Yummy Pasta Salad

My husband would love it if I would cook more often, but working full time, it just don't happen very often anymore. I love to cook, but I have to be in the mood, plus have the time to do it properly ... see, there is the quandary - mood plus time .. doesn't happen at the same time very often anymore for me. This past weekend however, I did have the opportunity to try a new recipe and it was relatively easy - my kind of recipe! It was a layered pasta salad and it was sooo good, we had some left over and it was good on Sunday and tonight - even better to me! Here is the recipe my alterations in italics ... :

Layered Pasta Salad

2 c med shell pasta, cooked and drained (I used about 3/4 of a whole bag)

1 large red onion (I used a small one - not a big fan of uncooked onion)

1 10 oz pkg frozen peas thawed and drained (I threw mine in frozen ...)

1 pkg (6 oz) smoked sandwich ham ( I used about 3/4 lb deli smoked ham)

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup ranch dressing (for this part (mayo and ranch) I just eyeballed it and used more than this)

1 cup 3 cheese crumbles (I guess you can buy it like this, I just mixed sharp cheddar, colby jack and med cheddar and mixed in a little of feta cheese)

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

Layer pasta, onion, peas and ham in a clear bowl, set aside

MIX mayo and ranch dressing, spread over salad, top with cheese and tomatoes, cover, refrigerate several hours before serving. (It says to toss before serving, but you should make sure everyone gets to see it first, because it is really pretty and it impresses people :) ...)

Later, Velda