Time to kick off the summer! Just a wee bit early, but just as fun : ) Tonight was the very first of Cville’s wonderful Fridays After Five, a free concert series that goes throughout the summer. This is the 25th anniversary!
I ran into this guy on his bike ride home and on my way home from downtown to meet a few blog friends who are considering moving to Cville!
We decided to pack up a picnic to take downtown for dinner.
Chilled salads are one of my go-to picnic foods. You can use any kind of grain or pasta as a base – from millet to quinoa to traditional pasta bowties! Mix in any kind of veggies, a bean or protein source like shrimp or tofu (optional, but I like one if it’s a main course salad) and a sauce of sorts like pesto, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, a crumbled cheese, etc.
For this super simple pasta salad, I cooked pasta and added a chopped zucchini and bell pepper in the last 2 minutes of cooking. With that I tossed in a bowl: 1 drained can of cannellini beans, 1 pint of sliced baby heirloom tomatoes, 5 fresh basil leaves from the garden, about 1/3 cup jarred pesto and a honkin’ amount of goat cheese, probably a heaping half cup, all tossed together.
We packed up half in tupperware and walked downtown. I was excited to see Carpe Donut had their wonderful organic lemonade again. It’s not too sweet and great to be able to participate in the all the drinking going on.
We ran into tons of our friends downtown. It’s like one big college party where you just keep seeing people you know! Between friends, gym members, and Great Harvest customers, I saw so many familiar faces!
We finally sat down to picnic and listen to the 80s blue grass cover band for a bit. The band was awesome!
Matt had the bigger packaging (the leftover pesto container), so he dumped some of his into mine (the washed tomato container!) when I made room.
I had LOTS of fun holding Baby D after tracking him and his mama down! Last summer we were just starting to think about baby making, and these concerts are just crawling with adorable babies and kiddos everywhere! It’s the family event of the week. I’m so excited to bring our little guy here next year!
Lynsie is the coolest mom and we could talk about all things pregnancy and babies for hours!
When the sun set and the band finished their encore, Matt and I ran into more friends, but we had to turn down a beer/ginger ale because Matt requested an early bedtime due to the farmer’s market starting before dawn on Saturdays (he won’t be doing this every week, but is still helping in these early weeks to get settled in).
On our way home, I requested the ultimate summer night cap: ice cream! Birthday Cake flavor, of course. Something has changed in my mouth and I no longer like the taste of frozen yogurt. It’s too icy, too sweet or just too chemically for me right now. All I want is old fashioned ice cream, and I found my match at Chaps!
Perfect end to the night <3
Jen says
Love the last photo!
Is Matt from C-Ville? I assumed since Karen lives there. What made you guys decide to settle there? Seems like a popular place in the blogosphere!
KathEats says
He was born here but moved away when he was 2. Karen moved back with us in 2010 to help with the bakery (and because she loves it here). A little history in this post: https://www.katheats.com/tour-of-the-town
Erika says
I needed to reply to your post. I’m 15 weeks along and have a terrible sweet tooth. But I was at dinner tonight with y husband and he wanted froyo and for probably the third time in the past few weeks have turned it down ( unheard of). I told him that I just wanted old fashion ice cream .but I couldn’t explain the froyo aversion and said I thought it was “the chemically taste” too. He thought I was nuts- so I was more than happy to share your experience with him as well!! Happy hormones:)
KathEats says
🙂 What is with us and our palates!?
Tiffany says
I’m not pregnant and I prefer old fashioned ice cream or gelato to frozen yogurt anytime! I used to love frozen yogurt but after having some of the best ice cream and gelato in town, frozen yogurt taste too chemically and sweet for me. Congratulations to both of you on your pregnancies 🙂
Allie@LiveLaughEat says
Soooo now I’m craving ice cream! Looks like downtown was hoppin’!!!
Rachel says
can’t wait to see you and YOUR baby in cute pictures like that 🙂
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
you’re making me want some ice cream right now!!! looks like a great evening and some good pasta salad! My mom makes some with a pesto sauce and I LOVE it!
Catalina @ Cake with Love says
This is so fun!!!! Love that you packed a salad to take, looks so delicious, and that birthday cake ice cream suits you 🙂 you look so cute eating eat!! 🙂
Alicia Searing says
The band was Love Cannon! They played at my wedding!!!! They are so fun and really nice guys!
KathEats says
Oh cool! They were awesome!
