Tag Archives: cucumber

Quick (and Spicy) Pickles

I would go to farmers’ markets approximately 18 times more often if it weren’t such a …  morning people activity.  A chipper bunch they are, and bless their hearts, for the world needs baristas and Matt Lauers.

It’s not that I sleep in like I used to during, say, college.  It’s just that in my universe, there’s something deeply wrong with skipping the weekend morning ritual of bedhead hair, stylin’ sleepwear (obviously), glasses, and a leisurely three mugs of coffee from my French press (arguably the best, most relaxing method of caffeine intake).

But goodness knows, I do do the farmers’ market thing, if only for the last hour.  And you know what I keep finding?  Gorgeous, perfectly crooked, perfectly goosebumped, perfectly crisp little pickling cucumbers.  I give up that third mug of coffee sometimes, but in return?  Pickles for this girl.

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Cucumber-Cilantro Margaritas

I know, I know–this drink is almost a glowing neon green color.  Enough to make you nervous, perhaps; it looks like it’d be right at home being clutched by a stumbling reveler wearing a “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” shirt on a bright and early Las Vegas morning on, say, March 18th of any given year.  One imagines.

Appearances are deceiving little suckers, though.

What we have here is 100% fresh, natural green color from plants–cilantro to be exact–that grew in the dirt, not a test tube in a lab.  Mother Nature knows how to party too, you know.

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Watermelon, Feta and Bulgur Wheat Salad

This salad is going on the road.  It’s leaving mama’s house on the east coast, hitching a ride with Dean Moriarty, and heading west to listen to jazz and chase girls.

…Clearly, though, this is just a salad: not Sal Paradise, and not Jack Kerouac.  But, not unlike JK, it travels well, and is unconventional, yet thoroughly excellent.  It’s also welcome at any barbecue you may be going to this summer–probably more so than a dead writer would be.

There’s been a lot of spotlight on the watermelon-feta combo recently, and with good reason.  Watermelon isn’t the sweetest fruit, and its mellow, natural sugar complements salty feta nicely.  It’s also really high in water content–in a good way.  Think crunchy, refreshing explosion, not sogginess of any sort.  There’s cucumber in there for a similar effect, because, why not?

As for the bulgur wheat?  It gives this dish a little more heartiness, and little specks of wheat are pretty, no?  We are teetering on tabouli territory here, and you could easily go that route; just add parsley and lemon juice until it tastes good (that’s my advice for everything, in food and life).

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Strawberry-Cucumber Tabouli

Wow…  It’s been a “keep your head down and roll with it” kind of week.

Oh, hey, mechanic.  You think I should get rid of my car because you’re sick of getting my money, or you just pity me at this point?  Oooookay.  Bless your heart.

Yo, work?  I’ll be covering for five people for a couple of days?  Alrighty then.

Hey, used car salespeople.  You’re generally no more tolerable than the last time I interacted with y’all?  Oooookay.

Hello, computer.  Your cord thingy is broken  and you can’t suck electricity juice from the wall anymore?  Ooookay.  Fine.

One step at a time.  That’s how we do this…  One step at a time, and before you know it, you’re back.  In my case that means making something that isn’t scrambled eggs for dinner… again.  Something more like this.  It’s got crunchy texture, lots of fresh seasonal produce and a sweet-and-salty tang.

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Foodbuzz 24×24: Autumn Tea Party

I was completely caught off guard when Foodbuzz emailed me to tell me that they’d selected my idea for their monthly 24×24, wherein 24 of their featured publishers throw a dinner party on the same day and write a post about it.  I had sent in my proposal in a “why not?” moment, never actually expecting to be picked. I mean, do these people know that sometimes I consider going to bed in my work clothes so I can sleep in 40 minutes later?  Or that I once got in the shower with socks on?

But all in all, I was excited.  I was up for making all kinds of delicious, dainty finger foods to serve to my friends, and no one even has to know about Shower Socks.  Smooth.

The menu I had in mind was centered around light, interesting, seasonally-focused finger foods.  Also, since one of my guests is lactose-intolerant while another is allergic to tree nuts, this presented a bit of a challenge.  I ultimately decided on:

-Classic cucumber tea sandwiches with minted avocado and fresh green apple
-Smoked trout and roasted beet tea sandwiches on dark rye
-Grilled tea sandwiches with roasted butternut squash, roasted red onion, prosciutto, coppa ham and rice “cheese”
-Caramelized balsamic pear bruschetta on tofu cream cheese and honey with pomegranate seeds
-Pumpkin madeleines
-Honey and bourbon iced tea cocktail
-Gourmet loose-leaf and bagged teas

And on it was.

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Lithuanian Summer Borscht

Yellow makes me want to sing show tunes and frolic and drink lemonade and generally be everything I’m not.

Green–green speaks to my soul.  If it’s green, I want it.  I wanna eat green, wear green, see green (not figuratively, duh).

Black makes me think of my closet.  It boggles my mind how some people manage to wear black and brown and match their purse and shoes and outfits into a singular either-or scheme.  I don’t have the energy for brown in my closet, except for some things I wear with black.  Defiantly!  Yes.  Definitely defiantly.

Red makes me kind of uneasy, I think.  Does anyone want some hastily-purchased dark red curtains?

Bright pink.  Harsh truth: I only approve of bright pink in the form of cold soup.  This is my favorite dish from my dear beer-and-basketball-loving home planet.  Easily.  I’ve served it to some friends and unless they’re just being nice (I have to find some assholes to serve it to as well), they all liked it.  Loved, even, as one of them described it as a frolic through a fresh garden in your mouth.  Perhaps this soup should be yellow.  Golden beets do exist…

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