Welcome to Happylifeblogspot! A food blog with drool worthy recipes
This is my all time favorite steak marinade for grilled steaks! I’ve shared this recipe with literally EVERYONE I know and now it’s time to share it with you! Now I must confess, I was never really a big steak eater. I was a total […]
We hosted a Memorial Day picnic last Monday for my family. It was so much fun and all that cooking and BBQ-ing got me amped up to grill out….All. Summer. Long! Well that and maybe the fact that we had a little stretch of almost […]
I have a confession to make. Last year my garden was terrible!! I drew up a plan for a 4′ X 12′ raised garden box with removable sides and my hubby built it exactly as I had envisioned it. I found a planting guide on Better Homes and Garden and started seeds months ahead of time in our basement. We planted. We watered. We crossed our fingers. We tried! We really did try, but somehow it was an epic fail! I don’t know if it was the hot, sticky, no rain summer, or if we just started with horrible soil, or what. We had lots of tomatoes on the vine, but they never ripened. Our cucumber plant just kind of gave up on life. Our beans started out promising but then just fizzled out. Granted I’ve never actually grown anything at all, let alone from seed, but I was convinced that just by sheer probability something would have taken off! Nope, not really. Apparently that’s not how gardening works. But I was determined to change my death thumb to a green thumb! So we added compost to the soil, bananas, eggshells, dry milk, our Halloween pumpkins, anything that would give me some glimmer of hope that I wouldn’t be a failure the following year. I googled every single thing that we planted and took notes on how to care for them. We watered WAY less because we had a great summer of rain this year. And then BAM! It was almost magical to see my garden turn into a jungle!! Like plush, healthy, growing out of the garden box! I can’t even tell you how many times I had to cut back the cucumbers and tomatoes (after I googled things like how to cut back cucumbers and should I cut back my tomatoes). It made my heart so happy to grow my own food. What a difference a year makes! And now we’re scrambling to find new ways to use up all this food. That’s where this handy little Homegrown Cucumber Salad comes into play! It’s only 5 ingredients (which you know I love!) AND 3 of those ingredients came from……..MY……GARDEN!!! Happy dance! Happy dance!!
Here’s all you’ll need: Corn, cucumbers, basil, chives, and mayo.
Cook corn and slice it off the cob. We made corn on the cob the night before and used the leftovers in this salad. I absolutely loved that it didn’t go to waste because it was just so dang good! Dreaming of the day I have enough room to grow my own corn!!
Rinse and peel cucumbers. Do you see that cucumber??? I GREW IT!!!
Remove seeds. I used a spoon and just scooped them right out.
Slice into chunks.
Chop up the basil. I have SOOOO much basil right now (and I love it!!). I’ve been trying to find new basil recipes every day to use it all up! This salad is a great start! Don’t forget to chop the chives while you’re at it.
Add cucumber, corn, basil, chives, mayo, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Mix with a spoon to combine and evenly coat.
OMG!! Doesn’t that look so fresh and delicious!! The cucumbers give it a crisp and juicy feel, and then it’s balanced by the sweetness of the corn, and then the basil and chives give it such an awesome flavor and the mayo just kind of pulls everything together.
How are you using up your cucumbers this year? I would love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below. If you love cucumbers, then you’ve gotta try our Watermelon Cucumber Salad too!
Ok so if you’ve been reading my blog and getting to know me, then you know by now that I love me some easy, no clean up grilling recipes in the summertime! And yes, we are THAT family that grills in the snow too, but […]
There are very few things in life that smell better than a homemade pie baking in the oven! This Cherry Pie in particular, was extra special because not only was it made from scratch, but we also picked the cherries ourselves. That right there is […]
My garden is doing freakin fabulous this year!! Look at this basil! I just keep picking it and it just keeps growing. I’m so ready for the tomatoes to catch up already so I can make some fresh bruschetta. Mmm!! Bruschetta! Basil is one of my absolute favorite herbs. I love it so much that I’ve actually got four of these bad boys planted this year! YESSSS!!!! There will never be a shortage of basil at my house. And one of my absolute favorite basil recipes is actually a drink….with alcohol….and lots of fruit…..it’s Sangria!!! I LOVE ME SOME SANGRIA!! It’s become a tradition to make this sweet drink every Fourth of July whether we have a big party or just a dinner for two! Either way my hubby has a good reason to sing Blake Shelton’s “Her Lips Taste Like Sangria”. I bet you didn’t know that song was really about me! Well now it can be about you too! You have to try this recipe before we run out of summer!!
Here’s all you’ll need: White grape juice, club soda, Chardonnay, sugar, strawberries, basil, and an apple.
Dice the apple into small pieces.
Slice your strawberries into cute little pieces.
Layer the fruit in a pitcher and cover with sugar. Let this mixture sit for about 10 minutes so the sugar can soak up the juices from the fruit.
Meanwhile we can score the basil. I hate drinks that have so many chunks of stuff floating around in it that you can’t even enjoy the drink! So gross! So instead of cutting the basil we’re just going to score it. This will give us that awesome basil flavor without chunks of basil in our teeth!
To score the basil, we’re simply going to gently run a fork across the back of it. Don’t poke it all the way through. Just enough to release some of that flavor!
Once you have it all scored, toss all of the basil into the pitcher with the fruit. It’s starting to look so pretty and colorful!
Next we’re going to add the club soda. Why?!? Because we save the best for last, Obvi!!!
The real superstar of the recipe….the Chardonnay!! Pour in the entire bottle. Don’t be scared! Ooooohh!! I love this part!!
I used this bottle of Chardonnay from Cupcake Vineyards. Really the only reason I picked it was it was from Monterey County. It reminded me of our trip to Monterey, CA and our relaxing massage at Vista Blue Spa at the Monterey Plaza. A spa treatment on the water seemed like the perfect way to end our Cali vacation!!
Mix well and serve! Isn’t she a beauty!!
I dunno why but I always feel the need to drink this one from a mason jar!! Feel free to munch on that boozy fruit once your glass is empty!! Just when you thought fruit couldn’t get any better….we added wine! Have a glass (or two) for me!
This guy had one glass of Sangria too many!! Kidding!! Little Nittany was all tuckered out from all of the Fourth of July excitement. Oh, the life of a puppy!
Leave us your comments and love down below!
My hubby was born and raised in the country. He’s a country boy at heart. One day we’re hoping to fulfill our dreams, buy some land, and lead a simpler life out in the country away from the hustle and bustle…but until then, we’re stuck […]
Hi There! I’m Lisa. I’m a lover of all things crafty, creative, DIY, and delicious!!! Oh yeah and puppies too! I love cooking and baking for my friends and family but especially WITH my friends and family. I show my greatest affection through food. If I cook or bake for you, it means I really like you!