Fresh Ahi Sandwiches

These are my parents. If they look awesome, it's because they are.

Just don't ask why Dad is holding a stuffed walrus.

About two Christmases ago, my well of parent gift ideas finally ran dry. (Of course, this should never happen to you because of my previous shameless plug post.) When even an emergency stop at Rite-Aid on Christmas Eve failed to turn up anything, I resorted to designing and printing up a page worth of free dinner coupons, you know, the kind you used to make for your parents when you were a kid.

My mom's a great cook but everyone who loves cooking knows that it loses its magic when you have to do it every night, and usually for a family with at least one picky eater. Now entering its third year, this gift has become a new tradition. (And trust me, if your dad is shifty like mine, you'll want to include the "no photocopying" stipulation. I learned this after year one.) Another stipulation: the food can't be "weird." Once I shared the most delicious goat cheese and ratatouille phyllo turnovers. Dad's comment: "Don't you ever make anything normal?" Now that I think about it, I'll post that recipe soon; just not in the Mom and Dad category.

Tonight's meal was fresh grilled ahi tuna sandwiches with homemade baked beans. I marinated the fish in 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1/2 small diced onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 3 Tbsp. Italian seasoning for about 3 hours. I grilled it on a cast iron grill pan, and served it on a homemade bun (thanks, bread machine!) with lettuce, onion, and tomato. I made a quick spicy tartar sauce with 1/2 cup mayo, 1 Tbsp. Sriracha chili sauce, 2 Tbsp. ketchup and 2 Tbsp. pickle relish.

The side dish was Baked Bean Quintet, photocopied from an unknown cookbook many years ago at an office potluck.

Baked Bean Quintet

6 pieces sliced bacon (I never use this)

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 16-oz can butter beans, drained

1 16-oz. can lima beans, drained

1 16-oz. can pork and beans in tomato sauce

1 16-oz. can red kidney beans, drained

1 16-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained

3/4 cup ketchup

1/2 cup light molasses

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a skillet, cook bacon til crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Drain and crumble bacon; set aside. Cook onion and garlic in reserved bacon drippings til onion is tender but not brown; drain. In a large bowl combine crumbled bacon, onion, garlic, and all beans. Stir in ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, prepared mustard, and pepper. Turn into a 2 1/2 quart casserole. Cover and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour or til heated through. Makes 12 to 14 servings.

* Janet's Easy Way: Eliminate bacon; dump all other ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours. Way easy. Also, don't worry about getting the beans the recipe calls for; any 5 kinds of beans are fine.