Macaroni Salad

I try other macaroni salads, but I always come back to this one. Make it at least one day in advance for the best flavor.

1 sm box elbow macaroni
1 med onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
1-2 sm cans tuna fish, drained*
1 dash celery salt
1 dash onion salt
Salt and pepper, to taste
Miracle Whip (not mayonnaise)

Cook macaroni al dente (tender crisp). Drain and rinse well.

Add remaining ingredients, using just enough Miracle Whip to coat well. (You will have to add more dressing before you serve it, as the macaroni absorbs the dressing, and it will be dry). You just don't want to overload the dressing in these kinds of salads.

Chill overnight (or longer), to blend flavors.  Add additional Miracle Whip to make a moist salad. Sometimes I sprinkle paprika over the top just for color.

*You can use oil packed or water packed tuna, which ever you prefer. The oil packed tuna will deliver more flavor, but I usually use water packed because that's what I keep on hand.

Also, don't use mayonnaise. The lighter Miracle Whip just tastes better on some salads, and this would be one of them.

Spaghetti Salad

This one comes from my long-time best friend, Rose.

1 (16 oz) box thin spaghetti
1 jar McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning
3-4 med tomatoes, seeded and diced
1-2 med onions, diced
1-2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 (16 oz) bottle Wishbone Italian dressing

Break spaghetti into shorter lengths. Cook al dente; rinse and drain well.

Combine with the remaining ingredients. Chill overnight to marinate the flavors.

Pasta Salad with Cucumber, Peppers, and Feta

This has a very nice Mediterranean taste. I really like using orzo instead of a heavier pasta, as usually found in pasta salads.  This allows the flavor of the other ingredients to shine.


1  cup  walnut halves
1  cucumber
1  red bell pepper
1  yellow bell pepper
Kosher salt
1-1/2  cups  orzo pasta
2  Tbs  extra-virgin olive oil
1/2  cup  kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/2  cup  diced scallions
1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil
1/4  cup  chopped fresh Italian parsley
1-1/4  cups  crumbled feta cheese
Freshly ground black pepper


Lemon Vinaigrette
1  Tbs  Dijon mustard
2  tsp  red wine vinegar
1/3  cup  freshly squeezed lemon juice
1  tsp  honey
1  Tbs  freshly grated lemon zest
1  clove  garlic, finely chopped
1  tsp  kosher salt
1/4  tsp  pepper
3/4  cup  extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350˚.
Spread walnuts on a baking sheet and toast on center rack of oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool, then coarsely chop and set aside.

Peel and core cucumber and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes. Core the red and yellow peppers and cut them into 1/2-inch square pieces. Set aside.

Fill a large saucepan full of water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Drop in pasta and simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until tender. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the pasta in a colander, and then cool the pasta by running cold water over the colander. Shake the colander to remove excess water and transfer the cooled pasta to a medium bowl. Toss with olive oil to keep pasta from sticking together.

Add the toasted walnuts, cucumber, peppers, olives, scallions, basil, parsley and feta. Drizzle in Lemon Vinaigrette and toss well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Combine mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, honey, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well with a whisk. Add olive oil in a slow stream, whisking as you pour in the oil. Continue whisking until the dressing has emulsified, then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.


You may not need all the vinaigrette dressing for the salad. 
The recipe calls for using just 1/3 cup, but I used it all.  Your decision.