Creamy Macaroni Salad

I just love picnic food so it should be no surprise that I just love when Memorial Day rolls around because it means that picnic food is here and not going anywhere for a few glorious months! What could be better than cold fried chicken, lemonade and macaroni salad? Not a whole lot in my book.

This macaroni salad recipe happens to be my favorite so I wanted to be sure to share it with you before the holiday weekend hits. It’s super creamy and has some of my favorite indgredients – pasta, bacon, vinegar and pickles (I know vinegar is a weird thing to love but I do). I like to use Barilla Plus pasta for this because it tastes just as good as regular pasta but is much better for you. Also, the box is a little less than a pound so there is an increased saucy-ness to the salad which is always a good thing to me.

Creamy Macaroni Salad
recipe adapted from Food.com

1 lb. large elbow macaroni, cooked to desired tenderness
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup finely diced sweet onion
1 small red sweet bell pepper, finely diced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup pickle relish (I chop up Claussen pickles because they are my favorite)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon celery seed
1/2 lb bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled

1. Mix cooled macaroni, celery, onions and bell pepper together in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, pickle relish, sugar, salt, pepper and celery seed, stirring well.

3. Stir dressing into the macaroni mixture.

4. Stir in the crumbled bacon.

5. Serve chilled. Best if made the night before.

Recipe linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday, Cast Party Wednesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Honey Mustard Pork Burgers

A few months back I was flipping through a cookbook I’ve had for awhile and came across this recipe. Joel and I are huge fans of honey mustard and burgers so I don’t know how this recipe didn’t jump out at me before. Needless to say, these burgers have become a fast favorite in our house and we eat them often.

The flavors in these burgers are simple but come together and pop nicely due to the mildness of the pork. And who doesn’t love a recipe that has 5 super accessible ingredients? They literally take minutes to mix up and grill quickly for an easy weeknight meal. I love to have sweet potato fries alongside these yummy burgers!

Honey Mustard Pork Burgers
recipe from Blue Ribbon Recipes

2 lbs. ground pork
40 saltine crackers, crushed
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1. Combine ground pork, crushed crackers, mustard, honey and lemon juice in a large bowl. Form into 8 patties.
2. Grill on medium heat, turning once, until juices run clear, about 12 minutes.

Recipe linked to Mangia Monday’s, Nap Time Creations and This Week’s Cravings.