January 25, 2019 – Food is love & Niçoise salad recipe

         This week has been interesting.  I have a friend that I entice to come visit me when she is in town to drop in for “warm brownies.”  I plan them with her ETA to be certain they are right out of the oven when she arrives.

         I make them from a mix – Ghirardelli – works wonderful in my rectangular tart pan.  I cut them finger length one-inch slices and we eat them “warm”.

         Yes, life is better with a warm brownie and a friend.

         Then a few days later, another friend called and said she wanted to visit my new mannequin – she’d known the original Monique and wanted me to introduced her to the new mannequin, Hilga.  [Which I’ve decided to also call Monique.]

         I wanted an excuse to make Biscotti cookies – her pending visit was my excuse.  I made them this morning right after I brewed my morning coffee.

         There is just something about cooking something for someone else – cooking to show love, cooking for someone you love.  To me, that is what cooking really is – an act of love.

         When I have guests, I love to cook them something elegant and scrumptious or something simple and perfect. Or, something they haven’t had in years.

         And, I cook for myself with the same “self-love” principle.

         Tonight I needed something in the category of self-love food.

         Someone asked me once what she could make with a can of tuna fish if she didn’t have mayonnaise.  I immediately answered, “Niçoise salad, use Italian dressing instead of the mayo.”

         That phrase popped into my head when I was draining the juice and adding a few little crumbs of tuna to a small bowl for my cat swishing around my ankles.

         I have this thing about mayonnaise.  I like the small jars and I am so afraid it will go bad before I use it up.  The last jar purchased was a large jar and I am simply leery of it now that it is three-fourths empty.  I want to chuck it, but my husband will use it. 

        

         Yes, I’ll make Niçoise salad with whatever I have on hand – and what is that?

         Celery?  NO. Pecans – YES, and what is this here – OHHH Marinated Artichoke hearts – that is an idea.

         I crumbed the tuna in a bowl, I drained and diced the marinated artichoke hearts into smaller pieces, tossed in a half handful of pecan halves.  I gave it a quick fluff, put it out in a low bowl and I drizzled some Italian dressing on it.

         It tasted fabulous.  The salad didn’t have all the traditional items, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, olives, anchovies . . .  But, it worked for me.

         “What did you have for supper?” my husband asked later. [Earlier he opted for a baloney sandwich.]

         “The cat and I had tuna,” was my verbal answer – my mental answer was,

         I had Niçoise salad amour – scrumptious and simple. 

         Note to self – mark the calendar to remind me to do that one again.