pizza salad

You can alter and improvise this basic recipe I first discovered at the grocery store deli counter; when I turned out to be about the only person who ever bought it the deli folks gave me the recipe so I could make it myself, then a while later I found a similar one on an Italian salad dressing jar! Make it however you desire according to taste and available ingredients, but the main thing is to assemble it – except for the cheese – at least 24 hours ahead of time. This is one of my favorite things to take to a potluck and I like to save a serving for myself and eat it about a week later, though I'd never take anything that aged to a polite gathering!

ingredients

• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 red pell pepper
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper (I vary the peppers according to current price)
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 container cherry or grape tomatoes–cut each into halves or quarters
• 1 or 2 4-ounce cans of sliced black olives
• 1/4 ellbee sliced pepperoni (optional)
• Italian salad dressing

assembly

slice all the above ingredients either coarse or fine, but for appearance and mouth-feel I'd advise being consistent; pour on Italian dressing, toss, cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

before serving or taking to event, drain excess Italian dressing, add and toss to blend well:

shredded mozzarella cheese - I buy it already shredded in those bags and use about 1/2 of the bag (not sure what weight, but not the giant size—maybe 4 or 6 oz.) per regular-size salad

1/3 cup grated parmesan or parmesan and romano cheese