I like to have a big bowl of
this on hand for 'HOT' days (you know the kind-- hot and humid!) when I
don't want to heat up the kitchen by cooking or baking-- boiling water included!
Once you have the macaroni and
sauce together (the first eight ingredients),
you can add exactly what you like...
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 cups UNcooked elbow macaroni
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup salad dressing (like Miracle Whip)
- 1/4 cup distilled white or red vinegar
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 2 and 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard (I sometimes use honey mustard).
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Add what you like of the following:
- 1 medium onion, finely minced (or, some snipped/chopped chives?)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (sweet red pepper can be used, and adds color).
- 1 cup of cubed ham
- 1 cup of cubed cheese
- 1 cucumber, seeded and cut into chunks
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup grated carrot
- 1/2 cup frozen petite peas, uncooked
- Small cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers
DIRECTIONS:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Rinse under cold water and drain. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, salad dressing, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir with a spatula/scraper until you can feel the sugar has dissolved or lost its graininess.
- Stir in whatever else you like (see the list above). Mix well.
- Add the cooked/cooled macaroni and gently mix until all is coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.
You can also make this salad have a very different taste by substituting the cubed ham with canned/drained tuna, bacon pieces, canned/drained white chicken chunks, imitation crab, or ???
