Sharon Smyth's Marinated Vegetable Salad

from the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook

Now that we are picking fresh vegetables from the late summer garden they need to be included plentifully for lunches and evening meals.  I was sure I would find something I'd like in the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook and I was right.  Thanks to Sharon Smyth for this uncomplicated but really great marinated vegetable salad which couldn't be simpler to prepare.  Raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green peppers, and cucumbers come out of the garden and go right into the salad bowl.  Sharon suggests that you dress them with a prepared Italian dressing from the market and there are many good ones.  I decided to make my own just because it's what I like to do.  The salad is chilled overnight (or about 8 hours) and is ready to serve. It would accompany any number of other dishes very well or be nice on its own for a summer lunch.  I have always had a special affection for Sharon Smyth as Barnabas Collins' little sister Sarah.  She made an important and critical contribution to the show and showed significant talent and had a wonderfully engaging personality as a child actor.  I think this swell salad is much like her in its freshness, brightness, and authenticity.