Recipe Fridays: Two never-fail pasta salads to bring to picnics, pot lucks, or dinner in front of the TV

One big dilemma I always run into when trying to plan food for a casual get-together is finding foods that won't taste disgusting once they get cold.  If everyone's going to eat standing around, and some people are going to arrive two hours late, you need room-temperature foods so you can be milling with your guests instead of running into the kitchen trying to heat things up.  The same goes for food to bring to a picnic, where nothing is the temperature you wanted it to be.  You need food that both tastes good at room temperature and is safe without refrigeration.  Enter the mayo-less pasta salad.  Two recipes follow, but the possibilities are endless.

Gemelli with spinach, tomatoes, and feta
1 box Gemelli or other spiral-y pasta
1 box grape tomatoes
1 bag baby spinach
1 block feta cheese
garlic, olive oil, salt, and fresh ground pepper
Boil pasta.  While it cooks, pour spinach leaves into large bowl.  Cut grape tomatoes in half and add to bowl.  When pasta is done, pour on top of spinach and tomatoes, add enough olive oil to coat (about 1/4 cup), and stir.  The hot pasta will wilt the spinach and tomatoes, essentially cooking them.  Crumble the feta or cut into chunks and add to pasta.  Add 1 crushed garlic clove and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir gently, and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Farfalle with broccoli and Parmesan
1 box Farfalle
1 head broccoli
1 box grape tomatoes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
garlic, olive oil, salt, and fresh ground pepper
Wash broccoli and cut it into florets.  Lay in a single layer in a baking pan, coat with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put in the oven to roast at 450 for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Boil pasta.  While it cooks, cut grape tomatoes in half and add to bowl.  Combine pasta, tomatoes, and broccoli.  Add Parmesan cheese, 1 crushed garlic clove, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir gently, and serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.  (This would also be good with some roasted carrots)