Grandma's Tuna Pasta Salad

When you're a kid, you really don't care that much about teachers. Except when the teacher is your grandmother. Grandma taught the sixth grade at a Los Angeles school in the 50's and 60's, and I happened to be one of her accidental students. I only got to visit Grandma's classroom on several occasions, but I was never her "official" student.

By default, I was the willing audience of her latest science experiments before they debuted in the classroom for the "real" students. My particular favorite was the one that allowed you to view the growth of a seed. We placed a carrot seed on a wet piece of blotter paper, and put the paper and the seed between two pieces of glass. After a few days, the carrot seed would sprout before my eyes. Grandma was awesome. Not only did she have the coolest experiments, but she was a heck of a cook.

Spagetti sauces to sugary piecrust twists, she gave me all of her recipes before she passed away in 1987. To this day, one of my summertime favorites is her Tuna Pasta Salad. When the weather is hot, and it's an effort to eat, let alone cook, this recipe is refreshing, cool and hits the spot.

Tuna Pasta Salad

• package of corkscrew pasta, cooked according to package directions, then drained
• chopped green onions
• light mayonnaise
• 12 oz can albacore tuna, packed in water
• frozen peas, add to the pasta water during the last minute of cooking
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients together and chill.