Spicy English Layer Salad

I also made this layer salad for my cousin's baby shower. I found the recipe on AllRecipes - it sounded good and it had great ratings, so I thought I'd give it a try. It is so good! Better than your normal layer salad, in my opinion... partially due to the fact that this has no bacon and also because the dressing isn't sweet. It was a total hit at the shower, too. Everyone loved it and I now have a mass email to send out to everyone with the recipe from all the requests I was getting. Definitely a keeper for us!

Spicy English Layer Salad

2 cups small seashell pasta
4 carrots, peeled and julienned
1/2 head leaf lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
3/4 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water to cool.

Place the carrots in an even layer in the bottom of a large glass bowl, preferably one that is roughly the same diameter from top to bottom. Place the lettuce in a layer over the carrots. Combine the cucumber, peas and corn; spread in a layer over the lettuce. Once the pasta is cooled and drained, then spread that out over the top.

In a smaller bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, brown sugar, curry powder, and garlic salt. Spread this carefully over the pasta. Top with shredded Cheddar cheese. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.