Picnic Salad

When our kids were little, we used to pack up a picnic lunch, some balls and frisbees and a load of towels and head for the Pt. Reyes National Seashore. We'd always make the same picnic--a sandwich, a salad, chocolate chip cookies and a cooler filled with drinks and some fruit. I remember sitting on McClure's Beach at Pt. Reyes listening on a portable radio to Neill Armstrong saying, "…one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind…."

For the sandwich we would take a long loaf of french bread, slice it in half lengthwise, slather it with mayonnaise and dijon mustard, layer it with salami, cheese, onion, and avocado and wrap it tightly in foil. A large wicked looking knife would have to be included with which to cut it into serving size hunks.

The salad would vary, but a favorite was Three Bean Salad--kidney beans, garbanzo beans and green beans, all canned, celery, chopped onion and an oil and vinegar dressing with lots of garlic.

When the kids were quite little, they would help me make the cookies. I have never found a better recipe than the one for Toll House Cookies on the yellow package of Nestle's chocolate chips. The family was divided on the subject of the addition of nuts, so we always made some of each.

Our taste for sand infused food has waned, so we rarely make the giant sandwich anymore, but tomorrow we are going to an Independence Day barbecue at the home of friends in Sebastopol. We will be outside and there will be tables.There will also be barbecued meats, and I'm sure someone will bring chocolate chip cookies, so I decided to make an updated version of the Three Bean salad. I have cooked all the beans myself, except for the garbanzos, and added fava beans, roasted peppers and roasted corn. I think I'll also add some cumin. Wine will be included in the contents of the cooler.

While I precooked some of the ingredients today, I listened to a very interesting discussion among historians on the Declaration of Independence. Reflections on that tomorrow….