Macaroni Salad for Homeschool Co-op and Community Days

I have started making a big bowl of macaroni salad the day before our CC community meets so that we can take it for lunch. 

I also make this the night before our regular homeschool co-op meets so we can take it there, too. 

The girls usually took sandwiches for lunch on CC days, for ten long years, sandwiches. 

But half the time, I'd open their lunch bags the day after community to find their sandwiches only partially eaten, sometimes totally uneaten. 

They ate the chips and other small snacks they took to go along with the sandwich, so they didn't go hungry. 

But I finally found something they'd actually eat every time. 

They eagerly devour this macaroni salad. 

Even better, this is no-fuss lunch that doesn't require reheating. 

That line for the microwave in the church kitchen grows long when all the other CC kids are trying to heat leftovers, too. 

It's just:

elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and drained

cubed cheddar or colby jack (Really, this entire salad is a conduit for delivering the sharp cheddar cheese blocks into your mouth.) 

chopped celery

chopped purple onion

salt, pepper, and dill to taste

Sometimes I also add: 

frozen peas (they will thaw) 

chopped carrots 

Then I mix in mayonnaise to taste. 

After ten years of trial and error, mostly error, I've discovered our perfect lunch for CC and co-op days.