The weather over the past week has been a little nutty. My birthday is usually just the beginning of nice weather, although you could never count out a little snow in April. Boston just loved that! But, this year, the nice weather has only picked up its pace over the last week.It went from winter to spring/summer so fast that I feel as though I missed a few months in there. Really, the last 3 months just seem like one big blur – did I really miss it? Maybe I did. Moving a week before Christmas, living at home, I feel like I really HAVE slept through a few months. And now, like a bear, I’ve awakened to find that it’s already springtime. And, I, like a bear, am hungry.Unlike a bear, I’m not hungry for food; I’m hungry to MAKE food. So, this weekend, Mom was kind enough to let me take over her kitchen and WOW do I have lots of treats for you. In the spirit of the warm weather, I decided to make a nice pasta salad to go with dinner. What I didn’t count on was that Sunday it would rain and be chilly; the weather didn’t want to cooperate with me. Regardless, it was delicious and since the sun is peeking out again today, I had to share this with you.

Italian Pasta Salad
Serves: 8-10 people
Pasta Salad:

1 pound pasta, cooked, drained and cool to the touch
1 cup pepperoni, diced small
2 cups mozzarella cheese, diced
1-12 ounce can sliced black olives (rinsed and drained)
1-16 ounce can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons dried basil

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup olive oil

In a large bowl, toss the pasta, pepperoni, cheese, olives, beans, tomatoes, and basil. To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey and salt. While whisking vigorously, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once combined, pour over pasta mixture to coat and toss. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Until the next time my oven is on…