Saturday, July 28, 2012

Cucumbers and Red Onions

I love this salad, it has a tangy yet sweet 'n sour taste to it! I do however, make this salad one day in advance prior to serving.



Cucumbers and Red Onions

6 medium to large size cucumbers, peeled & sliced thin
1 large red onion, thinly sliced & separated into rings
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups 5% white vinegar
2 cups cold water

1.)  In a large glass bowl, layer cucumbers and onions.

2.)  In another bowl mix together, salt, sugar, vinegar and water.  Stir until sugar is dissolved, and pour over the cucumbers and onions.

3.)  Cover glass bowl, and refrigerate overnight.


4.)  Serve salad the next day, after it's been marinating and chilling over night in the fridge.                     

5.)  Yields: 6 - 7 servings

Friday, July 27, 2012

Easy Iced Coffee

The recipe for this iced coffee was originally posted by Christy Grigor at allrecipes, but I tweaked the recipe to suit my taste. It only takes a few minutes to make, so if I'm in the mood for an iced coffee in a moments notice, this is the one I always make.



Easy Iced Coffee

2-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee (See *Note)
4-1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons 'hot' water (See *Note)
3/4 cup milk (I use 2% milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
ice cubes (Preferably large ice cubes)

1.)  For this recipe you will need a large size glass jar with a tight fitting lid.  (I use an 8-ounce glass jar that the instant coffee came in. It is equivalent to holding 3 cups of liquid.)

2.)  Place the instant coffee and sugar in a glass jar.

3.)  Add the 'hot' water to the jar, place lid on jar, and seal jar tight. Shake the jar vigorously for about 15 to 20 seconds.

4.)  Remove lid from the jar, add the milk, and vanilla, if using, and then swirl the jar around for a bit.

5.)  Add the coffee to a tall beverage glass which has been filled with ice, and enjoy your iced coffee.

6.) *Note: I usually use Folgers or Maxwell House Instant Coffee when making this iced coffee, but if you use Taster's Choice 100% Columbian Instant Coffee, I would decrease the amount of coffee to 2 tsp.  I have found the 100% Columbian Coffee has a much stronger taste to it, but I also think it makes this iced coffee taste great!  Also, when adding the 'hot' water, I heat the water in a small saucepan on top the stove.  One more thing, I prefer to use ice cubes that are large in size, as they don't dilute the ice coffee as quickly as the smaller cubes do.



Cream of Potato & Cheddar Cheese Soup

One day my daughter had given me some of her Yukon Gold Potatoes from her garden.   I then decided I'd quickly  throw a potato soup toge...