I am trying to grow a small garden this year. There is nothing I like more than cucumbers. I can just wash them and eat them – especially those little pickling cucumbers. One of the things I look forward to when I go home to Rose Bud in the summer is cucumbers from my mom’s garden because she always has full pans sitting around. My mom and grandmother always had big gardens and both canned and froze a ton of food.  There was always fresh “produce” (my dad’s terminology) around both houses. My garden is small and only has some tomatoes, which like last year have blight, and some bell peppers, zucchini, spaghetti squash, cucumbers and basil.  I usually plant my basil in the front but it died this year so I had to start over.  My garden is flourishing in size and color.  Looks quite pretty and has produced one zucchini.  This particular zucchini was about 15 inches long!

It was unbelievable. I named him “zucchini on steroids”.  Last night, I roasted it in the oven in balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil with some onions, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese. Tasted pretty good with all of that but somehow I don’t think it would have tasted very good otherwise. 

I think summer is a fun time to try salsas and salads.  My friend Becky shared a great salsa/salad recipe that I wanted to share.

Pepper/Tomato Salsa

1 each green, red and yellow peppers (cored and chopped in small pieces)

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped into small pieces

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped finely

1/3 cup Italian vinaigrette salad dressing
Mix it altogether and marinate an hour or so.  Serve as a salad or salsa. Rachel and I likes it over rice.
Another summer favorite is Trash Dip.

One of Rachel’s friends ate dinner with us tonight and we had this. When I told her it was “trash dip”, her eyes got as big as saucers. I told her that it looks like trash and it does! This recipe feeds a ton of people so it is great for a party or a July 4^th Celebration.  After preparation, it is good for about say, so it is better eaten sooner than later. 

Trash Dip

4 tomatoes seeded and chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped finely

1 red onion, chopped

1 T. jalapeno, chopped finely

1 small can of black olives, drained (sliced or chopped)

1 small can of chopped green chilies

1 cup of Monterey Jack Cheese shredded (or 1/2 – 1 cup feta cheese crumbled; depends on your taste.  We like either cheese and a lot of it!)

1/2 cup Italian vinaigrette

Mix it altogether and marinate for about an hour.  Serve with corn tortilla chips.

This morning Jonathan reported that this was “good” over his scrambled eggs, too!