Do you know who my favorite superhero is?
No, it’s not Superman. It’s not Spiderman. It’s not Batman, or Catwoman, or the Incredible Hulk, or even Captain Underpants (although he’s pretty darn cool).
No, my favorite superhero is far less bionic than any of the above heroes. Heck, he’s even more useless than Aquaman, whose greatest superpower is his ability to talk to dolphins and company. Of course, he might’ve given Dory and Marlin a break if he’d made a guest appearance in Finding Nemo, but that would just be silly, plus we would’ve then missed out on possibly the best animated scene of all time (which, in case you didn’t know, is this–Ellen DeGeneres, I love you so much).
My favorite superhero? <<cue dramatic groundhog music>>
It’s…CAPTAIN OBVIOUS! Dah dah dah!
…Okay, yeah. Dud. I know. And no, you can’t throw a virtual tomato at me.
You can, however, throw a real tomato into your mixing bowl, because I have a real winner summer salad recipe for you here. (Ha!Not bad for a relatively contrived segue, eh?)
I made this for our in-celebration-of-Julia Child afternoon–we put on Julie & Julia and proceeded to feast in her name while singing praises of her and Paul Child’s love. Seriously. Those two were like, I don’t know, that really stubborn egg that you’re trying to separate but just will not separate. You know the one I’m talking about. The egg where the whites and yolk are like the same freakin’ entity. That’s what Julia and Paul Child were. An inseparable, heads-over-yolk in love pair.
My friend even made this from Julia’s desserts section (I’ll have to look up the name and get back to you on it, unless anyone recognizes it–it involves cherries!):
The Captain Obvious point was initially related, I swear. I was going to say that yesterday was Julia Child’s 100th birthday, and I’d be about the 7.2 millionth person to point it out, so I’ll just…not say it and assume that you already know.
But you have to try this salad! Okay? It’s in honor of Julia (she has a section on vegetable salads/marinades), but I made it using my own recipe, because I’m also a really stubborn egg and happen to like my version better. Sorry, Julia!
Cucumber Tomato Summer Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 3 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup vinegar (I used a combination of rice vinegar and white vinegar)
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
Directions:
- Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl (adjust vinegar-sugar ratios as desired). Place cucumbers and tomatoes in a large bowl; pour liquid over them and toss to coat. Leave in fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, tossing every half hour or so to ensure that liquid soaks into all of the salad. Serve chilled.
By the way, on a completely unrelated note, aren’t these just the cutest measuring cups ever? My friend had them at her place when we were making our Day 15 themed entry together:
Aren’t they just the cutest? I love having Aquaman-level-useless cooking instruments on hand that just make me, admittedly, happy to an irrational degree whenever I spot them. It’s like:
Me: Ho hum, cooking in the kitchen, la la…
<<Spots the cute cat measuring cups>>
Me: …..
And then…
Me: LA LA COOKING IN THE KITCHEN WITH CUTE CATS HEE HEE <3 <3 <3
Ahrm. I also make sure I keep my peppy playlist blasting whenever I’m in the kitchen (my favorite stove-side tunes are the Glee soundtrack and anything from Tangled, Enchanted, or Disney in general). Whenever my roommate comes home and I have the radio blaring out from my room, I always have to put down whatever I’ve been using as a mock microphone (usually my spatula) and look like I’m really, really intent on, um, cleaning something. Or something.
Do you have any kitchen-time guilty pleasures or ways to get you in a good mood while you’re in the kitchen?
————————————————
And finally, last but not least in this monster posts of monster posts…our (belated) NEDFM entry!
THEMED ENTRY #15: LEMON MERINGUE PIE
It’s the fifteenth day (halfway there!) of National Eat Dessert First! Month, an entire 31 days dedicated to a different themed dessert but, more importantly, getting those desserts onto our plates and palates! Each day will feature a new guest chef’s photos and recipes for each theme. If you’re interested in joining in for a dessert-tastic month, read the details at the Dessert Month Challenge post. It’s never too late to start!
Source: allrecipes
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 lemons, juiced and zested
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
- 4 egg whites
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
- To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.
I love your Tomato and Cucumber Summer Salad. So refreshing and healthy. 🙂 I think I can eat that every day!
Oh…those measuring cups are super adorable. I know a cat lover girl friend (who also love to bake) would go crazy for them.
If you’re looking for a way to convert into a fan of the summer season, this might be it–just saying! And in case your friend is interested in getting them… http://www.amazon.com/Kitten-Measuring-Bowls-Baking-Ceramic/dp/B004115B8U
Yum! Always looking for something to do with all the cucumbers I have.
BTW, you’re a woot! Your post made me chuckle!
Thanks so much! I know exactly how you feel–I always buy more cucumbers than I can use up (hence this recipe)!
Your bowls are too cute:) I love the salad, my friend introduced me to it a few years back and now it’s one of my favorites for summer. Have a great weekend:)!
I’d love to say they’re mine, but they’re my friend’s–we were using her kitchen, but I was definitely eyeing them for longer than most people of innocent intentions would. Thanks, and I hope you get to make some soon!
That dessert looks a lot like a cherry clafoutis – a great dessert. I make a tomato and cucumber salad all the time, but I make mine with olive oil and (sometimes) a little red wine vinegar. And how did you know lemon meringue pie was one of my all time favs? Fun post – thanks.
Yes–clafoutis, thank you! I was going to say patootie (they sound the same! almost). I’d love to try my cucumber salad with red wine vinegar instead; good thing I bought two huge cucumbers today!