Inspired by Mack Male’s (Edmonton’s super-star blogger) appearance on Breakfast Television this morning to promote and inform about the world about blogging, I decided that I will do a Blog-A-Day this Monday to Friday. Come hell or high water. Mood or not. You, ladies and gentlemen, are getting a blog post.

It is Monday, and the present temperature is 32C. I ain’t cooking. I’m trying not to move at all. I wish I could post via dictation to Siri, because movement generates heat. However, I am comfortable as I sit here, in a strong wind from the oscillating fan, body like putty, with only my fingers flying over the keyboard, pausing only to lift rapidly warming beer to lips.

My lovely Mom, who never makes anything in small batches, was able to give Michael and I some left over bean salad after yesterday’s BBQ … a BBQ using a George Foreman Grill outside, because the real BBQ has stopped working and Mom, nor I, were in the mood to fiddle with gas hoses, regulators and other BBQ bits to make it work (and yes, the tank was full of propane). You see, Mom and I are the same. We have a respect of the combination of gas and fire. We were trying to avoid a BOOM! and the subsequent summoning of the fire department, as happened when we lived in Calgary. But that is a story for another day.

Mom was positive and telling us the George Foreman grilled burgers are “just the same as off the BBQ”.  Although absolutely delicious, in this bloggers opinion are not quite the same coming off the BBQ. The reason I BBQ is for bits of char, dramatic flame flare up and burnt arm hair. Fire is what makes BBQ BBQ. Not electricity.

Still, the burgers were great, but the bean salad. Oh boy. Mom’s bean salad is the best, and you all should document this recipe (in your best printing!) on a 3 x 5 recipe card and tuck it away in your old recipe box for generations to come.

Three Bean Salad – by Helen

1 16 oz can cut green beans
1 16 oz can cut wax beans
1 16 oz can red kidney beans
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (some people, not in our family, but some would substitute green pepper instead of the onion to give the salad a bit of crunchiness)
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cups white vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Drain beans. Mix with vegetables. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over beans and veg. Stir to coat. Chill overnight for best results.

Here’s our jar of left over bean salad from yesterday. Maybe the heat has got to me, but I have it perched precariously on a very uneven surface, 14 floors up. I love the danger element. I think it makes the salad look tastier.

PS: For the observant. You will notice a chickpea or two or three in the jar. Mom always adds a can of chickpeas to this recipe. Why? Because she likes them. It works with chickpeas. It works without chickpeas. But if you add them, carefully cross out “Three” on your recipe card, and write in, also with your best printing, “Four Bean Salad”.