Macaroni salad is a great dish to throw together on the fly for any BBQ or party! Here is my go-to recipe - 

• 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2.5 Tbsp yellow mustard
• 1.5 tsp salt 
• 0.5 tsp pepper 
• 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped to your liking (I do small, but rough pieces)
• 1 large onion, chopped to your liking 
• 0.5 large green bell pepper, chopped to your liking 
• 6-ish baby carrots grated (about 1/4 cup) 
• Cajun seasoning

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni, stirring occasionally about 8 minutes. Taste one before pulling it off the heat & draining to make sure that they are tender, but still a little bit firm. Drain & rinse under cool water. Drain well. 
2. Mix the mayo, sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, & a sprinkle of cajun seasoning in a separate bowl. 
3. Combine chopped & grated veggies, sauce, and macaroni in a large bowl. Sprinkle a bit of cajun seasoning across the top, and stir well. Taste & adjust seasonings. 
4. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, overnight is even better. In a pinch, you can serve it as soon as 1 hour, but 4 hours really gives the flavors time to meld. 


Optional: You can swamp cajun seasoning for dill if you prefer a dilly flavor to the cajun. Alternately, you can omit the cajun seasoning all together & it is still great. I just like the spice! 

I have been on a taco kick recently & we have been cycling through all of my go-to recipes. So, I wanted to shake it up with something a little different last night - Swedish Meatballs! I found this recipe by Ahead of Thyme (LINK) and made a few minor tweaks to accommodate what I had on hand, it was outstanding. 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs 
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 of a medium onion chopped finely
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• two tiny pinches of ground cinnamon
• one tiny pinch of ground nutmeg
• one tiny pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  
  
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 cups water + healthy sprinkle (about 2 Tbsp) of caldo de res seasoning (or 2 cups of beef broth)
• 1 cup sour cream 
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper 

1. Mix together the first 11 ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine well with your hands. 
2. Take a hefty spoonful, or pinch a good chunk off, and roll into meatballs. Set aside. 


3. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium high for a few minutes until melted butter is sizzling hot. Add meatballs & cook until brown. Turn them GENTLY & regularly to get brown on all edges. Then, set aside. 
4. Now, add the olive oil to that buttery meatball crumble goodness. Let heat for about a minute, until it's all sizzling hot again. Then, whisk in flour. I let it bubble & thicken into a good tan roux. 
5. Next, whisk in the water + caldo de res (or beef broth) & sour cream. Keep whisking frequently for another couple of minutes until it's all starting to thicken. 
6. Stir in dijon mustard & Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt & pepper, taste & adjust seasonings. 
7. Add meatballs back into the skillet (carefully-ish, I broke a couple) & stir about to coat well. Cover the skillet & continue cooking over medium heat until the meatballs are cooked through - approximately 5-10 minutes. Meat thermometer should read at least 165*F in the center of the meatballs. 
8. Remove lid & continue to stir the cream sauce until it's the desired consistency. We like it thick! 


Serve over cooked egg noodles or zucchini noodles for lower carb option.
Full keto/low carb - switch the bread crumbs & flour for almond flour or crushed pork rinds!
I also served this with frozen peas, boiled with 2 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup of water, healthy sprinkle of caldo de res bouillon, and a healthy sprinkle of our favorite steak seasoning.