Creamy Cucumber Salad

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on $10/day.

The idea of cucumber salad was new to me this summer. Although I embraced tomato cucumber salads several years ago, it never really occurred to me that one vegetable could carry a salad all by itself. And then my friend Sally gave me three large cucumbers well before my tomatoes were coming on. We ate a few with dip. And then they sat there in my refrigerator, looking too big and intimidating to do anything else with. And then I stumbled upon this recipe by Elise at Simply Recipes, and ba-da-boom, a new world opened up.

Because, you see, cucumbers are actually one of those vegetables that more than one person in this family likes. Which isn't to say that everyone in the family likes them. But Kip does. And Mark does. And some days Savannah does too. That's a really good batting average in the veggie department of this establishment.

So I took those cucumbers and made cucumber salads out of them. And they were a hit.

They're easy to make. You can keep it simple and just add some vinegar and salt and pepper. You can add any number of herbs from the garden. You can add mayo and mustard. Or mayo and Ranch powder.

My favorite is this creamy one.

Creamy Cucumber Salad
Serves 2
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cost: whatever a cucumber is--ours have been free; I'm going to say $.70

Note on skins: You can peel your cucumber or not. My advice is to taste a slice and see if the skin is tender or not. If it is, leave it on.

Note on bitterness: If your cucumber is bitter, I've heard you can chop off an end nub and rub the white of the nub against the white of the rest of the cucumber. This should bring out some whitish juice, which tends to be the bitter juice. Dab those off and your cucumber should be less bitter. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, because the cucumbers I've been getting from my garden have been great. Which brings me to a final note: If you grow a garden, just make an effort to pick the cucumbers young and they usually won't be bitter.

1 medium sized cucumber
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
a few shakes red wine vinegar
a few generous shakes salt
pepper
1/2 tsp chopped dill

Slice the cucumber into disks. (If it's really fat, cut it in halves or quarters first. If it's really seedy, cut it in quarters and slice off the seedy bit.)

Add other ingredients, mix, taste, and adjust seasonings.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Tomato Sandwiches

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on $10/day or less.

Today's post is more of a memory than a recipe.

I grew up watching my mother eat tomato sandwiches in the summer. Mom doesn't love gardening, but she does love fresh tomatoes. Growing up we would often have garden tomatoes.

Tomato sandwiches are one of those foods that seem gross to a kid at first. But when your parent enjoys them as much as my mom did, well, eventually you come around. And you're so glad you did. Because tomato sandwiches with garden tomatoes--they're something special. Don't ask me why they're not gross. Any other time of the year, a tomato sandwich just seems like a sandwich that forgot the rest of its toppings, but in the summer, those tomatoes are singing their own song. And they don't need anybody else to sing it with them. I actually like tomato sandwiches best with tomatoes just picked so that they're still a little warm. The mayo and salt get kind of warm and melty and it's like eating summer itself. Of course you can get this effect by toasting the bread as well. And of course, a sun-warmed tomato is not a necessity for a good summer sandwich. All you need is a good fresh tomato, some bread, some salt, and a bit (a generous bit if you're me) of mayonnaise. Don't try to duplicate them in the winter. You'll just grode yourself out.

Everyone should have a good virgin tomato sandwich for starters, but if you're in the mood to dress the sandwich up a bit, it dresses up well. I like it with a good sharp cheddar. Fresh basil with or without a bit of olive oil goes nicely too. And I'm betting a slab of mozzarella wouldn't do you wrong (I haven't tried it yet, but I've got my slab of mozzarella waiting for me in the refrigerator). And do I even need to say how blessed a BLT is with summer tomatoes.

Let me know how you like your tomato sandwiches. The raccoons may have consumed all of my beautiful corn, my squash may be refusing to produce, but I've got tomatoes coming out my ears.

Tomato Sandwich
serves 1
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cost: a few cents for bread and mayo

2 slices bread
several fat slices of tomato (I like thickish slices in one layer on my bread)
mayo for generous spreading on both sides of your bread
salt and pepper--don't skimp

Toast your bread if you wish and make a sandwich. Eat it nice and slow. The juice and mayo will drip onto your fingers. Embrace this fact and lick it off. Remember: tomato sandwiches are fleeting. Enjoy them when they come.

Facebook and Me

Okay. After much headbanging (um, not of the enjoying heavy music variety), I have set up a Tasty Cheapskate page on Facebook. It's not always easy for someone who uses her phone only for purposes of phone calls to do something so very technologically advanced, so I expect a few pats on the back (the head is a little more demeaning, but that will do too).

And while you're patting away, go on over and like the page already. You'll find the friendly blue LIKE box in the upper right corner.