A lunch for Ree (and the rest)

Here is my official entry to Pioneer Woman's current contest. The challenge: Design a make-ahead lunch meal for a dozen or so feasting patrons to enjoy. The prize: an object of desire for really anyone with a kitchen and a passion for pastels, a KitchenAid Mixer. YES!

Orzo Pasta Salad
A recipe in our fam. Flavorful, light, and easily consumable for a good 4 days following its preparation.
Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked orzo
• 10 tbsp olive oil (a little less if you use the oil from the sundried tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes, oil-packed
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 1 cup chopped basil
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 2 cups chopped raddicio
• 3 - 4 cloves chopped garlic
• salt & pepper to taste
• Handful of fresh herbs, chopped (suggestion: use thyme and rosemary)
• 1 cup toasted pine nuts

Directions:

• Cook the orzo according to al dente directions on box.
• Rinse with cold water in colander to stop cooking, drain, transfer to large bowl.
• Add olive oil, balsamic, sundried tomatoes and stir until pasta is coated with dressing.
• Add all other ingredients except pinenuts. Stir well.
• Add pinenuts just before serving and stir well.

Eggplant Chicken Parmesan
This came from today's post on NPR's Kitchen Window. I'm choosing it as my go-to recipe for the meal because, as a culinary novice and wannabe, I don't have the experience or talent to have ever crafted my own eggplant parm, but if you have, feel free to hone your own! For the recipe noted here, I think it's best to keep it basic and exclude the chicken. Ree, like me, is an eggplant lover so why mask the taste of that delectable, underrepresented vegetable?

Ree's Very Own Baked Fudge
Yum freakin O. And one of her lunching ladies is pregnant. Soooo yeah, it'd probably be a disservice NOT to end the meal with ramkins full of fudge.

And now I'm starving.

Notes:
~I am so envying this meal right now. My meal for the night? Meatloaf. Not that there's anything wrong with that; meatloaf is amazing. And comforting. And I am so ready to be comforted by pounds of beef and onion and ketchup. SO ready!
~I'm also SUCH a blogger novice and wannabe that I am actually pretty impressed with myself for learning and demonstrating (thrice in this post, baby!) how to title links so my posts are not harassed by things resembling http://www.superblognoob.com/09660361454086313&postID=5103917446312989089