Summer Salad

I love a good macaroni salad. This one is the winner, y'all. I was given this recipe in our very first ward in Lehi when I was told to bring it to a summer event. I grumbled about it at the time because it has so many ingredients. (I guess if you have the ultimate garden and you were asked to bring this at harvest time, it would be cheaper. As if.) I have since discovered that this salad is like the official salad of Lehi. Every town should have it's own official salad.

12 oz. macaroni (I use shells), cooked 30 seconds under the package directions (5 1/2 minutes)

3/4 c. celery, chopped

4 green onions (those I did get from my garden), diced

1 small zucchini, peeled and chopped

1/2 - 3/4 cucumber, peeled and chopped

4 radishes, quartered and sliced

2 small tomatoes (or use a bunch of cherry tomatoes like I did), chopped

3/4 c. frozen peas

1 c. chicken or turkey, cooked and chopped (I used a Costco rotisserie chicken) (duh)

Dressing:

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. Miracle Whip

1 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. sugar

1 envelope Ranch Dressing Powder

1 pkg. Arby's horsey sauce (optional)

Drain and rinse the shells in cold water, set them aside while you CHOP, CHOP, CHOP the other ingredients. Chop.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients. I like a saucier macaroni salad, so I've doubled the buttermilk from the original recipe. I think it helps the salad "keep" better, too. If you can, make this several hours before you plan to serve it so the flavors have time to mix together. It's the best. :)