Finally, summer is here!!!!! Our first winter in the new house held a lot of fun adventures. And yes, we are so strange we really do enjoy winter. Who am I kidding we enjoy every season. Not a lover of high humidity. Needless to say, we are loving living back in N.E. Ohio. And one of the fun things about summer is making pasta salad and grilling!!!
Fun Summer Time
Growing up on a dairy farm we were all so busy in the summer. After about 10 years old I would work with the horses keeping them and the equipment ready for the summer fairs. We used to go to several of the Ohio fairs to show the horses. We had draft horses that were so much fun. They are gentle giants. I still don't know how my Dad did everything on the farm with all the cows, horses, growing crops and he was always there to help the neighbors. My Mom helped him with milking the cows and she always made sure we had great meals. And some of my favorites were Dill pickle Potato Salad and this easy Summer Pasta Salad. Oh, and of course, fried chicken!!!! Plus, she was a great baker so we always had homemade pie or donuts and bread. . yum!!!!
Summer Pasta Salad
We took my Mom's summer Pasta Salad and made it a little more diet-friendly. We cut the mayonnaise and use light mayonnaise and light sour cream. The flavor is unbelievable and it lets us have a summer pasta salad without feeling guilty.
This is one of those salads my kids loved growing up. Plus, it's a meal or side dish you can make in a few minutes without heating up the house. I think the best part, is it's even better the next day!! . . . that is if you have any leftovers!!!
Easy Summer Pasta Salad
A Few Things We Use
Ingredients
- 12 Ounces Macaroni We like Elbow or Bow Tie
- 1 Cup Red Onion Chopped
- 15 Ounces Peas (1 can of frozen peas)
- ½ Cup Light Sour Cream
- ½ Cup Light Mayonnaise
- ½ Tablespoon Yellow Mustard We use French mustard
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Dill Pickle Juice
- ⅓ Cup Dill pickles Chopped
- ½ Lemon (Juice and zest) Juice from ½ Lemon and Zest
- 4 Eggs (hard-boiled)
Instructions
- Cook Macaroni according to instructions. We usually cook it in the least amount of time on the pasta box.
- Mix together the Sour Cream, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Pickle Juice, Lemon Juice, and Zest. Set Aside
- Chop Onions, Pickles, and Eggs. Add them, and the Peas, to Macaroni. (If using canned peas, make sure to drain before adding them to the salad. If using frozen peas, defrost first)
- Mix the onions, pickles, eggs, peas and macaroni
- Stir in the Mayonnaise Mixture to Macaroni. Gently mix together the Macaroni, Pickles, Onions, Eggs, Peas, and Mayonnaise Mixture until combined.
- Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh dill. Enjoy!!!!
Please let us know what you think