…and yes, I’ll take that over your East Coast humidity – the kind that feels
like stepping out of a nice refreshing shower and wrapping yourself in a hot,
wet wool blanket or crawling inside a dog.
Still, we’ve had the highest high temps in 5 years and the second
hottest July on record. And August has been following suit. My tomatoes are
loving it, but I’m wilting.
I just read
some research done on major league baseball pitchers that showed they were more
likely to retaliate nastily for their teammates being hit when the temperatures
were higher. In other words, hot weather
makes people cranky, so you climate change deny-ers are going to be double
pissed-off when it turns out you were wrong. (I'm just sayin'.)
When it’s extra toasty outside, I like to stay cool inside –
say, “cool as a cucumber”? I’m starting
to get a few cukes in the garden, and I found a nice salad that is incredibly
easy and tasty at allrecipes.com. Even
the preschool grandkids liked it – much to my dismay! They ate all of it, so I had to make more
when the next cucumbers were ready.
Cucumber
Sunomono
Yield:
5 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 4 teaspoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
Instructions:
- Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out any large seeds. Slice crosswise into very thin slices.
- In a small bowl combine vinegar, sugar, salt and ginger. Mix well. Place cucumbers inside of the bowl, stir so that cucumbers are coated with the mixture. Refrigerate the bowl of cucumbers for at least 1 hour before serving.
Osaka
Sauce
- 3 T. soy sauce
- 1/2 c. fresh lemon juice (3 lemons)
- 2 tsp. Coleman's mustard
- 3 T. sugar
- 2 T. sesame oil
- 2 T. rice vinegar
- 1/3 c. vegetable oil
Whip all ingredients together in
blender until well mixed.
