that pasta salad feeling

We're still having some freakishly cold nights but there's been enough warm weather to start making pasta salads. And what better way to make a pasta salad than to choose the ingredients yourself? Parade lays it all out for you; you come up with the combinations. It's like the Choose Your Own Adventure of pasta salads, except you don't have to cheat to succeed.

I started with mezze penne because I felt the regular size was too big for the rest of my ingredients: chopped celery, shredded carrots, diced hard-boiled egg, and capers for extra flavor. Next time I'll probably add peas, too; that's what I think of when I think "classic" pasta salad. Process of elimination led to the creamy Dijon dressing--I don't think I can handle the other two. I made it ahead of time and was concerned that it was too dry but everyone else thought it was fine. Actually the next day the flavor seemed even stronger.

Other combination ideas: broccoli/chickpeas/almonds, green beans/tuna/olives. Go nuts!