Labor (less) Day

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! I typically post on Monday's but for whatever reason I had zero motivation yesterday...and it felt wonderful. Days off are so nice but normally they are spent getting stuff done and taking care of procrastinated business. After sleeping in and making a big breakfast for Sean and I, I sat on the couch and watched a marathon of Don't Be Tardy (don't judge me) for hours. I had no idea how entertaining that show is and besides that, just sitting and focusing my energy on something beside my daily routine was so refreshing! Don't get me wrong, I relax and watch my fair share of TV but normally I get up in between commercials to do laundry or vacuum or check emails, etc. Not yesterday. I even sat out by the pool for a solid 45 minutes for a last summer "hurrah". It was glorious. This should sum it up...

(A strawberry infused white wine and St. Germaine cocktail)

The only productive thing I did yesterday was make a pasta salad that I made for Sean's surprise party a couple months ago.

(Thanks for the final glamour shot Brit!)

A friend had asked for the recipe and I had to really think about what the heck was in it. It was one of those "ohh shoot...what did I put in there?" moments but I think I pulled it off. It was pretty simple but here's what I did.

Cook a package of tortellini, whichever you like. I used regular cheese tortellini. Cook according the package directions, about 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prep your veggies. I diced about 1 cup of heirloom tomatoes (or halved cherry tomatoes), 1/2 cup diced bell peppers, and 1 cup of sliced black olives. For the party I had used diced buratta cheese but today I used fresh mozzarella pearls.

Drain and pour the cooked tortellini into a large mixing bowl. Add in 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese while the pasta is still warm. Stir to combine so the melting cheese coats the tortellini. (Cue the ooo's and ahh's.)

Then, add in 1/2 cup of basil pesto (store-bought or homemade), black olives, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Stir to combine.

Place 1 cup of pepperoni on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 for 5-10 minutes until crisp. When your ready to serve add in the pepperoni and toss to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

That's it! Easy and delicious served alongside grilled chicken, burgers, brats, etc.