This weekend was an important highlight in the Saxton family calendar: Memorial Day Picnic! We invited a couple other families to share it with us — once you start packing for a picnic, you might as well be cooking for a dozen, right?

This year I pulled together a pasta salad that — if I do say so myself — was a keeper. Try it yourself and see!

First, boil 1 pound of corkscrew, tri-color pasta according to package directions (just to al dente), salting water well and adding a sploosh of olive oil to keep the cooled pasta from sticking.  Drain and set aside to cool. Drizzle a little extra EVOO over cooling pasta, toss to coat.

Next, the dressing:  1/2 red onion, chopped fine; 3-4 scallions, chopped fine; 1/2 C EVOO; 1/2 C rice wine vinegar; 3 cloves garlic; 1 Tbls honey; liberal dash of coriander. Add ground pepper to taste.

Finally, chop away and add to the pasta:  1-1/2 red peppers, seeded and chunked; 1 large green pepper, chunked; 1 large cucumber, seeded and chunked; handful cilantro, chopped fine; 2 medium tomatoes, chopped; 1/2 C black olives, chopped; 6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cubed fine.

Combine everything, toss and cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Tastes even better the next day!