So this is me, ignoring the stuff that's in the queue and just getting on with it...Queued recipes will make it up here...eventually...
Last night's dinner was Tuscan Tuna & Bean Salad from Dinner in Minutes. When my mom went back to work when my sisters were in high school, someone gave this book to my mom because it was a great cookbook for working moms. My mom never used it. Partly because she only went back to work for a few months and partly because the after school routine was a bit nutso at our house - both my sisters were on the swim team and had other extra curricular activities as well - my mom had nusto dinner routines down pat before she went back to work.
I inherited the cookbook not long after (or possibly shortly before) J was born. The subtitle of the book is "Memorable Meals for Busy Cooks." Was my mom trying to tell me something? I ignored the cookbook thinking it was one of those cookbooks that is all about good food but it's really just a bunch of pre-prepared food dumped together to make one dish. For a whole bunch of reasons, we don't eat much that comes in a package.
I was pleasantly surprised when I actually opened it and read the recipes over the weekend looking for meals for this week...there's good stuff made from scratch in there!
The book pairs this with a zucchini and tomato salad that looks yummy except that raw tomatoes are not my friend. Since it was just J and I and I wasn't convinced Alex would eat the zucchini, I just made the bean salad. And served it the way the book suggested. Except I didn't heat the bread up...the description says it's perfect for warm evenings but then it wants you to turn the oven on? UGH. Our bakery fresh bread was fine not heated up! I made two little tweaks to the recipe too...I had parsley on my list, but somehow it never made it into the grocery cart. I had some basil that was on its last legs in the fridge, so I substituted that (I LOVE basil) and swapped the red wine vinegar for balsamic. I used white kidney beans because the store I was at last night had the most pathetic selection of beans. I think I'd use navy or Great Northern the next time - I prefer their slightly firmer texture. Or if I think of it far enough in advance I'd do my own...And I'd make it with lots more basil. Or I'll try the parsley.
This meal is supposed to serve four, but I think it made a lot more. We all had it for dinner last night and J and I both have some in our lunches today and there's enough for dinner tonight if I add some other veggies on the side..
This is yummy. This is summer-perfect food. I will be making this again. Often I think. Oh, and I think the leftovers would be yummy stuffed into a pita or a wrap too...mmmm....
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