As you can see, we have lots of really big cucumbers coming in right now, so I’ve been looking for new recipes to use them in. I came across this “Spicy Chinese Cucumber Salad” recipe that sounded really good and decided to try it. Delish!

It could use a bit more seasoning, but we liked it. Dan was worried it would be too vinegary, because I *love* vinegar-soaked cucumbers, but this had only a few tablespoons of rice vinegar, which is less acidic than the white vinegar I usually use, and other ingredients as well. It turned out very good, but I think I will double the chili-garlic sauce next time.

Spicy Chinese Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp rice vinegar, to taste
2 tsp sesame oil, to taste
2 tsp sugar, to taste
2 tsp soy sauce, to taste
1/2 tbsp chili paste, to taste (optional)
2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

Wash and then peel the cucumber skins in alternating stripes (or peel completely or not at all). Slice the cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds and pulp out with a spoon. Slice the cucumbers into 1/4-inch pieces. Sprinkle the cucumber slices with the salt and toss to coat evenly. Cover and place in refrigerator for an hour.

After an hour, squeeze the cucumber slices of as much liquid as possible with your hand. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber with the rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Add a little soy sauce and mix the salad. Taste and add more soy sauce until you reach the desired saltiness. Stir in the chili paste and serve cold; it will taste even better if you let it marinate overnight in the fridge. Just before serving, sprinkle with sesame seeds

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This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, the food blogging event that celebrates growing and preparing our own food. It was originated by Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes and is hosted this time by Graziana from Erbe in Cucina (Cooking with Herbs). The roundup of all the tasty recipes is here.

We harvested a couple pounds of red and yellow onions and some garlic from the garden this past week. Whenever garlic in the kitchen develops sprouts, we plant them in the garden. A year later, new heads

We also harvested five cucumbers, for a total of seven now. And with all the water we had last week, they’re huge! The one on the bottom is 10 inches long and weighs 13 ounces.

I have one marinating in the fridge right now; I’ll post the recipe tomorrow.

This is one of my favorite potato salads to make - it’s delicious and good for you, and one of the main ingredients came from our own garden: the peas.

Ever since we started a vegetable garden many years ago, we’ve been growing peas. Dan especially likes them - in fact, he’ll eat them raw right out of the garden! But this year, they were especially prolific, so he got some, I got some, and there’s lots more in the freezer for later We planted both snow peas and sugar snap peas this year, and they both did great.

Peas in the garden

So to go along with a grilled dinner, I made this potato salad with peas and roasted red peppers, a take on this recipe from Rachael Ray. I changed the dressing for this one, and it was excellent

Potato Salad with Peas and Peppers

2 1/2 pounds white thin skin potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tbsp. snipped chives
1/4 cup chopped parsley, plus 2 tbsp.
Salt and pepper

1 (6-ounce) jar, roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup frozen sweet peas

Put potatoes into the cold water and bring to a boil, sprinkle with 2 tsp. salt, and boil for 10-12 minutes or until tender; drain. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, celery, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Put drained potatoes into a large bowl and sprinkle with vinegar. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then carefully mix in the dressing. Add the peppers and peas and mix, being careful not to break up potatoes. Chill until ready to serve; garnish with reserved parsley.

This is my contribution to Grow Your Own, the food blogging event that celebrates growing and eating our own food. It was created by Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes and is hosted this month by Zora of gardenopolis.

Earlier this week, we harvested 1.5 pounds of green beans from the garden - they’re gorgeous! And there are more out there still!

We blanched them, shocked them with cold water, and froze them for later yummy dishes. Can’t wait to eat these lovely beans.

I wanted a nice, healthy side dish for grilled tuna and scallops, and put together this delicious noodle dish with some of the dozens (it seems like) Asian condiments in my refrigerator. Good stuff.

Chinese Starry Noodles

1/2 lb. spaghetti

1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. oyster sauce
1 tbsp. dry sherry
1 tsp. chile puree with garlic
1/8 tsp. ground star anise
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. canola or peanut oil
1/2 cup each red and green pepper and onion, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large or two small cloves of garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.)
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
sliced green or red pepper and 1 whole star anise, for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; boil spaghetti 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Combine soy and oyster sauces, sherry, chile puree, star anise and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet and lightly saute peppers, onion, garlic and ginger. Set aside to cool.

Drain spaghetti and rinse with cool water. Place in a large bowl and combine with the sauce. Mix in vegetables and pour into a serving dish. Garnish with pepper and star anise. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I really really love this recipe. I am a vinegar fiend, for one thing, so I love the vinaigrette, and it’s healthy - couscous, veggies and herbs - it uses grilled veggies, which are heavenly, and it makes use of lots of fresh herbs from my garden. Later in the summer, when I have my own peppers, I’ll be using those, too. This goes great with any grilled meal, and can be served warm or at room temp.

Couscous with Grilled Vegetables and Champagne Vinaigrette

Couscous
1/2 cup couscous
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered

Vinaigrette
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Chop one onion slice. Heat 1 tbsp. EVOO in a saucepan and saute the chopped onion and minced garlic for a few minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add couscous, stir, and turn off heat. Let sit till broth is absorbed and couscous is tender.

Insert toothpicks sideways into remaining onion slices, to hold them together on the grill. Toss onions and peppers with 2 tbsp. EVOO, salt and pepper. Grill 8-10 minutes or until tender. Dice into 1/4-inch pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, thyme, half the parsley, salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, drizzle olive oil slowly into the bowl. Combine grilled vegetables with couscous, drizzle with dressing and toss to mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

I entered this a foodie photo contest for comfort food at Recipezaar.com:

Chicken Cacciatore, oh, yeah! And here’s the recipe that I posted some time ago.

These are long gone now, but I just love these little daffodils we have growing behind the house. They’re about six inches tall and just adorable

I’ve recently put together a macro studio to improve my food photography. This site describes an inexpensive method for creating a portable studio that reflects light, which improves photography a lot. And I bought the same Lowel EGO Digital Imaging Light that Jaden of SteamyKitchen.com recommended. It works just great

Here’s my setup:

And here’s a photo taken there:

During the last few summers, Dan and I have been going to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach on Sunday mornings, either to ride our bikes our to hike the trails. This photo is one of our hiking trips when we took Pippen along. The trail is filled with gorgeous cypress swamps.