Cook along with me: Zuchinni, Bacon Bowtie Pasta, with Perfect Summer Salad

I first saw this recipe in a Rachel Ray cookbook. I've played with it and added my own things to it to tailor it to our tastes. Its super easy, quick, and t-a-s-t-y! With the summer salad it will probably take you about 30 mins start to finish

Ingredients

1 Box of bow tie pasta (or whatever you have is fine)
zucchini
summer squash
cherry, or grape tomatoes ( or a can of Italian diced tomatoes)
1 onion
couple garlic cloves
olive oil
half a package of bacon cut in half or bacon bits
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Method

Boil water and cook pasta until al dente about 10 mins. Meanwhile heat up olive oil, cut zucchini and summer squash into match like sticks. Throw them in the skillet. Dice onions fine, and place them in with the squash. Cook zucchini and summer squash until tender, and until the onions are almost caramelized. You may want to keep it moving by stiring it so the onions and squashes don't burn. When they are cooked set aside.  Place your bacon in the skillet and cook it how you like it. (I like mine crispy) drain fat off and crumple into small pieces. Drain your pasta, and add the veggies and bacon.Take a garlic press and press a few cloves of garlic. Or you can slice them yourself and throw them in the skillet. WATCH THEM! Garlic burns easily. Slice the tomatoes in half and toss them in. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Perfect Summer Salad

Romaine, spinach, or spring mixed lettuce
1 cucumber
1 red onion
1 or 2 carrots
1 c of pecans
1 container of strawberries

Place how ever much lettuce you and your family eat in a bowl. Slice the cucumber and strawberries very fine. Dice red onion, and place in the bowl. For the carrots I like to use a potato peeler and peel them as I would a tomato. Its hard to slice them thin, and no one likes a big ol chunk of carrot. As for the pecans you can just chop them fine or candy them. That is what I do sometimes. Place them in a smaller skillet with a couple tablespoons of sugar. Constantly stir them until they start to candy. DON'T BURN THEM! Don't do anything else while you have the nuts in there. You turn your back for three seconds and then they burn. Burn nuts is almost as bad as burnt garlic.

Part of what makes this salad so great is the dressing:

1/2 teaspoon of salt/pepper
2 Tablespoons of vinegar
1/2 Tablespoons of oil
1/3 cup of orange juice.

Mix it all together and pour over salad enjoy!