Pasta Salad with Peppers and Olives

I've been making this meal as my standard go-to dinner since before I really even got into cooking. Its something that my Dad concocted when I was a kid and I never forgot it. Its easy, fast, and tasty - especially if you're an olive lover like me. If you make enough of this pasta salad, you can eat it for days afterwards and I find that sometimes it tastes even better when I'm eating it for lunch the next day! I could literally eat this every single day, but I try and hold off and only make it once every two weeks so my hubby doesn't get sick of it.

Okay, so here goes....my recipe for Pasta Salad.

Cook a pound of rotini pasta, drain, and then pour cold water over the pasta to cool it. Add in one chopped red pepper, 6 oz chopped ham, one jar of green olives (pitted), one can of black olives (pitted) and half a pound cubed edam (or gouda) cheese. Serve cold.

My parents serve this meal with Italian dressing to make it a true "salad", but I actually love eating it without any dressing at all. The combined tastes of the cheese, olives, and peppers just really "pops" for me.

Hope you're all keeping cool in this warm weather. Believe me, this is a good dish for a hot summer night! Enjoy.....