Cucumber Salad

When it is so hot outside, the last thing I want to do is stand over a hot stove or create heat with the oven.  So since getting back home from vacation in a lovely climate to Texas summer weather, I have only bought groceries that involve no heat.  This has also turned out to be a healthy move since we are eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies by staying in the sandwich, salad, and smoothies families.  I made this salad last night when friends came over for a pot luck grill out.  I had looked at a few new salad recipe ideas and ended up splicing a few together to create a nice summer salad concoction. It is cooling and a bit spicy at the same time.  Enjoy!

Cucumber Salad

• 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
• About 10 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 purple onion, thinly sliced
• a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley and/or basil
• about a tablespoon of chopped mint
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 oz. crumbled feta cheese
• a salad dressing of your choice (I used a simple red wine vinaigrette)

Enjoying the Northwest

Josh and I went up to Oregon to spend a few days in Ashland with my parents for a few days.  I adore Ashland.  It is such a great town.  Filled with amazing parks, views, theater, and food.  It is easier to find good vegetarian food there than a good burger.  That is awesome since traveling as a vegetarian often means many grilled cheese sandwich meals.  Not that I don't love a good grilled cheese sandwich, but options are great too, and Ashland has them!  Not to mention some good local beer. 

After our time in Oregon, we rented a car and went up the Oregon coast, and then down into Northern California to see the redwoods.  Going to see the redwoods has always been on my bucket list, and they didn't disappoint.  After taking in all those trees, hikes, beer, and veggie food, I'm feeling as ready as I can be back home.  This also means that I will get back to the blog!  I'll be searching for and sharing some "beat the heat" remedies since the 100+ days are here to stay. 

  

Summer Whiten up

I am in the mood to brighten up and lighten up for summer.  We bought out house last September.  It is light and airy, but also eclectic.  So I love how easy it is to experiment. We have a great screened in sun porch and though we love using it, we have yet to really deck it out.  We are in the middle of making all kind of big plans  for our yard, so I was getting anxious to do something in the mean time.  So, on a "planning" trip to Home Depot, I picked up a few cans of white spray paint to make over 2 of our patio chairs.  Now I feel like spray painting everything white!  It brightened up our porch perfectly.  Now I can keep spray painting a few more outdoor items while I wait not so patiently to start on the "big" outdoor projects.