Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Creamy Macaroni Salad


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:

  1. 4 cups UNcooked elbow macaroni 
  2. 1 cup mayonnaise
  3. 1/2 cup salad dressing (like Miracle Whip)
  4. 1/4 cup distilled white or red vinegar
  5. 2/3 cup white sugar
  6. 2 and 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard (I sometimes use honey mustard).
  7. 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
  8. 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:
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  
  2. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. 
  3. Rinse under cold water and drain.  Set aside.
  4. 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.
  5. Stir in whatever else you like (see the list above).  Mix well.
  6. Add the cooked/cooled macaroni and gently mix until all is coated.
  7. 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 ???

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