Macaroni Salad

It's still summer and y'all know what that means? There’s still time for some outdoor get-togethers and Bar-B-Q's with some good old fashioned foods.

One of my favorite foods for these type of things is macaroni salad. I love the creaminess and sweet tangy taste of this stuff. Even more so than potato salad, and I love me some tater salad!

Funny thing is, I've never made macaroni salad until a couple weeks ago. Sad but true. I always bought my macaroni salad at the store (Gasp!).

Now the first time I made my mom's macaroni salad, I used Miracle Whip, even though the recipe calls for mayonnaise. Yes, I'm one of "those" people who prefer Miracle Whip over mayonnaise because of the tanginess it brings to foods.

However, that batch of macaroni salad I made with my all-time favorite Miracle Whip was watery after a few days in the fridge. Plus, I felt like it needed a creamier mayonnaise. Yes, I hate to admit it, but Miracle Whip failed me on this recipe.

Needless to say, I opted for Dukes mayonnaise on my second batch of macaroni salad. And the results were just what I was looking for! A thick and ultra-creamy mayonnaise that didn't get all watered down on me after a couple days in the fridge. As you can see from the photos, Dukes mayonnaise made my macaroni salad creamy and Oh so good!

By the way, since living out here in Georgia, I've noticed some products are named differently than on the West coast. Like Hellman's mayonnaise out here is known as Best Foods mayonnaise in California. So if you don't have Dukes mayonnaise where you live, see if it's known by another name. Because Dukes is a must ingredient for this macaroni salad!

Food for fun, just how many times did I say macaroni salad? Were you paying attention? Count them and let me know how many “macaroni salads” there are in this post in the comments below.

Macaroni Salad

Recipe by My mom

Macaroni Salad, a classic summer salad.

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes + chilling time
Yield: a whole lotta macaroni salad
Ingredients

• 1 box (16 ounces) Elbow macaroni
• 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 and 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 12 to 20 (add to taste) sweet gherkins (pickles), diced
• 3 teaspoons sweet pickle juice
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (can add more if needed to taste)
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
• 2 and 1/2 cups Dukes mayonnaise

Directions

1. Prepare macaroni noodles as directed on box. Drain and rinse with cool water.
2. As noodles drain, prepare other ingredients by dicing and measuring out.
3. After noodles have drained and cooled, place all ingredients into a large serving bowl and mix together well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Garnish with diced gherkins.
6. Cover and place in refrigerator to let chill or serve immediately.
7. Best served chilled and after ingredients have "married".

*Helpful Hints*

 

- Prepare eggs ahead of time so they are cooled by the time you add them into the macaroni salad.

 

Disclaimer ~ This is not a paid post by Dukes mayonnaise. I have no affiliation with them. I just found their mayonnaise to be the best. Sorry Miracle Whip!

 

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I made this last week when I was craving a pasta salad and I asked on Instagram if y'all would like to see the recipe and you answered back with a Yes. So here it is, my Mediterranean Pasta Salad.

This pasta salad has all the foods that are reminiscent of the Mediterranean - olives, tomatoes, artichokes, pasta, and peas.

Y'all know when you get that craving and you think of something in your mind while you're at the store and just start throwing items in your cart that you think will taste great together, right? No?

Well that's what happened to me when I thought of this pasta salad at the store. I just started throwing stuff in the cart that went with the idea in my mind. Needless to say, my mind can be quite imaginative.

Of course I needed pasta for a pasta salad but these are not your ordinary spaghetti noodles. These spaghetti noodles are also made with vegetables (dried carrots, tomatoes, and spinach) giving the noodles a rich color.

And when I think of Mediterranean foods, I always think of tomatoes, olives, artichokes, and peas. So I combined different types of tomatoes, fresh and sun-dried, plus Kalamata olives, black olives, and Manzanilla olives for a bouquet of flavor. Tossed in some artichoke hearts and sweet peas, drizzled Greek dressing throughout, and topped it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Voilà.

A simply light pasta salad that makes for a great meal on these warm summer days. Easy to make and healthy too!

I know it might not be officially summer yet (or for some of you, even warm where you're at) but here in Georgia, the mercury's been riding the high 80's to low 90's and that's summer weather to me!

Whatever the weather where you are, this pasta salad will have you dreaming of sunny days in the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A healthy vegan Mediterranean pasta salad.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients

• 1 - 12 ounce package Ronzoni Garden Delight spaghetti
• 1 - 8.5 ounce DR WT jar pitted Kalamato olives, drained
• 1 - 10 ounce DR WT jar Manzanilla olives with pimentos, drained
• 1 - 6 ounce DR WT can pitted medium black olives, drained
• 14 ounces quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 12 ounces frozen sweet peas, unthawed
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienne cut
• 1 - 10.5 ounce package fresh grape tomatoes, rinsed
• 1 - 10.5 ounce package fresh cherry tomatoes, rinsed
• 1 - 10.5 ounce package fresh yellow grape tomatoes, rinsed
• 2 to 4 Tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
• 8 ounces Greek salad dressing

Cooking Directions

1. Cook spaghetti as directed on package.
2. Drain spaghetti in colander and rinse with cool water. Let drain.
3. In a large salad bowl, add spaghetti, olives, tomatoes (fresh and sun-dried), artichoke hearts, and peas.
4. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over the top and toss together, covering all ingredients with dressing. If desired, you can serve dressing on the side instead of mixed in.
5. Grate fresh parmesan cheese over the top and serve.
6. Best served with a glass of your favorite wine.

Disclaimer - I am not affiliated with Ronzoni. I just love the look and taste of their Garden delight spaghetti noodles in this recipe.

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.