Summer and Missing Sibling Salad

Memorial Day, as well as being a day to thank and reflect on the selfless acts of our military and war dead is also the unofficial start of summer. 

Inevitably, my family will have a picnic or other some such event that one of my siblings will be unable to attend. Time, distance, prior commitments, whatever the reason, they are missed. 

I invented this salad years ago and named it for that missing sibling so even in their absence they would have a place at the table  and be thought of. 

It's colorful, cool, refreshing, a little crazy, but GOOD for you: just like family gatherings:

Missing Sibling Salad: makes a quart and will test your knife skills

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil (or other mild tasting oil)

2 peppers (green, yellow, red combination of) diced

2 bunches scallions, sliced fine including some green part

2 10 ounce cans shoe peg corn (this is small, sweet, white corn), drained

2 cucumbers

Couple stalks celery, diced

3 carrots, shredded

Cut everything up finely - this is a test of your knife skills, but is worth it. Mix it all up. 

Whisk together the red wine vinegar, sugar and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss all the vegetables with the vinegrette mixture. Chill and try to remember, They Are Family. 

A Cook's Note: you can umph up the vitamins in this salad by adding one or all of the following:

Kidney Beans, drained

Black Eyed Peas, drained

Black Beans, drained