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Mom’s Perfect Pasta Salad

This whole holiday thing in the middle of the week has thrown me off big time (hence no blogging in nearly a week). The girls didn’t have daycare on Monday or Tuesday and of course it was closed for the July 4th holiday. So, Mee-Mee was here with the girls…and our contractors who are moving right along on the bathroom. (I’ll post before and after pics when it’s done!). We said our goodbyes to Mee-Mee who moves next week (SO SAD). There were tears and yet it hasn’t really hit me yet.

On Thursday, I went to work earlier than ever before – I was in my office by 6:30am and worked until 11am when my parents came into town. I didn’t want to take a whole day of PTO, especially since I had a meeting I had to be at on Friday afternoon and all the prep work to do for it…which went swimmingly with no one else in the building!

The weather has been INCREDIBLE and going into a budget meeting at 2pm on Friday about killed me…but, I’m so glad that it’s done. I powered down for the weekend and I started the weekend off with some time in the hammock and a dinner out on a patio with lake views of the sunset. So beautiful!

Today was THE MOST perfect weather and while I enjoyed a lot of it, I spent some time organizing the girls’ clothes, bagging clothes they’re outgrown to give to a friend, and becoming increasingly annoyed with the ugly window coverings around our entire home. VALANCES EVERYWHERE. VALANCES HAVING VALANCES. The ones currently in our bedroom belong in a cabin in the woods. 20 years ago. They’re a maroon and yellow plaid tweed. You can’t make this stuff up, people…

Naturally, I spent some time online after taking lots of measurements. As always, my bestie Amazon pulled through for me and hopefully we can get things spruced up in the next few weeks. It can’t get much worse – Piper’s entire closet is strewn about her room and the hallway so the contractors can access the attic through her closet ceiling. On the plus side, you can walk in my entry way again…but all the boxes are now in our bedroom.

So, we’ve been up to lots, but on the actual 4th did NOTHING. We bought paint and a toilet at Home Depot and let the girls play in the inflatable pool. No fireworks, no cookout, no nothing. We’re so boring. We did, however, have leftovers of this pasta salad. It’s what my mom always made growing up, except I left out the onion and pepperoncinis because…kids. So, consider adding in those ingredients and definitely consider this pasta salad a must-have at your next backyard cookout. It’s easy to make and a definite crowd pleaser. Plus, it tastes best if you make it ahead!


Mom's Perfect Pasta Salad
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Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 14 servings (~1 cup each)
 
Ingredients
  • 12 oz whole wheat rotini
  • 2 cups small broccoli florets
  • 1 (14 oz) can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
  • 1 (10 oz) jar green olives with pimento, drained
  • 1 (6 oz dry weight) can large, pitted black olives, drained
  • 3 oz turkey pepperoni, halved
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
  • 8 oz Colby cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • ¾ cup Italian salad dressing
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and run cold water over pasta; drain well.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, top with the pasta and Italian dressing; toss well and refrigerate. Re-toss before serving.
Notes
Great additions to this: diced onion, bell pepper, and pepperoncinis
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ~1 cup Calories: 224 Fat: 10.2 Carbohydrates: 22.0 Sugar: 3.2 Sodium: 480 Fiber: 2.6 Protein: 11.1 Cholesterol: 24
Be well,

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