One of the things that makes me happiest in the summer is the sheer abundance of fruit. I'm so spoiled these days, able to choose from peaches, blueberries, and cherries this week. And Sean and Teresa brought starfruit yesterday, so we were all set.
My big contribution to the day was cucumber salad, just the thing for a very hot day. Just to be difficult, I wanted to avoid the traditional combinations of yogurt or sour cream and opted to find a recipe for something a little less creamy.
The right combination? Two cucumbers. Salt. Lime juice. A chili pepper. And minced garlic.
My search for the perfect recipe also yielded:
I don't drink black cherry soda, but if I did, this person has done reviews of multiple different brands. Even takes note of the packaging. Paul Lukas, take note!
The Real Man's cookbook.
"Most cookbooks are written for women and, for that reason, do not account for the delicate tastes and abilities that make up the part and parcel of a man. With the exception of barbecue, the domestic culinary arts have been closed to the typical American male...In reality, cooking is more akin to the rough and tumble sport of baseball, borrowing such terms as batter and fowl."
The ease of finding lots of recipes, free, on the Web is only surpassed by the number of people trying to make money from those recipes. Some do better than others. I enjoyed, but did not succumb to, the different pitches interspersed throughout this alphabetic index.
And finally, nothing beats Fannie Farmer's cucumber salad circa 1918. This is certainly not labor intensive, although I could use some explanation of "Parisian French dressing." Or, for that matter, of "fish course."
Other good things about the summer:
Long walks by the lake.
Hanging out by Cafe Selmarie in the evenings.
Breakfast on the back porch, with the newspaper and the train for company.
No shoes.