📖 Instructions

1. First things first: gather your ingredients! Make sure everything's washed and prepped before you start. This makes the whole process SO much smoother.
2. Next, let's make the Italian dressing. In that small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed - you want it perfectly balanced!
3. Now for the veggies! If using a salad spinner, give those cherry tomatoes and cucumbers a good spin to dry them. Pat them dry with a paper towel if you don't have a spinner. This helps the dressing stick better.
4. In your large mixing bowl, combine the dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, red onion, bell pepper, and those beautiful, dried veggies. Gently toss to combine.
5. Add the dressed cherry tomatoes and cucumbers to the bowl. Give it another gentle toss—we don't want to bruise the tomatoes!
6. Add the salami and pepperoni if using. Once again, give everything another toss to evenly distribute the ingredients.
7. Finally, add the croutons (if using). Give it one last gentle toss and transfer to your serving bowl. Garnish with fresh basil if you're feeling fancy!
8. Serve immediately and enjoy! This salad is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers (stored properly, of course!) are still pretty darn good the next day. It tastes even better the next day, actually...I'm not even kidding!