MACARONI SALAD
This is my daughter's favorite salad so I made it today for her birthday party.
Pasta salads always look so good right out of the gate, but as time goes by they tend to be dry - the pasta soaking up all the goodies and leaving less than gorgeousness behind.
One thing that seems to help a bit is to cook the pasta a day ahead. Let it cool and then I spray it with olive oil cooking spray fairly liberally and then cover and chill overnight. Just an fyi, if you're interested in trying it.
All of these measurements are to taste, basically. Add, subtract, stand on your head - whatever you like.... Sometimes I add frozen peas - just throw them into the hot pot of pasta right before you drain it - that's good, too.
This is not fancy...not gourmet...not nouvelle cuisine...just old-fashioned good.
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16 oz cooked macaroni (salad size or regular)
1 1/2 cups small cubes of cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup whipping cream or half & half
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice - right out of the jar
1 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/2 tablespoon dried dill weed - fresh is great, if it's handy
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
In a large bowl combine the macaroni and cheese. Add the mayonnaise, cream, pickle juice, mustard, pickle relish, dill, sugar, onion and garlic powders; mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more mayo or cream as needed for creaminess. Chill for at least an hour - best if overnight.
May seem too wet at first, but it will soak up some of that......in fact, before serving I usually add at least half of all the "dressing" ingredients again, just because it DOES soak up so much!
All seasonings and such are to taste, of course!
