French Rivera Tuna Salad

This is a recipe I made based on the tuna salad recipe in The Joy of Cooking.
It makes a colorful summer meal reminiscent of Salad Niçoise ("NEE-suaz").

Serves: 2 moderately hungry adults with a little leftover

Ingredients:
15 oz canned tuna, packed in water
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 small beefsteak tomato fresh from the garden, small dice
1/4 cup canned black olives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
olive bread from the farmers market, 3-4 slices
pepper to taste, freshly ground
lettuce
butter (optional)
summer beer like Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy (optional)

Create the Salad:
Refrigerate tuna until chilled.
Add tuna to medium mixing bowl. Flake with fork.
Add the celery, parsley and olives.
Add the tomatoes, leaving the tomato liquid out.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Stir, coating everything.
Refrigerate again.

To Serve:
While the tuna salad is chilling:
Toast the bread, let cool and cut into easily managed toast points.
Lightly butter the toast.
Put the lettuce on the plates.
Remove salad from fridge and stir again.
Serve salad on the lettuce. Add toast points.
Enjoy with the beer.

-

My Sister, the Celebrity

"The Central Scholarship Bureau held a luncheon Thursday to honor the recipients, who can use the money for any postsecondary school plans, from construction apprenticeships to graduate school.
...
Megan Calvert, a graduate student studying to teach English as a foreign language, spoke of her work with students from around the world. She won a Kassap Family Scholarship in order to support her passion for teaching."

From the Baltimore Sun article - August 10, 2009

"Red Turnip" Pickles (Picked Beets)

I made these a few weeks ago and took some to my in-laws' for my brother-in-law's birthday. He liked them so much, that his wife asked me for the recipe.

The recipe is from American Home Cooking by Jamison & Jamison.
Page 304 of my hardback edition.

"Red Turnip" Pickles.

2 lbs whole beets, trimmed of greens
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
2/3 C fruit vinegar
1/2-1 tsp grated fresh horseradish or 1-2 tsp prepared horseradish, optional

Steam the beets until tender but not mushy, 30-40 minutes, depending on size. Plunge the beets into cold water, and when cool enough to handle, peel them.
Slice the beets into wedges, no thicker than 1/2" at their widest edge.
Place the beets in a glass bowl.
Sprinkle the sugar and salt over the beets, then add the vinegar, horseradish, and 1/3 C of water.
Cover and refrigerate the mixture overnight or up to several days, stirring occasionally.
Drain the beets with a slotted spoon.
Serve chilled or at room temp.
The beets will keep week for a week or longer.

Ode To The Arster

Ode To The Arster by Ogden Nash

The arster is an amazing suitor,
It's masculine, minine, or even neuter.
But whether husband, pal, or wife,
It leads a soothing sort of life.
I'd like to be an arster,
say, In August, June, July, or May

found at www.thebaylab.org while researching St. Mary's County for fun things to do.

Exotic Warm Weather Dinner - Date Night Meal

Exotic Warm Weather Dinner

from the July 2009 issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, page 196
I made this dinner on 8/3/09, amounts adjusted based on what we ate.
I didn't make the Rum Punch listed in the original article because Rob doesn't like rum. We had a nice Viognier white wine instead.

Serves 2 adults with minimal leftovers.

Cilantro-Lime Rice - Start First
- lime juice, 1 tbsp
- rice, 1/2C, (use package directions)
- cilantro, 2 tbsp
- salt & pepper to taste
Start rice first - it will take about 45 minutes.
Add lime juice and salt to water.
Add cilantro at end. Add pepper if desired.

Macademia Nut-Crusted Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa
For Salsa:
- crushed pineapple, 1C
- red onion, minced, 1 tbsp
- jalapeno, minced or grated, 1/2 pepper, no seeds
- cilantro, minced, 1/4C
- salt & pepper
Mix all ingredients together.

For Fish:
- flour, 1/2 C
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- macadamia nuts, crushed, (2) 2.25 oz bags or about 4.5 oz
- tilapia fillets, 3/4 lb
- salt & pepper
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Pound nuts with crab mallet while still in their original baggies.
Add salt & pepper to flour.
Place flour, egg and nuts in separate pans.
Dredge fish in flour. You can help things along by spooning the flour onto the fish and spreading with your fingers. Then gently shake off the excess.
Next, dredge the fish in the egg.
Dredge (or spread/sprinkle) nuts onto both sides of fish.
Place fish in oiled baking pan.
Bake for 14 minutes. Nuts should be slightly golden brown. Fish should be soft, opaque white and flake easily when poked with a fork.

Sesame Snow Peas
- snow peas, 1 1/2 C
- butter, unsalted 1 tsp
- sesame seeds, 3/4 tsp
- salt & pepper
Trim tips of snow peas and remove strings if necessary. (If using baby snow peas, they will be tender and not stringy.)
Start steaming the peas when the fish has only about 2-3 minutes to bake.
Steam peas for 2-3 minutes.
Add salt, butter & sesame seeds. Stir and serve.