Yum: Macaroni Salad

I think we can agree it’s going to be a very different kind of Fourth of July. But, that isn’t stopping us from grilling and celebrating from home. Admittedly, I have never made macaroni salad before. Pasta salad. Caprese salad. But never a creamy macaroni salad. And for me, it sounded like the perfect dish to try with burgers, corn on the cob and chips.

Now, I recently bought Magnolia Table: Volume 2, by Joanna Gaines. I loved it so much I scooped up the original too! I haven’t been an avid Joanna Gaines fan, but I could read these recipe books for fun – they’re just so beautiful.

So let’s see how her recipe pans out.

The recipe is easy enough and came together quickly. I was even able to use fresh parsley from the garden, which is always a bonus. But, instead of waiting 15 minutes to serve, I put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two before we were ready to eat. Consequently, I was disappointed to see it had almost congealed a bit. I added some sauce from jarred jalapeño peppers to bring it some life.

I’m a firm believer in trying a recipe as it’s written once, and then modifying it according to your taste. That way, you can make it your own based on your preferences. So I looked at similar recipes, which noticed some used sour cream. I wonder if next time I might play with that combination to keep it moist (so maybe 1 cup mayo, and 1/2 or 1/4 cup sour cream). I’d also add a tablespoon of pickle juice and increase the sugar to one tablespoon to see how it turns out.

Looks like I’ll have to keep you posted!

Get the original recipe and her cookbook here.