Summer Days

It was a glorious day today. Only about 80*. It felt like there was no humidity, but the weatherman said it was 40% humidity. Crystal clear bright blue sky, just a little wispy cloud here or there. We turned the a/c off at the house and opened the windows. There was a little bit of a breeze. Of course, since it was the middle of the week, I was stuck in my windowless office in the basement. But the few times I was outside, it was heavenly.

When I got in my car this evening, I put the windows all the way down, hooked up my MP3 player, turned up the volume and let my hair dance in the wind. It is days like today I wish I had a sunroof in the car. I don't like sunroofs, and it would probably look a little odd in my SUV. But on days like today, I want just a little more sunshine and happiness streaming in on me.

I have very eclectic music tastes. My MP3 has songs I enjoy, with no thought to the Genre. So this afternoon I rocked out to Sinatra, Alabama, and BareNaked Ladies. I have to laugh when I have my music blaring, windows rolled down, the base thumping and I'm singing along to 'My Way' or 'Old Flame' . Hilarious!!! The thought of what others think when they hear this, just cracks me up. How many people out there are grooving in their cars to Sinatra?

Today's weather made me think of NY. This is the way I remember summer in NY. Yes, we had hot days-- days that it was so hot and humid you felt like you needed a shower as soon as you stepped out of the shower. But I remember summers as not being extremely hot and uncomfortable. 80, maybe into the 90s, but the humidity most of the time is lower. Since I grew up in the mountains, it's always a bit cooler there. You have the breezes rustling through the forest; the lakes, brooks, rivers, and ponds keeping the heat at bay. People in NY don't have 'central air'. My parents bought two window a/c units (one for upstairs and one for the downstairs) only a couple of years ago. Before that, we had ceiling fans. If summer were two months of days like today, it could easily replace winter as my favorite season.

It was such a perfect day we HAD to grill out. Initially, we were going to grill the steaks tomorrow night, since I had a massage after work. But Erich practically begged to grill out. I'm so glad we did. He fixed steaks on the grill. I made cheddar mashed potatoes. Then I remembered I had a cucumber in the frig. Erich picked it in our yard the other day. It was not growing where the other cucumbers in the garden were. No, it was growing in the back of the yard, where we had cucumbers last year. It was a volunteer cucumber. I used it to make cucumber salad.

Cucumber salad is one of those things my mom made in the summer. We never had it in the winter. It is best with cucumbers fresh from the garden. Or as we say in NY, 'farm fresh'. It just doesn't taste the same with the cucumbers you buy at the store. Some people might think it is gross. It's miracle whip, milk, white vinegar, and sugar. I don't know the exact measurements. When I first started making it, I would call my mom every time to get the 'recipe'. She would say well, some of this, and just a little bit of that... There isn't a formal recipe. You just do it until it is right. So today I had one cucumber, two heaping tablespoons of Miracle Whip (not measuring spoons, the table spoons that are part of your silverware- you have the little spoons (teaspoons) and the big ones (tablespoons) ). Some milk- maybe it was about 1/4 cup. A couple splashes of vinegar and a couple teaspoons of sugar. You whisk this together until smooth. It should be pourable, but not thin. Then you slice the cucumber and put it in the dressing. You get the coolness of the cucumber, covered with a tangy, smooth dressing with just a touch of sweet.

The first crisp bite took me back to my childhood. We would have this several times a week. Everyone in our family loved it. There weren't ever leftovers. Which is just as well-it is one of those things that does not keep very well. You are better to make it fresh every day. I mix it in my glass measuring cup. Since Erich does not like cucumbers, I get it all to myself. I tend to be very informal. I've already dirtied the measuring cup to make it, what is the point dirtying a bowl to pour it into? Just grab a spoon and dig in. A fork lets you grab the cucumbers better, but the spoon lets you get all the extra dressing- and you don't want to miss any of it! It is also good over starchy things, like potatoes and corn. Although I can't eat corn, but I remember when I could eat it and how yummy it tasted pouring the dressing over the corn.

I know the calendar said summer arrived last week, but to me, nothing says summer like cucumber salad. Now that I have had that first taste for the year, I want more! I did eat the whole thing tonight, and kept thinking what a deliciously sinful way to enjoy veggies. Of course, I can eat cucumbers just as they are. But sometimes it's nice to dress them up. The other cucumbers in our garden are too little, so I will have to hit a farm stand to get my fix. If you want to come over and have some, I promise to pour it into a bowl and not eat out of the measuring cup!