Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings

Here is the story of my Three Bean Salad -

On the last minute, I decided to participate in the SlowBowl Friday dinner smackdown. The theme was Retro 60's recipes. Since I was not in the US in the 60s, I made a wild guess - that the Three Bean Salad is from the 60s!

I've made this a few times when I arrived in this my adopted country in the 70s, so by recall I went shopping for ingredients. Why I thought I could rely on senior memory is another story. So I bought cans of beans, French style green beans, Yellow wax beans, and I picked up pinto beans!

Next came the can openers... and the contents of the cans of beans went into a bowl. Those pinto beans looked pale than what I can recall. So what is a psuedo cook to do? Ok, Now to really read the recipe. Horrors! I am supposed to use Kidney beans....

So back to the store for more of the green and yellow beans (since I mixed those with the pintos).... and search for KIDNEY beans.... By the way, the yellow wax beans are a challenge to find for me! My Safeway does not carry them.

Back home with the right ingredients! Start over again and the first (wrong) batch of beans are in the freezer... I am not sure why or when they will be used.

Three Bean Salad

1 can French style green beans
1 can yellow wax beans
1 can red kidney beans
3/4 C cider vinegar
3/4 C sugar (I used less)
1 onion sliced
1/4 C diced green pepper (I used red and green)
1 T soy sauce
1 t celery salt (I could not find any, so did not use)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Marinate all the above ingredients overnight.

Just before serving, drain well and
Toss with 1/4 cup salad oil, (I used olive oil)

And I won the prize for the Sides / Salads category.

I was awarded a cookbook! Cooling Dishes for Hot Weather circa 1956! How cool is that!