Monday Madness

It's Monday!!! I'm having quite a productive day today...it's amazing what finding out that you're getting company in two days does for productivity! Tonight we're having the missionaries over for dinner...something I really enjoy doing but only get to do during summer vacation, since Erwin and I work opposite schedules. I think we're going to have Chicken Gyros with Tztziki (I know I spelled that wrong), Falafel, Greek Salad, and Angel Food Cake for dessert. So far I've got the kitchen cleaned (though I'm going to be messing it up again in a couple hours with my cooking), the family room picked up, and Erwin's working on the dining room (and paying bills).

My mother-in-law should be coming into town on Tuesday or Wednesday for a couple days, then we're heading off on Saturday for vacation for two weeks. Along the way we're going to stop at my brother's house to see the family, then continue on our way to see Erwin's family!

Yup...

It's still there. The macaroni salad, that is. We've had macaroni salad with nearly every meal since the ward party on Friday night. Still have half of a fairly large bowl left. We have a "4 day" rule here...if it's not eaten within 4 days, it gets tossed. I'm beginning to think I'll never eat macaroni salad again!

Now, for all that are interested, here's the recipe (I use the term loosely...I never measure, so everything is approximate).

1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked al dente (make sure it's still a bit firm), and rinsed
1-2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp celery seed
1 tsp savory
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine mayo (start with 1 cup, adding more if needed), lemon juice, relish, onion, garlic powder, celery seed, and savory in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Toss to coat. Taste for salt & pepper, adjust other seasonings to taste. **The macaroni salad will taste pretty acidic at first. You want it overly acidic to begin with because the macaroni will absorb the lemon juice and it will mellow within an hour, leaving a nice tartness.

I survived!!!

I survived the last day of school! I roped three kids from church into meeting me at school on the last day for teachers (no kids on the last day for us) to help me pack and clean my room. It worked out beautifully! Three kids had to leave after lunch (it's amazing what promising teenagers pizza will do!) but one was able to stay with me until we were done...at 3! I was soooo exhausted at the end of the day, all I wanted to do was collapse for about 20 years. However, relaxing doesn't seem to be my lot in life...

My ward planned a end-of-the-school-year shindig for Friday, and I, thinking I'd be checked out by lunchtime, signed up to bring macaroni salad for THIRTY AND a "baked good" for the bake-off. I mixed up the biggest pot of macaroni salad I've ever made (and it was darn good, too), and threw together a blueberry crumb pie (one of the quickest desserts I know... use frozen blueberries, a frozen pie crust and a little struesal topping). While the ward party was fun, I hardly remember any of it...I was way to exhausted to notice what was happening around me. However, I DO remember one tidbit. I got the chore joy of lugging macaroni salad for 20 back home with me. Yup. Less than a third of it got eaten. Apparently my ward is abnormal and doesn't eat macaroni salad. Mental note to self...next time I'm asked to bring anything for thirty, bring half. Or eat it for a week.