Heat Wave and Val O'Farrell's Tuna Salad

Upstate New York is experiencing a heat wave, and I will not complain.  It's hot, I'm hot, it's hard to sleep.  BUT...it's not snowing, and that's a good thing!  Days like this remind me of a summer-night dinner my father would often make.  It was a tuna salad.  He'd take a regular green salad (for us, iceberg lettuce, some sliced tomato, a radish or two), a scoop of tuna, and Good Season's Italian Dressing.  In the 60s and 70s, salad was iceberg lettuce, not just in the O'Farrell house, but in my friends' homes as well.  We never had Boston Bib, Red Leaf,  Arugula, or spring mix.  Nope, just plain old iceberg, its cold crunch very satisfying with whatever it was paired.  (When I was a little girl, I used to ask for a lettuce sandwich - just lettuce, a little mayo, some pepper, on white bread.  Everyone ate white bread then.)

My dinner tonight was not even that fancy.  I popped some light microwave popcorn and Katie later offered me a slice of Paul Newman frozen cheese pizza.  It's not the protein-packed dinner I've become used to since I started the exercise study four weeks ago.  There is no energy for cooking anything tonight!  I will drink my protein shake and sip some ice water, and fondly remember the summer tuna salad my father used to make.  I'll plan to make that another night, when the heat hasn't zapped all my energy!

Here's to a good night's sleep (let's hope!).

Val O'Farrell's Tuna Salad

1 head iceberg lettuce, cleaned and shredded
tomato slices
a few radishes, sliced
2 cans Chicken of the Sea Solid White Tuna
Hellman's Mayonnaise
Good Season's Italian Dressing, made according to package directions (use the free cruet!)

Assemble salad with lettuce, tomato, and radishes.  Divide into single servings.  Drain tuna and mix with desired amount of mayonnaise.  Divide in portions on top of salad . 

Mix up the Good Seasons.  Give it a shake.  Drizzle over scoops of tuna on top of salad mixture.

Welcome to summer!

Image: http://www.cool1055.com/articles/images/CHICKEN%20OF%20THE%20SEA.jpg