Once upon a time, my husband and I decided to move to Miami. We are very close to our family there, and compared to the Northeast, the weather is incredible. I had been there so many times and I loved the beautiful sunny days. For most people, this would have been an easy transition. But not me. It seems you can take a girl out of the Northeast, but you can’t take the Northeast out of a girl.
The summers were dreadfully hot, and putting my young son in a hot car seat in an even hotter car was simply not practical. Because I worked, I found it hard to socialize and make friends. We had just bought our first home, and I thought that I would be there forever. How I wished we could move back.
As it has gone many times in my life, something good came out of something bad. We were badly hit by Hurricane Andrew, the strongest hurricane to ever hit Florida. I won’t go through the details, because it turned my life upside down, but suffice to say that we lost everything.
A couple of months after the hurricane, my husband got a call for a job back up north. I was ecstatic! He took the job and I was moving back where I belonged. Yes, the Northeast has snow and gloomy winter days but, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
This light salad reminds me of those summer days in Florida– cool, refreshing, and easy to put together. No slaving over a hot stove today! The celery and onions give some heat and crunch, and the hearts of palm and the parsley are savory additions. It all comes together in a creamy, sweet and tangy dressing. This salad is a perfect side to any main dish whether it’s barbecued or oven-made. Put this on your “short on time” list for sure.
This recipe is my own and will serve 6 to 8 people who will truly enjoy this fresh and tasty summertime salad.
Ingredients for Macaroni Salad:
2 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked, rinsed, and drained
1/3 cup diced celery
1/4 cup minced red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup hearts of palm
3/4 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to directions.
When pasta is done, drain and set aside in a large bowl.
Let cool while preparing your other ingredients.
Add the celery.
Now the red onion.
Toss in the tomatoes.
Sprinkle in parsley, and hearts of palm, and stir to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, sour cream and salt.
Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve.
Store covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
It’s that simple! (and good).
