No Matter The Weather Ya Still Gotta Eat!

Summer will be over soon.  I hate it when people say summer is over and it's still not even September.  Summer doesn't really end until the middle of September.  Actually, summer WEATHER doesn't end until sometimes the end of October.  I hate hot weather.  This year has been particularly hot and beastly.

But there is something I like about summer and that's the macaroni & tuna salad my mom used to make.  Don't get me wrong, I understand this is a completely trashy dish but it's also one of those dishes you can make early in the day (or the day before) when it's a little cooler and stick in the fridge so you don't have to heat up the kitchen in the afternoon when it's usually hotter.

My mom used to serve this with little French bread rolls or sometimes, if we were really lucky, potato chips.  We had six kids in our family.  A large bag of potato chips lasted about as long as it took to start opening the bag.  The idea of buying two was not considered.

I like to make this the way my mom did, adding chopped celery and thinly sliced radishes.  The man prefers it without the veg so that's the way I usually make it now.  We had this a couple weeks ago.  I will probably make it again in the next couple days as it is going back up into the 90s AGAIN for the ba-jillionth time this summer.  Make this and if there is a breeze enjoy it on the porch, deck or patio.  Otherwise eat inside with the A/C on, or at least a fan set to "high".

Mom's Trashy Tuna Summer Salad

1 box (1 lb.) shell macaroni (or your favorite shape - I prefer shells)
2 cans tuna - 6 to 7 oz. each
2 - 3 hard cooked eggs
Green pimento stuffed olives, about 1/2 - 1 cup
Mayonnaise, about 1/2 - 1 cup
Fresh or dried herbs (basil, oregano, dill, tarragon, thyme)
salt & pepper
paprika
Optional:  minced celery, sliced green onion, sliced radishes, cayenne or red pepper flakes or Tabasco sauce

Cook macaroni per package instructions.  Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water, drain again.
Drain the liquid from the tuna and flake it into a large bowl.
Slice the green olives thinly.
Slice hard cooked eggs into chunks, wedges or slices.
Combine the macaroni with the tuna, herbs, salt and pepper and hot pepper, the minced vegetables and about half the eggs.  Stir in mayonnaise to taste until the salad is as creamy as you wish.  Place in serving bowl and garnish the top with additional egg pieces and a sprinkling of paprika.  Chill thoroughly and serve with potato chips or small rolls & butter. Good with iced tea.

For the two of us I usually use a half box of macaroni and a single can of tuna.  This is usually enough for our supper and for a lunch or two the next day.  Adjust these amounts according to how many people you will be serving.

Quotable quotes; in the category Food Is About As Real As It Gets!

"I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly.  Tuna fish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock."  Barbara G. Harrison, journalist & essayist