Deviled Egg PASTA Salad - Church PotLuck Side Dish

I am going to get to this WONDERFUL recipe in a minute... But first a word about inspiration...

Congratulations to my good friend, Father Shawn Streepy.

Father Shawn has just accepted the position of Priest at St Aidan's Episcopal Church in Olathe, KS.  That's a picture of Father Shawn with a platter of versions of Chocolate Covered Bacon.  You see I have known Shawn for as long as I have lived in Kansas and I consider him one of my closest friends.  You may recognise Shawn from photos taken at various occasions around my kitchen.  He has been a chief taster for me since I first grabbed a spatula.  Shawn has a wonderful story... He spent the first 50 plus years of his life as an Assistant United States Attorney, prosecuting bad guys and working for truth, justice and yes, the American way of life.  Shawn has always been one of the good guys.

But for those of you who thinks that life begins at 20 and ends around 35... Just a few years ago shawn was offered an early retirement and he jumped at it.  He decided to change his life and do what he always wanted to do... Ministry.  he attended divinity school (one of the tops in his class of course), worked his way up from various positions in the Church and now has a congregation of his own to guide.  For Shawn, life began after retirement.  For anyone older than dirt (me), Shawn is leading by example, following his dream (calling) and Jackie and I could not be more pleased for him.

Which brings me to Church Potluck dinners... LOVE EM!  Always have.  I grew up in a wonderful church that still hold some of the best memories of my life.  Many of those memories were of full plates of wonderful food,  Memories of a time when "Homemade" did not mean healthy, but prepared with love and caring.

Shawn, if you are reading this, know that some words in a sermon do stick with you.  Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner.  It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish).  I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work.  At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".

I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights.  But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth.  I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables, lined with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring.

OK... time to get to the recipe...

This dish (like the dishes I plan for the rest of the new series, "52 Church PotLuck Dishes") are meant to be just a little special.  Something to stand out among all those other dishes.  Nothing more gratifying than to take an empty dish home (and nothing more humbling than taking a full dish home).

I like this dish for a couple of reasons... First, the unusual shape of the pasta.  Sure a standard elbow macaroni salad usually ends up at the table, but the cone and flower topped shape of the Campanelle Shaped Dry Pasta makes the dish look distinctive and also has lots of nooks and crannies to hold the sauce (mayo in this case).

Next, there is a little pickle brine in the mayo.  Not much, just a couple of TBS, but enough to add an extra little something something to the taste (always leave them wondering what that secret ingredient is).

And finally, colorful dish and garnish.  In this case beautifully colored paprika accents the bright yellow of the mustard and egg.  Flecks of red from the minced red onion and green from celery help make what could have been a pretty bland looking salad something that looks worth a spoonful or better yet a second spoonful when you go back for seconds!

So enjoy as this combination of tastes, a cold pasta salad (that travels well) that combines the tastes of an excellent mayo based pasta salad with all the flavors of deviled eggs... Deliciousness!

OK... Here's what I did...

Deviled Egg PASTA Salad

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Campanelle Shaped Dry Pasta (Can use Elbow Macaroni)
• 2 Cups Mayonnaise
• 4 TBS Yellow Mustard
• 2 TBS Brine from Pickle Jar
• 6 Large Hard Boiled Eggs
• 3 Ribs Celery, Very Small Dice
• 1/2 Medium Red Onion, Small Dice
• 1/3 Cup Sweet Relish
• Large Pinch of Sea Salt and Several turns of a Pepper Grinder to taste
• For Garnish use A Generous Sprinkle of Smoked Paprika

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the box. EXCEPT, for chewier Al Dente style cooking, boil for one less minute than recommended on package.
2. Drain and shake dry. Do not rinse as this will wash away the starch that helps the pasta stick to the sauce (mayonnaise in this case), keeping your pasta coated and not runny.
3. Remove hard boiled eggs from their shells, dice in large chunks (just slightly smaller than the size of the pasta.
4. Combine all your other ingredient, except the eggs. You want to add those very last so you can fold them in gently.
5. Add pasta to your sauce and mix well. Fold in your boiled egg. Garnish with paprika.
6. Serve Chilled and ENJOY

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This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Church PotLuck Dishes"!

A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...

Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".

I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church.  Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Grilling Time Secret Extras" or "52 Ways to Cook BBQ and Grilling Recipes"!!!

Well over 52 recipes actually as I just can't stop... Over 100 in one grilling season (I love to grill!). But not just leat... Drinks, Condiments (LOTS of different BBQ sauces), Drinks, Desserts... even specialty items like GRILLED Pizza, and fun shaped Watermelons.  Easy and these ideas will make you the MASTER of your Backyard Domain!

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Ways to Cook Side Dish Recipes"!!!

Sure the meat gets all the glory but real cooks know it's the spread... the specialty Side Dishes that makes a meal rise or fall. Here's a few of my favorite recipes that will help to create that illusive COMPLETE MENU!

LOTS of Potato Sides, Vegetable Sides, Specialty Salads, Bread and MORE!

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Specialty Salad Recipes"!!!

Sometimes they are the main course, sometimes a lunch and sometimes they are the side dish... And if you count Jell-o salad you can even make a dessert of a salad.  Here are a few of my favorite salads that get far more Ooohs and Aaahs than that simple chopped head of lettuce.

Links include Potato Salads, Cole Slaws, and Plenty of greens and fixins' Salads... And more than a few matching FRESH MADE Jam Jar make it yourself Salad Dressings!

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