All vegetables should be cut to approximately 1/4 inch cubes.
Peel then slice the cucumber in half towards the stem, use a spoon to scoop the seeds out, also towards the stem and then dice (towards the stem is VERY important).
Roughly dice the pre-shredded carrots to 1/4 inch also.
Dice the onion very small, almost minced.
Use any color bell peppers to total around 1.5 cups.
Using a fork remove about 3/4 cup of pickles from the jar and dice, reserve about 1/4 cup of pickle juice to pour in the salad.
On a clean and dry cutting board dice your cheese into 1/4 inch blocks also and refrigerate.
Put 1 tbs salt into a 6-8qt pot of water, bring to a boil and add pasta, cook for 11 minutes. The salad MUST be made while the pasta is still hot to allow the seasonings to properly meld so ensure your other ingredients are prepped and ready to assemble the salad.
Drain the cooked pasta and let sit for a couple of minutes then pour into a large bowl. Add all of the vegetables, pickle juice and the TJ's seasoning. Next add the Dukes, starting with 1 cup and stir. All of the pasta must be coated with the mayo, continue to add mayo until everything is well coated. Remember that pasta absorbs liquids so if the pasta salad is a bit soupy it is a good thing.
Now it is taste testing time. The salad will not be awesome until it sits overnight but you can still taste test while it is warm to determine what is needed. Usually B & B pickle juice, salt and pepper are what is needed to balance out the taste. Place the bowl, uncovered, in the refrigerator until completely cool. Remove from the fridge, stir and add the cheese cubes. You cannot add the cheese while the pasta is hot, it will melt the cheese and RUIN the mac salad.
Originally Submitted
8/2/2017
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