Mom's Macaroni Salad

This is a salad recipe that my mom made when we were kids and her mom made when she was a kid.  Aren’t those just the best recipes.  We have it all year round, but it’s particularly good during the summer as a refreshing cold salad.  This is the salad that my kids want me to make when they come home.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

• 1 box (16 ounces) small elbow macaroni, cooked until soft
• 6 hard-boiled eggs, 5 chopped and 1 sliced
• 1 large can of tuna in water, drained
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) of medium peas, drained
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• ½ cup diced red onion
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup diced green pepper
• 5 sliced green onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use a light version)
• 1-2 tablespoons sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: 

1. Make sure macaroni and eggs are cooled before combining with other ingredients. Otherwise, your dressing will become runny.
2. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
3. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sugar, and yellow mustard. Start with 1 tablespoon each of sugar and mustard and then add more for taste.  The dressing should be a mix of tart and sweet at the same time, but not overly so.
4. Pour dressing over salad and mix well. Salad ingredients should be lightly coated, not drenched in dressing. 
5. Place sliced egg on top of salad and serve. It can be served either at room temperature or cold.