Happy International Picnic Day! With my kitchen renovation taking place this week, this was a great solution to the problem of not being able to cook, other than on the grill. The weather has been beautiful and we journeyed out to a state park about an hour away from the house. The park was great and has amazing vistas and is used frequently for star-gazing activities. One beneficial activity to come out of Covid has been that we have spent more time outdoors wandering in the woods, whether it’s right behind our house or a few hours away. We’re not alone, either, apparently the National Park Service has experienced a major uptick in visitors and that’s great to hear.
We had gone on a little summer road trip 2 yrs ago and I made a simple sandwich that my girls have been raving about ever since. It’s super simple: get really good bread, slather one side with dijon, and the other with mayo, add charcuterie (as opposed to regular deli meat), top it with some brie, arugula, salt and pepper and honey. I also served up another one of their favorites: bbq macaroni salad. I’ve made this so much over the years, I don’t even need to consult the recipe anymore. But, it is below, if you’d like to try it. The addition of bbq sauce to the dressing is a game changer, along with the spices. It really elevates your regular old plain macaroni salad.
BBQ Macaroni Salad
from Cook’s Country
I typically add an additional rib of celery, along with half of a red onion (minced fine), to equal out the vegetable ratio in the macaroni, but the original recipe is below.
1 lb elbow macaroni
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 rib celery, thinly sliced on the bias
4 scallions, sliced thin
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup bbq sauce
Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente (not raw, but about a minute or so less than the box says). Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain again and place in a large bowl.
While bringing the water to a boil and cooking the pasta, prepare the vegetables and in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, hot sauce and spices.
After placing the drained pasta in a large bowl, top with the vinegar/spice mixture and prepared vegetables. Stir to combine and let sit for a few minutes.
Meanwhile stir the mayo and bbq sauce together, then pour on top of the pasta. Using a rubber spatula, stir the sauce into the macaroni salad. Let sit for about five minutes and stir it once more. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve or cover and refrigerate.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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