Macaroni Salad

   With summer coming to an end, the final cookouts of are being planned... Hamburgers, BBQ, chicken skewers - Some may think that the stars of these gatherings are what meat(s) get put on the grill, but to me? It's all about the sides!
   That's why I wanted to post one of my absolute favorite family recipes, specifically one my mother and aunt are best known for... Macaroni salad; served warm or cold, either way it's delightful.

You will need:

• 1 lb Box of Small Elbow Noodles
• Water
• Coarse Sea Salt
• Baby Dill Pickles
• Pickle Juice
• 2 Medium Sized Tomatoes
• Mayonnaise
• Black Pepper

Step One:

• Fill a decently sized, preferably non-stick, pot with about four cups of water.
• Use 2-2.5 teaspoons of coarse sea salt to make your boiling water as salty as the sea!

(Salting your water not only helps your pasta to not stick together, but also is the only opportunity you'll have to flavor your noodles.)

• Once your water is boiling, pour the entire 1lb box of small Elbow noodles in; if you buy a cheaper brand of pasta, you'll have to stay with the noodles as they boil to ensure they don't stick to the pot.
• Let pasta boil until al dente (firm, yet tender), because the pasta will continue to cook within its own steam when out of the water... Do not pour cold water over your noodles to stop them from cooking; sauce won't stick to/soak into your noodles if you do.

A little tip: An old wives tale says "If you try to boil hot water, it takes longer." This is actually false! You can cut half your cooking time by starting out with hot water.

Step Two:

• Dice 3-4 baby Dill pickles, medium to fine... They are more dense, and you can avoid big seeds.
• We use 2 medium sized tomatoes from our garden, that's why this is a summer staple! Market/store bought tomatoes are fine as well, but only use tomatoes grown in the summer... De-seeding the tomatoes is optional, but we usually do to avoid any mealiness.

(This is a key ingredient! The tomato's acid mixes perfectly with the mayonnaise and pickles; brightening the dish with natural sweetness.)

• Take 1 cup of mayonnaise and add the diced pickles and tomatoes to it - Mix well.
• Add pickle juice to-taste; we use about 2 tablespoons... The juice thins out the mayonnaise and prevents needing to add any salt to the dish.
• Once noodles have been strained, fold the mixture into the noodles while they're still warm so that they soak up a bit of the mixture.
• Finish up with black pepper to-taste, and pop the finished product into the fridge to cool (or enjoy warm)!

I hope your family loves this yummy side dish as much as mine does!

Comment below if you enjoy this recipe, and tell me all about your final gatherings of summer.

xoxo Elle

Party Ready Lemonade

   What is summer without a bit of citrus? Boring, that's what!
   The lemonade my mother makes is my absolute favorite, biases aside... I'm not the only one who loves it, so I wanted to share her quick, easy, and completely delicious recipe for ready-to-serve lemonade.

You will need:

• Natural Strength "RealLemon" Juice or a bag of lemons to hand juice.
• Simple Syrup (water and sugar)
• Water
• Ice
• Container to shake or stir

Quick Steps (Serving size: 6 Cups):

• Pour 1 cup of your lemon juice of choice and set it aside.
• Make the simple syrup; boil 1.5 cups of water then combine the boiling water to 1.5 cups of sugar... You can substitute Splenda if you'd like.
• Mix the simple syrup with the lemon juice.
• Add 2 cups of cold water to the mixture and stir together.
• Fill mixture container with ice.
• Shake and/or stir well.
• Serve it up!

Tip One: To make Lemon Lime or Strawberry Lemonade, just use .5 cup lemon juice and .5 cup of desired juice.

Tip Two: Looking for hard lemonade? Try pouring 2 ounces of vodka, 2 ounces of cranberry juice, and 4 ounces of lemonade over a full glass of ice for the perfect sip!

Enjoy sipping this simply bright drink by the pool... But hurry up!

Summer will be gone before we know it.

Let me know how you enjoy this drink recipe, and comment below with how you're spending the last weeks of summer!

xoxo Elle