The college football season is 6 weeks old and finally, this past Saturday, I got to go to a game.  I love college football season and missing six games sucked, so I was really anxious to get back into full tailgate mode.  I was warned by my fellow tail gaiters, not to overdo it, which I did, but it was SO worth it!

Because the LA Rams are sharing the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the USC Trojans for the next 3 years, while their new stadium is being built in Inglewood, there are a few game weekends when both teams will be hosting home games.  This weekend happened to be one of those weekends which meant USC would be kicking off at 1:00 PM in order to give the Coliseum crew time to the complete stadium changeover that meant an early (and shorter) tailgate.  That’s always a challenge, but additionally, Southern California was in the middle of another hot and dry spell which makes bringing and keeping food fresh during the hours on the hot asphalt the hardest task.

Our friend Greg was making a Hawaiian sandwich/burrito/wrap filled with Portugese sausage and fried rice so I wanted to make something that would compliment that but would be easy to prepare, easy to transport and easy to eat while standing around with other football fans.

Hula Macaroni Salad

• 16 Oz Spiral Pasta
• 1 – 20oz Can Pineapple Chunks Drained (Reserve Liquid)
• 3 Cups Cubed Ham
• 1 Cup Shredded Carrot
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Green Onion (About 3 Onions)
• 1 Cup Mayonnaise
• Reserved Pineapple Juice from Canned Fruit
• 1 – 6oz Container Vanilla Greek Yogurt (Non-Fat)
• 2 TBLS Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 TBLS Sugar

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Remove from heat, drain and rinse in cool water.
2. In large bowl combine the pasta, drained pineapple, ham, carrots and sliced green onion.
3. In a 4 Cup measuring cup (or bowl) combine the reserved pineapple juice, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar and sugar.  Whisk until well combined and sugar is dissolved.
4. Pour dressing over the salad and use a rubber spatula to distribute throughout.
5. Refrigerate at least an hour to allow dressing to thicken and flavors to combine.

To make this a truly portable side dish, I combined the pasta, ham, carrot, green onion and pineapple in a gallon-sized Zip Bag and them poured the dressing over the contents, sealed and refrigerated.  Made it really easy to put into the cooler until time to serve.

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