Cold Orzo Salad

After a defeating day of nearly being extirpated by the most horribly behaved high school seniors I've ever encountered, I'm so glad I have cooking and writing to bring me back from such a horrific glance of this "next generation." How depressing...

We had to feed these kids breakfast....my least favorite gig. Once it was over, I got in my car and discovered the bacon-grease stench emitting from my skin, hair, and clothes was enough to make me seriously reconsider my bacon obsession for about 2 minutes. But later that night the bacon-scented steam wafting from the shower was nauseating....let's take that up to about 3 minutes of bacon-obsessed reconsideration. Then there's the scrambled egg smell...not a word in any thesaurus on the planet to describe the odor.

So, I learned quite a few things today but here's just two: 1.) my boss is a woman of steel strength and nerves, a wonderful leader and, 2.) that bacon-grease a moisturizer does not make.

Orzo Pasta Salad

This recipe is only related to the above story because it's what I had for dinner since I was too exhausted to cook. It's delicious, simple, quick, and will feed a ton of people for a beautiful Spring night (or day) get-together. Try it sprinkled with a bit of feta or goat cheese too.

Yield: 6 cups

Serves: 10-12

1 pound good quality orzo pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp. garlic pepper seasoning

1 tsp. agave nectar

1 lime, juiced

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup fresh corn kernels (removed from cob and uncooked)

1 tsp. kosher salt

Boil the orzo for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Rinse with cold water to cool. Place the cooked orzo in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and chill for at least 1 hour.