Pasta Salad

Ahhhh summer... such a wonderful time of the year. As a teacher I am fortunate to still have summer vacations! However even though I have the summer off it is nothing like the summers of childhood. I miss those long days of waking up early, changing into my bathing suit, and swimming in the pool all day. When we weren't swimming we were running in the backyard, eating outside, and having a BBQ at night. One side dish that graced every BBQ in my childhood was pasta salad. My mother always makes it for summer get togethers and still does. John and I are going to a BBQ today for Memorial Day so I decided to make a big tray of Mom's pasta salad to take with us.

I make this recipe constantly because it is seriously John's favorite thing I make. There are so many varieties and I usually just use whatever veggies/pasta I have on hand. Get creative- the options are limitless!

Ingredients:
1 pound of pasta (I usually use either tri-colored rotini or tri-colored tortellini)
1 block of cheese, preferably cheddar or Monterey Jack, diced into small pieces
1 bottle of Italian Salad dressing
2-3 peppers, chopped into pieces

Other optional ingredients I have used and enjoyed:
pepperoni
black olives
mushrooms
red onions

Directions:
1- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Cool pasta completely.
2- Chop all of the veggies you want to use into bite sized pieces.
3- Toss cheese, pasta, and veggies with 1/2 of the Italian salad dressing.
4- Allow it to chill for at least 2-3 hours in the fridge.
5- Prior to serving, pour in the rest of the dressing and toss.