The Painters Are Coming Pasta Salad

How do people do it on those HGTV remodel shows--really??  Our living room and part of our loft area is getting painted today and the house looks like a war zone.  You know how I am and this could put me over the edge.....

When he came on Saturday to mud the huge crack in our ceiling . . . ..
 I didn't realize there would be so many cracks and nail pops to be found. 
This guy is thorough!  Awesome!
So no cooking today in the kitchen since they are doing a bit of work near the sink area.  Wah!  :(  Minimal cooking happened last night as well since we were moving furniture to make room for the painters.

I do have a recipe to share with you, though, that I made last night.  At first I was hesitant to make this as the natives get all squirmy when it comes to any type of "weird" vegetables.  But they ended up eating it anyway.  Thankfully there was no gagging.  My lucky guinea pig neighbors (my brave taste testers) got to get in on the action too since I had so much and knew that it would only be good for about 24 hours because of the nature of the dish (who likes soggy cheese? not me).

The Painters Are Coming Pasta Salad (otherwise known as You Need To Be Out of the Kitchen To Move All the Furniture the Night Before the Painters Come Salad)

1 24 oz. package of refrigerated tri-color tortellini (yay for Sam's Club!)
1/2 c. chopped bottled roasted red peppers
1 6 oz. jar marinated quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 c. sliced pitted ripe black olives
1/2 lb. hard salami, cubed
1/2 lb. provolone cheese, cubed
1/4 - 1/2 c. Kraft Basil Parmesan Vinaigrette dressing (or Italian would work as well)

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Meanwhile place peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, salami, and cheese into a large bowl.  Drain pasta and add to the large bowl.  Add dressing and combine.  Refrigerate for up to two hours before serving for flavors to marry.  Makes a lot so if you're making this dish for a family, halve the recipe.   

Enjoy!