For my high school graduation, I remember my mom's side of the family coming to town, and my mom (Kim Hollingsworth) and my aunt (Cydney Liles) whipped up a gigantic batch of their macaroni salad, which I immediately fell in love with and have been obsessed with ever since! I just barely found out that this recipe was passed down to my mom and aunt by their mom (Grandma Marilyn Hollingsworth), who got it from her mom (Great Grandma Thompson). It is very special, and every time I make it, I enjoy seeing my family's faces light up as they savor the olives and the surprising pop of sweet pickle. I have to admit, when I make a giant batch, I usually end up eating half of it as midnight snacks throughout the week!
Because of the times we are in, I wanted to share one of the foods that has comforted me the most in my life, and always reminds me of good times with my family.
**In the video, I call this salad "3rd generation" but then my mom corrected me.
Amanda's 4th Generation Macaroni Salad
Ingredients
1 lb package of macaroni noodles, cooked and drained
6-8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
8-10 small, sweet gherkins, sliced - and 1/2 to 1 cup of their pickle juice
1 cup sliced olives
1 cup mayo
2-4 Tbl yellow mustard
1-2 Tbl onion powder (add more to taste if needed)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a large bowl, combine pasta with mayo, mustard and eggs. Mix together till eggs break down into smaller chunks. Stir in pickles, pickle juice, and olives. Taste after you add pickle juice to see if you have gotten enough sweetness to balance out the mustard. Then, add spices, salt and pepper. Taste to make sure you got enough onion powder - you will taste the depth of the onion if you got the amount right; if onion flavor is week, add a bit more. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve!
