FOOD Challenge:

Congrats to Mary Ann Battista on your free lunch for 8!

Mary Ann Battista from SIFMA for Best Tasting:
Summer Pasta Salad- This is a great base recipe with lots of room for creativity! It is basically a deconstructed basil pesto with the addition of lightly simmered tomatoes, giving the sauce great texture and slight sweetness. The pine nuts lend richness and crunch, while the fresh mozzarella and pasta bathe in this luxurious sauce. This is the true taste of summer!

Since we had so many delicious entries we decided to extend our special congratulations to these individuals as well: 

Krystle Bates from Marlin and Associations for Most Creative:
Cucumber Salad with Ginger Dressing- This Asian-inspired salad is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. It’s healthy, refreshing, and certainly a unique blend of light ingredients. It also happens to be a feast for the eyes, as the shreds of cucumber greatly resemble long noodles…how ingenious! This is a great way to shed light on and celebrate an otherwise mundane ingredient.

Lisa Caccavale from Golin Harris for Most Resourceful:
Southern Potato Salad- This is a classic, crowd-pleasing recipe that can be assembled with ingredients that are almost always handy in the pantry. It would be great with leftover baked potatoes from dinner or hardboiled eggs from breakfast, making it simple and budget-friendly. The pickles and their juice give the salad an appealing tang and crisp bite…talk about making the most of what you have on hand!