Another easy peasy salad, Italian Antipasto Dump Salad:
Jar or can of Artichoke hearts, drained (or bag of frozen, cooked, drained and cooled)
2 cans of pitted olives, black and/or green, or a pound from the olive bar, if you have one in your local store
large jar of roasted peppers
large jar marinated mushrooms, drained
large bottle Italian dressing (or make your own, using good olive oil and white balsamic vinegar if you can find it)
Mix in large bowl and refrigerate until day of the party, just before putting it out, add:
at least one pound cherry or grape tomatoes, the more the better
1-2 # mozzarella cheese, the little pearls if you find them, fresh if available, or cut up a block of it into cubes
If you put the cheese in too soon, it will get tough, and the tomatoes lose their flavor if chilled for more than half an hour. The Italian dressing won't spoil, the basic salad will keep for a long time in the fridge, I usually make a big batch when tomatoes start to come in, scoop out some into bowls, add tomatoes and fresh cheese and instant summer salad all season long, just keep adding other ingredients as the bowl starts to get low. great thing to have on hand for impromptu summer meals.
You can also add some good salami cubed and serve with some good rustic bread for a complete meal on those days when it's just too darn hot to cook.