Christine's Pasta Salad

Can I just say that I grew up in a great food environment, I mean really great.  We had lots of different styles of food and my parents both made some awesome dishes that were family favorites.  This is another one of those recipes that I grew up with that my hubby now asks for often.  It's absolutely delicious and I think tastes better the next day making it perfect to make ahead.  Make the BBQ chicken for dinner the night before, making some extra to throw in this pasta salad.

Christine's Pasta Salad

For pasta salad:

Tri-colored spiral pasta (about 1-2 16 oz. bags depending on how much pasta to veggie ratio you want)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, whole
3.8 oz can sliced black olives
1/2 med. red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 med. green pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite size pieces
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed into approx. 1/2 inch squares
4 leftover BBQ chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 small jars artichoke hearts, halved (optional)
1 cup celery, coarsely chopped (optional)

*Note-My dad says that he blanches the broccoli in the pasta water just to soften it up and give it a little bit of a brighter color.  I think this is great and I will try it out and give more specifics on how long to blanch it.*

For dressing:

1 1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp ground rosemary
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Add salad ingredients into a large bowl.  Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined.  Pour over pasta salad and toss to coat.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.