MACARONI SALAD

GMAMA'S MACARONI SALAD

Honest, this is the most unique, best tasting macaroni salad you'll ever taste!  My mother made it all the time beginning in the spring thru summer.  Her Macaroni salad was requested for EVERY Picnic.  Both my daughter's love it and my oldest sister requests it to be on the Thanksgiving menu if she is able to attend! I just finished making a batch and thought to myself...

Hmmm???

I need to share this recipe on Grandmama's Stories!

I once asked my Mama where she got the recipe and she couldn't remember or better yet she could never remember eating this particular version of macaroni salad anywhere else.  

 After Alzheimer's pulled the veil over my mother's memory, I would give her some of HER Macaroni salad, her recipe mind you, and she would say, "Oh this tastes so good, where did you get the recipe?  I don't think I've eaten macaroni salad quite like this."  I would always tell her the Best Cook in America invented the recipe and she would always reply, "Well, I sure would like to meet her and get some more of her recipes, wouldn't you, Jane Ellen?"  Mothers like to call us by our full names, don't they?

 I think I'll call this recipe a Mary White Shrewsbury Original just like the cook who made it up!

Mary's Macaroni Salad

1 box medium shell macaroni

2 cucumbers

1-2 green peppers (amount according to taste..I use about 1-1 1/2...I also make sure my pepper isn't too bitter before I cut up and place in my salad and ruin the whole batch!.  How do I know to do this?...What do you think??)

Celery seed

Mayonnaise (approx. 1/2 - 1 cup depending on your preference.  I use about 3/4 cup and ONLY HELLMANS)

Macaroni, overnight in fridge, salted and w/ celery seed

Prepare shell macaroni according to box instructions.  Make the water salty because the salad is best with your macaroni nicely salted.  Drain, rinse with cold water several times, Drain till dry.  Here is where I place my colander over a pot, cover with clear wrap, and place in fridge over night to get cold and very dry.  This makes the Mayo adhere much better to the macaroni !.  You don't HAVE to do this step but I've found my salad tastes best if I do!  Place in large bowl for mixing ingredients.  Salt Macaroni again and shake on celery seed.  

Dice  Green Peppers and cucumbers small

Added ingredients

    Add Mayonnaise starting in small amounts until you get the taste you like.  We like lots of mayo.  That's it!!  No eggs, no pickles, no celery, etc.. The only tweak I make is to add a small amount of  fresh green onion simply because I personally like onion in just about everything!  Now place in storage bowl and place in refrigerator to chill and for flavors to blend!  Overnight for the best taste.  

Mayo added

I can never wait that long before I get a bowl!  I like it with crackers.  I also like my Macaroni Salad saltier than most of the food I eat...don't know why but it just seems to taste better a little on the salty side and most of my family agrees with me.      

Let me know if you make this recipe and send me an honest evaluation.  I'd like to know if anyone outside of my family likes this version of Macaroni Salad!!  My husband likes it and he's not a fan of green peppers but agrees that the peppers are necessary for this version of Mac Salad.  My youngest daughter will drive 1 hr. to come home if she knows I have made Macaroni Salad.  I always have a separate container for her to take home.  Her housemate/best friend, loves it so I have 1 non-family thumbs up!

SO, this is what's on the Week-end menu here at the farm!  Something grilled on the grill (if #1 husband can get home from fishing in time...I don't grill.  I overcook everything I ever grill) will make a nice and easy week-end meal which means more time for Sewing.  Before the weather turns too warm, I like to take my stitching outside.  I've even taken my sewing machine outside on the patio table which allows me to keep sewing and watch Sidekick Scott.

Prayer Request Sunday is Coming.  I have had 3 Requests for this week wanting YOU, our Prayer Warriors to pray for a special need.  Let's keep our promise to pray for our friends.  Tell your friends about our little group.  I look forward to getting together on Sundays. 

This week, let's begin to think about our roles as mothers , grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and other *womanly* roles we play that influence our children and family.  What can we be grateful for?  How can we be more effective in those roles?  Is our role a positive or negative role?

Just thinkin'.....

Blessings