Pork Pasta Salad

Tonight was my night to make dinner for the family. I wanted to mostly use stuff I already had, and I had to work during dinner time, so I wanted it to be something I could make ahead of time and have it be ready for the rest of the family later.

I had three pork chops...not nearly enough for 8 people. I broiled them in the oven with a little extra virgin olive oil and seasoned salt. I just kept turning them over and cutting into them to check if they were done. I have no idea how long it actually took, I wasn't really paying attention, I just wanted to make sure I didn't over cook them. I chopped those up, and put them in a container in the fridge to cool while I made the rest of the salad.

Next, I put a large pot, and a medium pot of water on the stove to boil (with salt). I chopped one bunch of broccoli to put in the medium pot. Cooked that for a few minutes, until they were slightly tender, then they went in the fridge to cool as well. The large pot was for all my pasta. I had a couple of different shapes to make it fun. When that was done, I rinsed it all in cool water to cool it down quickly.

Then I poured the pasta, the pork, and the broccoli in a big bowl. I chopped up a (peeled) cucumber and a tomato, and threw those in with a small can of sliced olives. I mixed in enough Italian salad dressing to coat everything, covered the bowl, and stuck it in the fridge till dinner time. (I also cubed some cheddar cheese and left those on the side for whoever wanted cheese.)

I almost added twice as many veggies, but I realized with so many different kinds, it'll probably add up. It turned out pretty tasty, and my family loved it.