Well, we still have more spices to talk about, but I thought it would be nice, to add in a summer side dish recipe for us! With all of this great summer coking going on, it really seemed like the right thing to do!

You don't need fresh cukes for this recipe but as always, fresh is....well, fresh! If you use store bought cucumbers, and you can get some great tasting ones out there, just make sure to peel the skin off for this recipe. Grocery cucumbers are often waxed on the outside, where garden cukes, just need a quick scrub and they're ready to go.

There are many variations to this recipe, some are quicker than others but they always lend a nice addition to your summer meals, gatherings and barbeque's.

Use 6-8 nice size pickling cukes or 3-4 larger cukes. You can thinly slice them into rounds or if they are bigger around, cut in half lengthwise and in half again. For larger cukes, you may want to de-seed them. Do this by running a spoon down the center after they are cut, scooping out the seeds and then slice again into smaller chunks.

Soak your cukes in chilled salt water for about a half hour, drain and rinse well in cold water. Place in a bowl, your sliced cucumbers, and add the following.....

Sprinkle red wine vinegar over your cukes and toss (about 1/8 cup) sprinkle about ¼ cup of cane sugar on top and add some fresh ground pepper and a bit of sea salt. Toss well and refrigerate. Slice and dice 3 green onions (scallions and omitting the very tops of the greens) or ¼ sweet Vidalia or purple onion (they all work great, choose your favorite) and toss into cucumber mixture. Add 1/3 cup of heavy cream and toss together well.

Refrigerate overnight so that all of the flavors meld together well. Stir again before serving. Your sauce will be slightly sweet and totally compliment the flavor of the cucumbers.

Another “quick” way to make these, is to not soak them. Use the same ingredients except for the heavy cream and substitute sour cream instead. The sour cream will thin out with the vinegar and sugar and will taste similar as well.

I hope you're enjoying your summer so far, having some fun, eating great food and smiling a lot! Have a wonderful and blessed week!
Sue