Rice Insalata

 Hello!  Hope you are having a great week.  The children went back to school and I have to say while I am totally excited to have them out of the house it doesn't come without just a tad bit of fear that they may pick up the virus at school.  We are praying for the best.  On the other hand, keeping them home doesn't seem to be a really good option either since they aren't really getting a fantastic education from what is being offered by the school district.  We kept our third son home due to his heart condition and I can't say I am too impressed with the workload he has been given.  When I called the school they didn't make any apologies and said it was the best they could do at the moment. My biggest shock is the lack of teacher involvement. I thought there would be a lot more teacher involvement!  Nope not the case, basically they are sent the days work each day and given some instructions on how to complete the work, but it won't be involving any daily zoom interaction or tutorials via YouTube.  Basically, they are on their own and I was told if they had questions they could email the teacher who would get back to them at some point throughout the day.  I feel like he is getting thrown under a bus! Ugh!  No winning here!  I had a slight panic attack by this and was told he couldn't switch back till after Christmas.  I guess I just have to let it go at this point and if he doesn't do well he can always repeat the school year.  Switching topics as this is just making me depressed.  I don't know about where you live, but it has been so freaking hot here!  I made this lovely Italian rice salad for dinner one night.  Kids stuck up their nose at it, but who cares. I love it!  So light and refreshing.

Cook 1 1/2 cups of rice according to directions on the package. I used long-grain rice.  Then let cool.  In the meantime.  Dice up one orange bell pepper, 1/2 cup of green olives, 2 tablespoons of capers, 2 scallions, chop two boiled eggs, open and drain 2 cans of premium tuna, a cup and 1/2 of tomatoes I used the grape tomatoes. Also, add 1/2 cup of cooked frozen peas  Then combine all the ingredients together in a bowl,  In a separate bowl whisk 1/2 cup of olive oil with the juice of one lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Then pour-over rice.  You can also add a core and seeded cucumber and oregano if you so desire.  Some recipes call for diced ham, but I am perfectly happy with my version. Enjoy!