Picnics and Pasta Salads

After arriving home late Sunday night from our Regional track meet in Eugene Oregon, the Boulder Creek Festival greeted me.

Memorial Day in Boulder, Colorado is celebrated by the infamous Boulder-Boulder 10K race. Over 50,000 runners hit the street creating a thick flow of all imaginable (and unimaginable) types of runners. Costumes, wheelchairs, baby-strollers, elite athletes, enlarged athletes- the Boulder-Boulder sees it all!  If Historic Hayward Field gives Eugene, Oregon the title Track Town USA, then the Boulder-Boulder is what makes Boulder, Colorado the Mecca of distance and trail running.

The race is sandwiched between days of carnival rides, arts & crafts booths, sample tents, live music and a duck race!

After the few last remaining runners trickled through, a bunch of us headed up to the Festival and laid out picnic blankets. We made sure to have front row seats in order to cheer on our rubber ducks that we’d entered in the race. Prior to heading up, Cameron and I had thrown together a Salmon Orzo Pasta Salad to pack along.

 Salmon Orzo Pasta Salad:

1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

1 (1 1/4-pound) skinless salmon fillet (If you’re short on time, canned salmon works fine)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 pound asparagus, steamed and cut into 2-inch pieces

         Lemon-Dill Vinaigrette


1/3 cup (1.3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill


3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil


1/4 teaspoon salt


1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Combine all lemon-dill dressing ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set vinaigrette aside


Boil and cook Orzo pasta like any other type of pasta
Drain and add other ingredients


Dress with vinaigrette (pour and toss)

Good Chilled or Warm. (I personally like chilled better)

Sounds easy, huh? Well that’s probably because it is! And it made a great bring-along-salad as well!
Unfortunately it wasn't our lucky duck day. None of our ducks won, but I don't think anyone really cared. It was hanging out and making jokes with friends that mattered that day.