Ashley @ coffee cake and cardio says
So cute Kath! What a fun evening. The pics with the ice cream are too cute. You must be getting so excited.
Kelly @ Vegolosophy says
mmmm that ice-cream looks yummy yummy!!
Sarah says
What is Matt’s ice cream flavor pick? I find my husband tending toward vanilla or lemon flavors while I want to try anything new or chocolate.
KathEats says
Almost always chocolate peanut butter!
Angel7 says
Just purchased bowtie pasta today… Need to make pasta salad with it.
I forgot to tell you that I had my ultrasound today, and we found out that we are expecting a boy, too 🙂 I am about a week or two behind you, and a baby boy is in our future… How cool to share the same experience 🙂
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
KathEats says
Congrats!!!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
YUM! That ice cream looks good! I’ve been craving something cold and sweet for days so I have a feeling I might have to indulge someday soon…;)
Katie @ Creature of Habit says
I’m glad I’m not the only one who washes out the tomato carton and uses it to store food. I’ve had my fair share of weird looks in the office lunch room.
Khushboo says
I love fro yo buy ice cream has charm of its own!
Björg says
Love that last picture 🙂 so cute!
Picnics are fun, I shopuld plan some before it grts unbearable here in Georgia :]
Janine says
That pasta looks soooo good, so does the ice cream!! I HAVE to make that pasta tomorrow ASAP!
Stacy @ Say It With Sprinkles says
Birthday cake flavor ice cream is my absolute FAVORITE! After going dairy free, though, I had to give up my nightly “Take the Cake” treat. Anyone know of any non-dairy ice creams out there that rival that flavor?! PLEASE! =)
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Perfect Friday festivities and I love bowtie pasta salads…they remind me of summer, fun, watermelon, and potlucks from my childhood!
Tiffany says
I love bow tie pasta! Its just so fun and cute. I found a 100% whole wheat version at whole foods and that made me happy 🙂
I really want to give wild squirrel peanut butter a try but I wanted to ask if you remember what the texture is like for the cinnamon raisin (is it smooth and drippy?) and the honey pretzel (is it chunky?)
Thank you 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful weekend
KathEats says
They are all really smooth… I don’t remember exactly how drippy those two flavors are though. I can check next week at the bakery?
Tiffany says
If its not too much trouble for you, I would really appreciate that. Thank you so much!! You truly are incredibly sweet answering every question that is asked on your blog. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend 🙂
KathEats says
Confirmed at the bakery this am…. Cinnamon is drippy!
Tiffany says
Thank you so much Kath!! So sweet of you 🙂
Clare says
Ooo I could SO go for some ice-cream right now.. yum! 🙂
Lisa (bakebikeblog) says
I love the idea of the concert series – sounds like a great community event!
LEM says
What a great evening! That looks like so much fun! Cville seems like a wonderful place to live:)
Hillary says
Outdoor concert and ice cream? Sounds like a pretty stellar kick off for summer indeed!
I definitely need to make that pasta salad this week. My mom used to make them all the time when the weather got warm, and I always forget how good and easy they are!
Susan H. @ The Food Allergy Chronicles says
What a fabulous event! Your picnic dinner pasta salad and ice cream looked scrumptious! Oh hos I cannot wait for our market to open in May!
Leatitia @ The Sweetest Year says
I’m puzzled as to how mothers can go out in the evening with their babies. My little one has dinner at 5:30, then it’s bathtime at 6:30 and in bed by 7. If he goes to sleep later than that, he’s cranky, tired and crying. And he will still wake up at his usual 7AM the next day. He’s 10 months old btw.
Do they get their babies to sleep in their strollers and enjoy the concert? Really, just trying to figure this out! (As I can’t remember the last night I was outside the house after 7PM since my little boy has been in my life… )
KathEats says
She nursed him right there and he feel asleep in her arms just after around 8:30. Maybe he’s just on a little later schedule?
Leatitia @ The Sweetest Year says
Perhaps! I think I could had went out a bit at night when he was smaller (under 4 months old). Now that he has a pretty stable schedule, getting him to sleep outside his bed and having to wake him up to put him in his bed later on, it just breaks my heart.
Zoe @ loseweightandgainhealth says
That ice-cream looks amazing and so does that concert venue as a place to spend a fun evening. I am looking foreward to summer here too 🙂
Fran@ Broken Cookies Don't Count says
A perfect salad and you can’t beat an ice cream topper!