Ham Pasta Salad

This post was one of the few that never got transferred to my old blog -- but it was written when I was pregnant with Logan! So, I decided that during this "week of recipes," I would include this yummy side dish (for either lunch or dinner) that I made three years ago (I wrote this in November 2007):

During my pregnancy sickness, I became tired of the same old menu we've been following for the past 4.5 years. The thought of any of our usual meals caused me to scrunch up my nose. When I found myself watching the food channel while I was in bed with nothing else to do, I began to gain motivation for "creating" an entire new menu.

For my wedding I received several cookbooks that have made all of my kitchens look quite lovely. I never intended them to just be decorations, but sadly I can easily count how many recipes I've made from all of them. So, last week I went through every single one and wrote down ALL of the recipes I would first be interested in trying! Then, I went to the grocery store and bought ingredients for four of them!

I have to say I felt kind of dorky because I'm so inexperienced. I've never bought an onion. . .or a pepper. . .let alone do I know how to cut one correctly. The time I've spent in the kitchen has always been on desserts. I feel much more confident when it comes to baking cookies, brownies, lemon bars, etc. But buy something like a pork loin? (What is that????) Still, I managed to get everything on my list (now I know what a pork loin is) and so today I made one of my choices :-)

Guess what? It tastes good! [Four out of four stars] I'm so proud of myself! So if I can do it, anyone can. [Four out of four stars on easy-to-prepare] It took a little over an hour [Two out of four stars on prep time]. I've posted pics and copied the recipe from THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO COUNTRY COOKING.

HAM PASTA SALAD

Ingredients

1 package (7 ounces) shell macaroni, cooked and drained
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a large bowl, toss macaroni with ham, green pepper, tomato, and onion.In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, milk, and salt. Pour over pasta mixture and stir to coat. Cover and chill. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan before serving. Yields: 4-6 servings.