There was so much macaroni in that bowl that I don’t know how I crammed in the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggs. And then I had to somehow squeeze in the mayonnaise, too.
Dawn Kessinger/The Lima News
While awaiting my new stove, I decided I needed to get to know my microwave a little better.
I was tired of making the same leafy salads. I had fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, so I decided to vary the kind of salad and make macaroni salad.
I didn’t think it would be a difficult dish to prepare using the microwave. I’ve made macaroni on the stovetop so often I could do it in my sleep. But the microwave had a few tricks to teach me about paying attention to the little differences between using it versus cooking on the stove.
Using the microwave to boil that much water took more minutes than I anticipated, but it was still a simple first step in the process. Then I made several little mistakes, one of which proved not quite disastrous, but annoyingly messy.
Mistake No. 1: I poured in what appeared to be a “good” amount of macaroni. Did I mention the macaroni I’ve made so often is Kraft mac and cheese? Kraft thoughtfully provides the exact amount I need in its little blue and gold box, no measurement required.
Then I made Mistake No. 2: I set the microwave on high for 3 minutes. Why 3 minutes? Well, it took 6 minutes to get the water boiling. I figured half that time should be good to get the elbows on their way to tenderness.
And finally, Mistake No. 3: Instead of keeping an eye on the microwave, I turned my back and began dicing my tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and hard-boiled eggs while the microwave was humming while it worked.
Even if I hadn’t turned my back, unless I was staring directly though the microwave door, I don’t think I would have seen the disaster that was brewing inside.
When the microwave dinged to notify me 3 minutes were up, I paused my egg-dicing to stir the macaroni. When I opened the door, I grumbled a few ungracious comments when I discovered the swamp steaming on the bottom of my microwave. Then I grabbed a roll of paper towels and cleaned up.
I checked the microwave every 1 minute thereafter, until the macaroni was done. It was a massive big bunch of macaroni, too, since I hadn’t measured a reasonable amount: There was so much macaroni in that bowl that I don’t know how I crammed in the diced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggs. And then I had to somehow squeeze in the mayonnaise, too.
Although I couldn’t imagine we’d eat so much macaroni salad, my husband ate every single elbow and claimed he hadn’t had enough of it. Which helped me learn something else: Even when you believe you’ve made too many silly, ridiculous mistakes with a recipe, persevere and find a way to salvage what you’ve got. You might be surprised that it hasn’t failed to the degree you’d feared.
(Saved from the Swamp) Microwave Macaroni Salad
Ingredients:
• Elbow macaroni
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 mini cucumbers
• 3 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 green pepper
• Mayonnaise to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
Pour 6 cups water in large, microwave-safe bowl (2-2.5 quart). Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Check and add 2-minute increments until water boils. When water is boiling, add 4 cups (8 servings) elbow macaroni to the bowl and stir. Place lid loosely on top of the bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir macaroni, and microwave on high for 1 minute. Repeat until pasta is at desired tenderness. Drain water, and set macaroni aside. Dice tomatoes, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs and green peppers. Add to macaroni and stir. Add mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste, mix well.
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