Summer Macaroni Salad

If there was one thing that I would find a hard time living without during the summertime, or anytime for that matter, it would be macaroni salad. I am in LOVE with it. I came across this recipe the other day from the Favorite Family Recipes blog. It's called Mom's Macaroni Salad and it is DELICIOUS!

Picture Source: favfamilyrecipes.com

I made a HUGE bowl of this last Monday and by Friday it was gone. Every time Mike walked into the kitchen he took the bowl out and scooped himself a bowl. I did make a few changes, as usual, so I'll mention them in the recipe, but I have full confidence that the recipe is amazing all on it's own.

Summer Macaroni Salad

INGREDIENTS:
     1 pkg. (1lb) macaroni (or shells)
     1 1/2 cup mayo
     2 tbsp. mustard (I used 1 tbsp. yellow mustard and 1 tbsp. horseradish mustard)
     1/4 cup sour cream (use greek yogurt to make it healthier!!)
     2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
     2 tbsp. sugar
     1/2 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
     ground black pepper (to taste)
     1 cup ham steak, cut into small cubes (I used a honey ham steak and grilled it just a little before cutting)
     1 cup cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes (I used shredded)
     2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed (I'm not a huge pea fan so I left these out)
     2-3 carrots, shredded (Mike gets bad indigestion from raw carrots so I saved myself and left these out, too)

Other optional add-ins:
     cucumber, peeled and diced
     dill pickles, chopped
     tomato, diced
     red bell pepper, diced (I actually did green bell peppers)
     celery, chopped
     *corn, canned or frozen and thawed (I added some frozen and thawed corn to mine, it added a great little crunch)
     *onion, diced (I love onion...so I couldn't leave it out)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare macaroni to al dente according to package directions. After macaroni is cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Once macaroni has cooled down, drain well.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine mayo, mustard, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.

In a large bowl, toss macaroni with ham, cheese, and whatever add-ins you choose.

Fold in Mayo mixture until pasta is well coated.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit overnight.

If the salad seems a little dry after setting up overnight, add some milk a little bit at a time until salad becomes nice and creamy again.

Recipe Source: favfamilyrecipes.com