A few weeks ago, an invitation arrived in the mail to a family reunion for my fiance’s side of the family. The invitation was promptly misplaced, only to be dug up again mere moments before we needed to leave for said reunion. I mean, that happens to the best of us, but mostly, it happens to those of us who lose temporarily misplace the invitation as quickly as it arrives, forget to RSVP, get details confused, show up 30 minutes early to a party we didn’t RSVP to (see above, in which we forget to RSVP), and then wind up having to wear your fiance’s second cousin’s extra swimsuit at your very first family reunion with your soon-to-be in-laws. Yeah. I know. I’d been informed well in advance that this was a potluck, though, so I did have one base covered. Knowing that in advance does not, by any means, guarantee that the dish I’m bringing will be prepared in a timely fashion; that’s precisely, though, why I love this recipe. It comes together in a jiffy. . . but I still didn’t have an extra 30 seconds to snap a photo. So! In the event that you, too, will unexpectedly be attending a family reunion and oh, by the way, it’s a potluck, here’s a quick recipe that can handle a ton of summer veggies fresh from the garden. Summertime Pasta Salad 8 ounces whole wheat pasta shapes (gemelli and bowtie work well) 1/2 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped 1 summer squash or zucchini, cut into small cubes 15 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 red or green bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeno or banana pepper, finely diced 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels* 1 cup feta cheese 1 avocado, cut into small cubes 1 15-ounce can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained juice of 1 lemon 2-3 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta, undercooking slightly so that the pasta has a nice bite and holds up well in the salad. In a small sauce pan, saute the squash or zucchini in a small amount of olive oil for a few minutes, until it’s fork-tender but not mushy. Remove from the heat and set aside. When the pasta is done cooking, drain immediately and rinse with cold water to keep it from cooking further. Set aside. Prepare your other ingredients while the pasta cools. Toss everything together in a large bowl, adding the avocado and feta last. Refrigerate for up to four hours before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld together. *Feel free to riff off the theme, too, and throw in that leftover grilled corn from last night’s cook-out, or even an extra jalapeno. For a Tex-Mex twist, swap black beans for the garbanzos, cilantro for the parsley, queso fresco for the feta, and lime juice for the lemon.