Marca Relli 2024
Another Memorial Day here in the Stew. Always a good time to reflect on the sacrifices our young men and women in uniform made – and still make today – so that we can enjoy a backyard barbecue in freedom and peace.
With the weather turning warmer it’s a good time for something cool and crisp to go with those burgers and hot dogs. This is my late mother-in-law’s recipe and was a staple at every summer cookout – along with shrimp salad – but that’s not this. It’s a simple recipe with few ingredients and comes together in a flash.
Cucumbers are almost all water but they do pack a big punch of vitamin K which is what helped stop you from bleeding out that day you almost cut your pinky finger off with that kitchen knife – oh wait, that was me. Anyway, cucumbers are darn good for you and low calorie too, that is until you add all the other stuff that I’m going to tell you to add to them.
This is a blank canvass recipe to which you can paint anything additional you want on it (think fresh dill, or maybe tarragon, cayenne pepper, etc.) I used red onion for visual appeal only. Any kind of onion will do.
Need This
2 large cucumbers
1 small onion (cut into thin slices)
1 16 ounce container of sour cream
Italian salad dressing (Wish-Bone Italian is the original but any brand will do.)
Ground black pepper (or cayenne pepper)
Do This
Stripe-peel the cucumber skins longways.*
Slice the cukes crosswise into thin coins then toss them into a large bowl.
Top the cucumbers with thin slices of red onion and mix well.
Shake the bottle of Italian dressing vigorously then pour about 1/3 the bottle over the cucumber-onions. Mix well.
Put the bowl into the fridge and let the cucumbers marinate for at least 1 hour.
Add 3 – 4 tablespoons of sour cream to the marinated cucumbers. Dust a little black pepper over it and drop in any herbs or spices – if using. Mix well again.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Serve cold as a side dish.
Serves 4. My cost approx $ 4.02 total – about $1.01 per serving.
* There really is no need to stripe-peel the cucumbers, but it looks nice. – GM
God bless the veterans! Wow, your cucumber salad sounds great. I never made it with Italian dressing and sour cream before, I will try your recipe as soon as I get more cucumbers. I only have 2 small ones right now. Have a wonderful Memorial Day, be safe.
Our first 100 degree day today out here in the Southwest and we had a cold supper. I made your cucumber salad and Ronnie and I loved it. Keep cooking😋😋