Bruschetta Pasta

My favorite thing about being a Pampered Chef consultant is that I have learned how to love cooking again! Now, it doesn't hurt that I'm unemployed and much of day is spent devising ways to save money...such as cooking virtually all of our meals at home. Then, as a part of our schedule, I saunter into the kitchen around 4:00 each day and get to spend the next hour doing my own sort of play. Sometimes Jack helps, though this happens most often at breakfast and lunch. At this moment he is playing trains...or cars...or car-trains, and I am waiting on Dave, who is running late, so I have a surprise moment to post about the Bruschetta Pasta I finally made from thestockedkitchen.com.

Ingredients:

• 
  Mix together vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic. Whisk in oil well to emulsify.1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 C fresh tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 C fresh basil chopped
• 1/2 lb pasta, cooked and drained

Directions:

1. Fold in tomatoes and basil.
2. Toss with cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese. If desired, top with cooked chicken or shrimp.

The only ingredient I had to substitute was the fresh basil. This was maybe the most important ingredient because the final product was not as imagined. Unfortunately I didn't even have dried basil so I had to substitute Oregano. Using a 3 to 1 ratio for converting fresh to dry, I put in 2 Tbs and 2 tsp of Oregano. The taste was fine, perhaps Thyme would have been a better substitute than Oregano. One thing is for sure, I will never again make this recipe without the fresh basil. The dish had a very fresh look and taste, and made a nice meal when I added cubed chicken.