Potluck Macaroni Salad

Natalia and Alexia travel to Detroit this summer for a service trip with the youth group from church. Recently, the church hosted a potluck lunch as a fundraiser to help defray the cost of the trip for the children. Each family brought something different to share, divided between main dishes, salads, and sides by last name. Luckily I choose from my two last names and decided to bring a salad. I asked my mother to share a few good (and easy!) recipes that would be good for a crowd and as usual, she gave me excellent suggestions.

The potluck dishes, casseroles, and crock pots crowded the long table in the church hall. I especially enjoyed the fresh summer salads and fried chicken. I indulged just a bit because after all, I supported a good cause!

My mother's macaroni salad recipe is light, delicious, and easy to prepare. Many people, including my daughters and husband, served second and third helpings of the macaroni salad at the potluck lunch.

Ingredients
8 oz. macaroni (elbow or shells)
1/2 cup mayo
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 cup celery (diced finely)
2 TBS chopped green pepper
2 TBS minced sweet onion pimiento (from a tiny jar ... dice it up on your cutting board)

Preparation
Cook Macaroni. While the macaroni is cooking, prepare the other ingredients and mix together well. Drain Macaroni and run cold water over it until it is cooled. Drain very well. Add macaroni to the other blended ingredients and mix together. Cover and store in fridge for a few hours before serving. Stir before serving.

Whether your potluck dish is hot or cold, it's important to make sure that the dish remains at the appropriate temperature. Salads with mayonnaise stay cold in a preppy insulated cooler which also helps you to easily identify your dish at the end of the event. I add a gel pack to the cooler, too.

Green Chevron  //   Blue Insulated Cooler  //  Navy Thermal Food Carrier //  Blue Lattice

If you make my mother's macaroni salad, I'd love to hear what you think! Please share your comments and pictures by email or on other social media like Instagram or Facebook.