It's that time of year! Grad parties and picnics and summer cook-outs galore! These all come with the same question - what should I bring??? There are always the staples to fall back on in a pinch - pasta salad, coleslaw, a fruit platter, etc. And these are all undoubtedly great things to have at any summer festivity. But I recently went to a friend's cook-out. Now, I always end up bringing a variation of pasta salad but I heard someone else was already bringing one! That, combined with a wish to bring something a little different, led to try to create something a little more original. Enter the bean salad!