Another Good Recipe

Next week Wednesday we plan to hold our annual "Employee Appreciation Barbecue." And on the menu will be, as always, this very tasty and very easy make-ahead salad.

Marinated Bean Salad

Drain a 1 lb. can of

1. cut green beans

2. red kidney beans

3. chick peas.

Pour into large container.

Add:

one half coarsely chopped red onion and a coarsely chopped green pepper.

Make a dressing of

1/2 cup each of sugar and olive oil

2/3 cup of cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. of Worchestershire Sauce

two drops of Louisiana hot sauce

1 tsp each salt and pepper.

Pour dressing over beans and leave in fridge at least 24 hours before serving. Stir occasionally. Serve with slotted spoon.

That was the original recipe that I cut out of a newspaper decades ago. My changes:

two big cans of red kidney beans

1 can of chick peas

1 can of black beans

1 can of white kidney beans

1 can of mushrooms, cut into quarters

2 cans of green beans

(optional: cans of yellow beans)

up the amount of onion to a whole onion.

Then I double the amount of dressing.

This salad tastes even better as you go along. And it's a simple, open a can of this and that recipe. The sort I don't rely on, but am happy to use when it turns out this well.

The front "yard" is looking very colourful. This is a large stand of Lupins. The originals were planted about 30 feet at least to the left of what you see here. They've colonized a large part of the yard.

It's funny: now that people see them blooming, they want to buy lupins. When we had them to sell, just the nice green plant in a pot, customers didn't find them appealing. We see that all the time: people want to buy pots of flowers in bloom, not realizing that you'll get much better results starting with a smaller green plant that can get itself all settled in before the blooms arrive.

Poppies are also coming into bloom now. Maybe tomorrow there'll be a picture of them.