Summer Cookouts and a Dish to Pass

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Hooray! My favorite part of the Summer season is when I get invited to a cookout. I love the smell of the grill, the juicy hamburgers and the endless buffet covered with an array of sides that each attendee has lovingly crafted in their own kitchen. For me, it’s all about the food! I see this as my chance to try new things and sneak some new flavors onto my kids’ plates. 

Though I love to cook, I sometimes stress when people ask me to “bring a side.” I can get a meal on the table most days without much thought, but a side takes a bit more planning. For most side dishes, I have to make a special trip to the store for ingredients, which requires some forethought as to the recipe I will be preparing. Whereas when I make dinners, I can usually just grab what’s in the pantry or freezer and make due.

Each Summer I am eager to try something new, but my husband convinces me to make my signature side dish (I think it is one of his favorites, too). I have even had friends request it by name! And surely if it is getting requests, it must be pretty good. This recipe is a hand-me-down from my Grandma. It has been a staple at every picnic, cookout, and outdoor party I attended growing up. I would always take big heaping portions from the serving bowl and put it on my plate.  And if I ever went back for seconds of anything, it was always this side. When I moved out of my parent’s house and attended my first “grown-up” cookout, all by myself, this is the side dish I brought. It received rave reviews and I have been making it ever since. The great thing about this recipe is that I usually have all of the ingredients on hand.

I am sure you are getting curious as to what this magical side dish could be. Well, the wait is over. The side dish that I get requested to bring is… macaroni salad. But wait! This is no ordinary macaroni salad. It is not yellow in color, soupy and tasting of mushy mustardy noodles. This macaroni salad has way more going on. It begins with elbow pasta cooked to an al dente state, nestled among bits of celery, onion, and hard boiled egg. All swirled together with salt, pepper and mayonnaise. The presentation is super cute with little round egg slices laid on top of the macaroni salad and a few sprinkles of paprika. Now, I’m not going to lie, this macaroni salad takes effort (i.e. time) but it is well worth it. Check out the recipe below and be sure to make enough for leftovers. Did someone say midnight snack?

[yumprint-recipe id=’23’]