Is it too early to think about Spring Picnics?

I certainly don't think it's too early to think about Spring, especially when it's only 18 degrees outside.
The thing I love the most about picnics are the many different "picnic salads" there are. I enjoy those more so than the main fare.

Today I felt like making one of my favorite picnic salads, which is a creamy pasta salad with tuna. Just love the combination of flavors as well as textures and since shell pasta is used, the best part is when you bite into a shell and it's filled with a pea and a bit of tuna. It's like a little tasty surprise!

1. Start out by cooking 1lb of small or medium shell pasta in 4 quarts of boiling water, about 8-10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again. Allow pasta to cool.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, 2 cups of frozen peas (thawed), a can of tuna that has been drained and flaked up (Canned, chunk chicken breast may be used in place of tuna), 4-6 ribs of finely sliced celery, a small yellow or red onion, finely diced and 1 cup of regular or light mayonnaise. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly. Cover and chill! This also makes a nice main course for lunch.