Try this: Dorothy's summer shrimp salad

We're in Provincetown, the furthest you can get out on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, for a few days of R&R. And for the past couple of days, amidst all of the packing and organizing and wrapping up projects at work, I've had one thing on my mind: a salad that my mom used to make. It's really simple, and one taste takes me right back to summertime when I was a kid. So this morning, I got up early, and after a cup of steaming hot coffee at The Wired Puppy on Commercial Street and a quick walk on the beach with Otis, I came back to our apartment and started working in the kitchen. Right before sitting down to type this, I ate an overflowing bowl of salad - and it tasted just like mom's. Delicious -- and exactly what I was looking for.

Dorothy's summer shrimp salad

Boil one pound of small pasta in salted water until al dente. I used a bag of funky, small curly pasta things I bought at an Amish market a while back, but any small noodle (i.e. elbows, wheels, ears, etc.) will do. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and let drain again until all extra water is gone.

Chop the following into small pieces:

• 1 large onion
• 1 large green pepper
• 4-5 stalks of celery
• one jalepeno pepper (not in mom's original recipe, but I wanted to throw a little kick into the salad)

two cans of small shrimp, drained
mayonaise
salt and pepper

Mix all in a bowl with enough mayonaise to moisten. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like lots of pepper.

See, I told you it was simple. Excuse me while I go get another bowl.