didn’t want anyone to discourage me, I didn’t really tell anyone I was training for a marathon and I ran most of my runs alone. You know what that does to someone? It makes you a little weird. I mean. I’m weird to begin with… but I’ve never spent so much time staring out my window in lala land. Then my friend said he was trying to get his 5K time to under 20 minutes, so I immediately volunteered to run with him. It’s awesome because it switches up my routine, but when we’re done with the 3 miles, I feel like my legs should keep going. And then last week, on my eight mile run I felt my foot start to hurt, so I proactively stopped. And then I have all sorts of creepy dreams about running.

So, short story, I’ve been really distracted and forgetful. I haven’t really cooked all summer because I crave things like cold bread and pounds of steak. And I really think that you guys know how to sear steak 5 minutes on each side for a perfect medium rare.

Anyway – I made this pasta salad a couple weeks ago, and much to my delight, the beets that I tossed into the pasta turned the noodles hot pink!

Hot Pink Beet Pasta Salad (a Kaprise Kitchen original)

• 14 crabs, meticulously picked apart – about 2 cups of crab meat
• 1 pound of pasta suitable for pasta salad. I used the twirly kind because I like the orange and green ones
• 2 beet roots, roasted in a foil packet at 400 F for 30-40 minutes until tender, cooled, peeled, and cubed
• The leafy stalks of the beet roots, washed and blanched in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, cooled and chopped
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 1/2 cup of chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup of toasted flaked almond
• 16 oz of black olives, sliced
• Salad dressing of your choice, or balsamic vinegar reduction

1. I discussed the crabs and the ridiculous amount of time I spent picking at them, so see that post please.
2. For roasted beets – please reference Funnyeater‘s commentary on roasted beets.
3. While the beets are roasting, assemble the remainder of the ingredients – boil a large, salted pot of water and cook the pasta until very al-dente. My pasta’s suggested cooking time was 10 minutes, so I cooked for 8 before draining well and rinsing with cold water.
4. For blanched beet greens – simply wash the greens thoroughly before plunging into boiling water until the greens wilt. Drain the greens well and chiffonade.
5. For chopped peppers, celery, and olives – feel free to chop as small or large as you like, and feel free to use any other type of vegetable that keeps well in pasta salad.
6. Once all of the ingredients are assembled, toss all the ingredients in a large bowl with a touch of olive oil (to keep things from sticking too much). I left the crab meat out so I could top the salad with the crab meat and almonds… it looks prettier
7. Drizzle the salad with salad dressing or balsamic vinegar reduction (which I find a little lighter since a teensy dab of it goes a long way).