Macaroni Salad

"Yankee doodle went to town, riding on a pony. He stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni." Remember that little ditty. I remember singing that fondly as a little child. What does that have to do with macaroni salad? Absolutely nothing. Just thought I'd throw that out there for fun.

I had some last pieces of celery and carrots I needed to use up. It wasn't a lot andn I figured there's no point in making soup or something like that with it. But them i thought back to my crab salad. Suddenly remember that I still had a bunch of pasta in pantry. I had been thinking of cooking up a little pasta fix lately. One thing for sure I haven't done yet was another picnic/party essential as in a good ol' macaroni salad. I already did potato salad, so why not make its cousin. This one is simple to make. Very little ingredients. The reddish color comes from the paprika I added. I do love my paprika.

I guess my making this, I'm eager for winter to be over.

Serves 3-5

Macaroni Salad

1 celery stick - fine chopped
1 small carrot - peeled and fine chopped
1 small yellow bell pepper  - deseeded and fine chopped
2-3 c uncooked macaroni pasta
2 tsp sweet pickle relish
1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp mayo
pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
5 oz pineapple chunks
1 c shredded chicken - optional



Bring a pot of water to a boil. Season liberally with salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the pasta until tender. Roughly 10 minutes. Be sure to drain and cool completely. (You can run it through cold water to let it cool faster)

In a large bowl, combine the celery, carrot, bell pepper, pineapple chunks and macaroni. You may also add the optional chicken. Toss together. Add in mayo, sweet pickle relish, rice wine vinegar and paprika. Season with a little pepper to taste. Toss together thoroughly coating everything.

Place in a container and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.