There were more than a few years I was on my own. My son was grown and on his own and lived far away. Before I met Jim. I'd always plan something tasty for me..something special. Now I love to cook so it was not a tribulation. I remember on the 4th of July they used to have a TWILIGHT ZONE marathon. The day before I prepped whatever I was going to have so on the day when the marathon began I'd be in front TV watching all day. It was something I looked forward to do....a TRADITION I had built all by myself for myself.
Do you have a tradition for you? If not you should. If so what is it if you don't mind my asking?
Recipe? Uh... I can give you the basic ingredients, but not the exact measurements. I really make it by taste. I close eyes, taste, and can tell if there’s too much of an ingredient, or if an ingredient is missing. Then I adjust it from there. (I know, I know... that's not how one cooks).
* Macaroni Salad *
- 1 box salad macaroni - cooked, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 to 1 jar Miracle Whip (regular)
- 6 or 7 hard boiled eggs – chopped
- 1 whole hard boiled egg (set aside)
- Pickles (chopped) – 1 to 1-1/2 dill AND 5-8 sweet pickle chips or 3-4 sandwich toppers {Note: Pickles can make or break the salad. While it’s preferable to have slightly more dill than sweet, be aware that too many pickles (epically sweet) or too few (especially dill) can drastically throw off the flavor}
- Parsley (dried) – Just enough for a bit of color
- Garlic powder –a dash or 2
- Onion - 1/4 fresh, OR a little less than handful of chopped dried, OR a sprinkling of powder)
- Paprika – just enough so that salad’s not too pale (too much and salad will be bitter)
- Salt-free seasoning mix (such as Mrs. Dash) –a smidgen or 2
- Celery seed - dash to a tad (optional)
*****
*Place macaroni in a large bowl.
*Add spices and mix thoroughly.
*Add eggs and pickles, mix thoroughly.
*Mix in about 2-3 spatulas of Miracle Whip and mix thoroughly.
*Taste.
*Add more pickles, onions or spices if needed (depending on what you think it needs to suit your tastes)
*Add enough Miracle Whip to make salad slightly "damp". {Note: salad will absorb 25%-35% of the moisture from the Miracle Whip once it's refrigerated. So add enough Miracle Whip so that it looks like too much … but don't overdo it or salad will be soggy.}
*Taste.
*If dry, add more Miracle Whip. If taste is "off", add spices and/or pickles to balance (Note: you can add, but you can't take away, so be careful. Flavors will blend during refrigeration, so a warm salad won’t taste exactly "perfect").
* Place salad into serving container.
*Slice reaming egg into 5 or 6 slices and arrange on top of salad. Dust top of salad lightly with paprika
* Cover and refrigerate salad for at least 6 hours (overnight is ideal).
Serves: 8-10
Note - mayonnaise can be substituted for Miracle Whip, but salad won’t taste as “sweet”.
Shuhak 