Vietnamese Cucumber Salad

Salad Crazy
I have a new salad obsession—which is a big deal because I am not a salad person. Well, I’m not a traditional salad person, in the leafy sense. I like the chunky type chopped salads like a corn salad or tomato salad…you get the idea.

Over the weekend we were up at Tahoe for my daughter’s softball tournament along with my sister and her family, who were there ‘cause, it’s Tahoe and Tahoe is awesome.
My sister is my best friend so having her along was great just in and of itself. One of the other benefits is that she likes to make dinner. So, I knew that after a long day of watching softball in the heat we were coming home to a pretty tasty meal. And, I was correct.

One of the dishes she prepared was this Vietnamese Cucumber Salad. I couldn’t stop eating it. I mean literally. I just kept going back for more. I am a fan of cucumbers so it’s not that big of a surprise that I enjoyed this salad. But, this was on a whole different level.

Cucumbers on a hot day are always a welcome addition to any meal because they are cooling, crunchy and refreshing. In this case they were also spicy and paired with peanuts. so good!

Vietnamese Cucumber Salad is one of those dishes that will become part of my normal rotation as a dinner side, as well as a great cooling lunch during hot weekdays. Bonus: it’s good for you, too.

The recipe is adapted from the book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. And I recommend the book to anyone who wants to really learn how to cook well. It’s fantastic.

Vietnamese Cucumber Salad
It is important to use the Persian or Japanese cucumbers because the skin is thin and mild-flavored. If you are using conventional cukes, peel all the skin away. Also, we couln’t find any cilantro in Taho, and the Vietnamese Cucumber Salad was still amazing without it. So, if you are not a cilantro lover, go ahead and omit it. Read more…

Avocado Toast

Toast of the Town
Sometimes food trends make me laugh. Recently I have been rather amused by the phenomenon known as Avocado Toast.

Why is this a thing? It’s tasty to be sure, but avocado toast is not a totally new discovery. To my knowledge, people have been spreading avocado on toast for quite some time. Is it a spoiled Californian thing? I mean we do take our immediate access to tasty avocados for granted but, really?

To be fair, what I am seeing on menus and online is not just a smear of avocado on some sourdough. There are plenty of twists and creative combinations and sprinkled with exotic herbs and spices—even some with carefully poached eggs—now that sounds super good.

No matter where you stand on the craze, avocado toast is a great option for breakfast or brunch or any time, really. So, next time you grab your favorite loaf and a ripe Haas, congratulate yourself for being a culinary visionary. And, enjoy….

Now, one might argue that you don’t need a recipe to make avocado toast, and that’s a good point! However, the basic recipe is a showcase for ingredients, so you want the best available.

Those hipster joints that sell avocado toast for $4 a slice are really selling you amazing homemade bread and great avocados. If your ambitions lie in baking your own loaf, we recommend this Hearty White Sandwich Bread or this Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread. If not, pick up a big loaf of crusty bread, perhaps from Acme Bread Company.

Avocado Toast
Here is our recipe for a basic Avocado Toast. There are countless variations, and here we recommend a few of our favorites. Be creative! Read more…

Egg Sandwiches

Chicken And The Egg
As a family, we have reached that stage where making scrambled eggs means using at least a dozen. Usually more. (I have teenage boys.)The good news is that because we have chickens, we always have fresh eggs around. Until we don’t…

If it’s 6 AM on Saturday morning and everyone is awake, chances are I am at the stove making egg sandwiches to go because we are heading to some sort of event—baseball, softball, volleyball, music. And, nothing is as portable or easy to eat in the car than an egg sandwich. This past Saturday, though, tragedy struck.

There are 5 people in our family. We had 4 eggs in the fridge. This almost never happens. With 6 chickens and a busy weekday schedule we normally have way more than we need. But, see, we have that busy weekday schedule and sometimes pancakes and eggs for dinner is the fastest way to feed a hungry crowd. Yeah, that was Wednesday night…Remember what I said about the scrambled eggs?

So while the kids were getting dressed and putting their gear together, I was pacing the kitchen floor like some expectant parent anxiously waiting for the telltale squawk from the back yard. I knew it was coming. I just needed some patience and more time which was in short supply. The girls are pretty regular layers and there is always at least one egg in the coop by the time we go to let them out in the morning. But, we were up a little earlier than normal. So, I was at the mercy of the flock clock.

Now, I get that this might weird some people out. There’s fresh and then there’s really fresh and some people are just more comfortable with a little more time distance between the chicken and the egg. I totally get it. But, I will tell you that if you ever get the chance to eat a really fresh egg you will no longer have that issue. There is that much of a difference and they are that tasty!

So, the girls came through in the end. After a rather vocal commotion in the coop, we had five sandwiches in hand, five butts in car seats heading down the highway, and a fight for the sandwich with the really fresh egg.

Egg Sandwiches
Here are two delicious version of egg sandwiches that make a fantastically quick meal. Of course, the variations are endless…you can play with the breads, cheeses, meats, veggies, and sauces. Your creativity is encouraged. Read more…

Citrus Marinated Chicken Tacos

Fiesta De Mayo
May is a month of celebrations. There are five birthdays, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day. It’s a busy month and the official kick off is Cinco de Mayo.

For the record, I do not have one single drop of Mexican blood in me. Not even a little. (I’ve done the Ancestry DNA test. I’m pretty boring.) What I do have is an insane love for Mexican cuisine, which is why Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in my house. My husband went so far as to remind me last night that Cinco de Mayo was this Friday. As if I hadn’t already started planning? Dude, it’s like you don’t even know me…

Cinco de Mayo falling on a weekday can be somewhat problematic. Sure, the fact that it’s on Friday is a good thing since you can sleep in on Saturday. But, it makes menu planning a bit more limiting. For a lot of people, Mexican food means tacos and burritos. And, while this is a part of Mexican cuisine, there is so much more to it. Mexican cuisine has boundless diversity and flavor that varies from region to region. You could spend years trying to experience all of its nuances and hidden tastes. Which is exactly the problem. Some of the best food Mexico has to offer takes time and does not lend itself to a Friday night meal after work.

So, tacos it is with fresh tortillas, preferably homemade. (If you have never made your own tortillas, grab a bag of Maseca and give it a try. You’ll never go back to packaged.)

This Citrus Marinated Chicken Tacos recipe is one I made for my very first Cinco de Mayo celebration 20 years ago. It’s an oldie but a goodie. I have been known to add a little tequila to the marinade when I’m feeling sassy…

Citrus Marinated Chicken Tacos
Yields filling for about eight tacos