Summer Guacamole

Summer is almost over, but avocados are in season right now. I adore avocados. When I see one that is so perfectly ripe and fresh, the most delicious thing I can do to it is cut a slice, then sprinkle salt and lime before eating it. It's also great on sandwiches. I've tried a croquette sandwich with just tomato and avocado on Cuban bread, and it is worth repeating. I truly appreciate the simple, creamy flavor of avocado but on the other hand, who doesn't love guacamole?

Two ingredients that will make your guacamole: fresh lime juice, and fresh cilantro. Two tips for using these: use every part of the cilantro- those stems are not taboo! They are flavorful, edible, and chopping them with the leaves reduces a lot of work involved in their separation. As far as the limes go, I read a great tip from Budget Bytes: if you microwave them for 20-30 sec. you can get more juice out of them! Lo & behold it is true! Just don't burn yourself. This guac will be sublime, just you wait and see. 

Here's what you need:

2 large, ripe avocados

2 small cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

2 fresh limes

pinch of cayenne

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tomato, finely diced

1/2 large onion, minced

3 tbsp washed & minced cilantro (stems and all!)

Quarter your avocados and peel off the rind. Throw them in a large mixing bowl and mash them. I used a hand mixer. Add the garlic, salt, spices, olive oil, and lime juice and mix well into the avocado puree. (sorry, no picture of this step!)

I mixed in the cilantro, onion, and tomato last.

The avocados were the perfect texture! Look at that good stuff!

Cucumber Sandwiches & Salad

The Cucumber Sandwiches I made were the "Modern" type. Traditionally, cucumber sandwiches were a food for the wealthy- they could afford food for pleasure rather than for nutrition. Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" featured the traditional version of this sandwich. Algernon eats all the cucumber sandwiches which were intended for his guest, Lady Bracknell- and then he tells here there were no cucumbers in the market, not even for "ready money".

I thought the "modern" version sounded more tasty than the ones with just butter. They were really good! These would make good snacks or party food. I didn't have garlic or onion powder, so I used one small clove of fresh garlic, and I threw in some minced onion. I like fresh better. If you want to do the same, I would say cut a couple of slices of a medium-sized onion and mince it into fine pieces. You see how thick this is? They do NOT have to be that thick. You can spread a thin layer on each sandwich. We piled it on because we were eating it as a meal (no protein, I know!)

The Cucumber Salad I made the same day, so I could use up the cucumber slices we didn't use for the sandwiches. This was really good, but the longer it marinates, the more bitter it gets! Keep that in mind- you can add less vinegar and more sugar if you like. I used the exact quantities that this recipe required. I followed the advice of a reviewer and salted the cucumbers before adding the marinade, and I added the dill to the vinegar, sugar, and water on the stove before boiling. It came out great! It tasted like fresh, crispy pickles. This would go great at a barbeque. It's light and tangy. I didn't use 4 cucumbers though, so keep in mind that my veggies were swimming in sauce. It's best the next day.

Today is Summer, yesterday was Spring

From time to time, you'll find that I will deviate from the blog's theme and add a bit of my thoughts on other subjects. I can't have a new blog without marking Summer Solstice accompanied by Michael Leviton. His song "Summer's the Worst" may not reflect my individual feelings on this particular season, even though South Florida can feel like Summer actually started in February and will end in November. I can truly appreciate a song that is not only so filled with emotion, but tells a story as well. One commenter pointed out a poem:

The Mermaid Poem

by William Butler Yeats:

A mermaid found a swimming lad,

Picked him for her own,

Pressed her body to his body,

Laughed; and plunging down

Forgot in cruel happiness

That even lovers drown.

I took two classes in college in which 50% of the reading content was W. B. Yeats. I read so many of his poems and learned to have a great appreciation for them. Without further ado (and more ranting by me), here's "Summer's the Worst".

Does she keep claiming victims because she wants something she can't have at the expense of their lives? It looks like she's trying to push him away, but keeps getting seduced, knowing it will be fatal. She lets her desire claim life after life. Why does she keep returning to the beach, then? Is she purposefully claiming victims?