Bloatal Recall: Macaroni Salad

I made this macaroni salad for a luncheon at my daughter's school. I hesitated to add all the vegetables because I was nervous that some of the kids wouldn't like the crunchy chunks. But then we went to Charlie Brown's for a night of fine dining and my daughter took full advantage of the all-you-can-eat salad bar's macaroni salad (chunks and all). If I hadn't cut her off, we'd still be there. So I figured pasta + creamy mayo might be just the thing to sneak a small amount vegetables into these kids. So I went for it. I can't say whether the children liked it or not, because I wasn't there and my daughter wasn't all that interested in studying their reactions and reporting back to me (her priorities are all screwed up). But she really liked it (which I observed with my own eyes and reported back to myself).

MACARONI SALAD

Yield: 8-12 servings

1 lb. elbow macaroni (or other small pasta)

2 large stalks celery, diced

2 small carrots, diced or grated

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1/2 small red onion, finely diced

4 hard-boiled eggs, chilled and chopped

dressing:

2 cups mayonnaise

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3/4 teaspoon celery seed

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook just until tender, according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place in a large bowl and refrigerate while chopping the vegetables and making the dressing.

2. In a small bowl, stir together all the dressing ingredients.

3. Add chopped vegetables, eggs and dressing to the cold macaroni. Mix until well blended.

4. Cover and chill for about 2 hours (the pasta will soak up more of the dressing). Mix well before serving.