One of the reasons Joy of Cooking is so often given as a wedding or graduation gift is because instead of giving you a just straightforward recipe, it makes sure you understand what makes a recipe work and how to make adjustments to it. Optional ingredients are denoted by parentheses
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| I tossed in quite a few |
This bean salad recipe breaks down like this:
cooked beans (any kind)
olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper
pretty much any other ingredient you feel like tossing in there.
Let it marinate a bit and voila, it's lunch.
We ate it over a couple of days and it just kept getting better. Did I learn anything? No, but for someone looking to use up some extra beans (and who doesn't have a can of beans moldering on a shelf somewhere?) it's a keeper.
Julie: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mike: ⭐⭐⭐ (he said it was boring--this is why I let him do the cooking)
