At Christmas?!!! The crazy part of this is, Christmas Eve day is going to be MUGGY with a high of 65-70! Where do we live?! The reality is that my sister is having us over to celebrate her daughter in-law's and granddaughter's birthdays, determined that their birthdays will not be neglected just because of where they fall on the calendar. So, she has asked me to make macaroni salad. My mother in-law makes a delicious macaroni salad, and she taught me how to make it, and I have made it many, many times. However, it is a recipe that is a little of this, more of this, a lot of this, and taste it until it tastes right to you. So, for me at least, it was hit or miss, so I went searching on the internet for a recipe close to my MIL's. This is it, with a couple of tweaks:
Hellman's Macaroni Salad (this is doubled):
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked until al dente, rinsed in cold water, and drained
lots of carrots (maybe 6), chopped fine* (use your electric chopper and make it easy on yourself)
lots of celery (maybe 6 stalks), chopped fine*
a small onion (optional), chopped fine*
or whatever veggies you want
2 C mayo
1/4 C apple cider vinegar
2 T dijon mustard
1 1/2 t salt
2 t sugar
ground pepper to taste
mix dressing ingredients, allow to blend
mix pasta and veggies, add dressing to desired consistency (you can really halve the dressing, especially if you are using it right away)
*by chopping the veggies fine, kids cannot avoid them when eating the salad, although mine do their best
