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Friday’s Fresh Five! ( 7/9/10)

Posted in Creativity, Handcrafted Cards, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Marriage, Photography, Recipes, Travel, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 9, 2010| 1 Comment »

Hearts and flowers and joy and excitement fill the air at bridal showers. Generations of women gather to shower the bride with wisdom, laughter, and gifts. Thoughts of times passed for some mingle with hopes of the future for others. Women coming together to support one another is always a good thing!

#1 – Champagne Punch
2-12 ounce cans of frozen lemonade or limeade
1-46 ounce can of pineapple juice, chilled
2 bottles of champagne, chilled
1 quart orange juice, chilled
Fruit for ice mold

Dilute one can of the frozen lemonade/limeade with 1 can of water. Pour into tube pan or any mold of choice and add fruit slices, berries or mint leaves for decoration. Freeze until solid.

Mix the remaining frozen lemonade/limeade, pineapple juice, orange juice, and champagne. Place extracted frozen mold from mold pan and put into a punch bowl. Pour mixed beverages into bowl.

#2 – Explore the Sistine Chapel From Home
If you’ve ever visited the Sistine Chapel, you were probably awestruck by the it – you and the other couple hundred visitors crammed into the Chapel with you. It’s difficult to appreciate the magnificence of the art there because of the wall-to-wall bodies. Here’s an interactive site that lets you take a leisurely virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel. On your computer screen the Chapel is completely devoid of people and is available for your complete exploration. Using your computer mouse, you can navigate to any area – the walls, the mosaic floors, and of course the glorious painted ceilings. You can even zoom in on any particular area of your choosing to see details. I wish I had taken this virtual tour, before I visited the real thing!

#3 – Chilling Drinks Quickly
Chill beverages quickly for a party by placing beverage containers in a ice bucket/ice chest and adding layers of ice alternating with layers of salt until almost to the top. Fill your ice bucket/ice chest with cold water just below the top of the ice.

#4 – Instructables
Instructables is a site where do-it-your-selfers can search for step-by-step instructions for a myriad of projects. I came across this interesting project the other day – How To Hide Your Stuff In A Tissue Box. Although it seems easy enough, I’ve not tried making the project, yet. I like the idea, but my biggest problem would be preventing my hubby from using up the tissues and throwing the box away! Maybe one of you could benefit from this idea, though!

#5 – From Within Your Heart
“Find the seed at the bottom of your heart and bring forth a flower.”
~ Shigenori Kameoka

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Pluot and Strawberry Salsa

Posted in In The Kitchen, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on July 6, 2010| Leave a Comment »


Summertime brings with it scorching hot days, cooling delta breezes, and some of the best fruit of the year. Peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, berries, cherries, and melons are at produce stands now. My sister-in-law was kind enough to share her bounty of pluots with the rest of the family, so I thought I would thank her by sharing a pluot recipe. Although a pluot is a delicious cross between a plum and an apricot, it more closely resembles a plum in appearance. There are many varieties of pluots available, but the type I received are golden-green on the outside and yellow on the inside. No matter what they look like on the outside, they all contain healthy amounts of fiber and vitamins A and C.

Here’s a recipe for a Pluot and Strawberry Salsa that’s great on grilled seafood or meat:

Ingredients:
About 1 pound or 5-6 pluots, diced
1/2 lime, juiced
Big handful of strawberries, washed, hulled, and diced
1/4 cup green onions, both white and green parts sliced
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper – depending on preferred heat, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/8 tsp cumin, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Wash and dry pluots. Cut vertical segments off around the pit and dice. Place in bowl. Note: Some recipes call for removing the skin first, but I leave it on for more nutritional fiber.

2. Juice the lime and pour over the diced pluots.

3. Add strawberries, green onions, jalapeno, cilantro, and cumin (if desired) to the bowl of pluots.

4. Carefully combine ingredients, being careful not to smash the fruit.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 2 -3 cups.

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Simple Strawberry Pie

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on June 30, 2010| 2 Comments »

Locally grown strawberries are indescribably sweet and juicy treats right now, so I consider myself fortunate to live in an area where strawberry stands dot the roadsides. Strawberries have been players in my gastronomic memories. I remember going to an annual strawberry festival that helped raise funds to support a local children’s orphanage in my girlhood hometown. And when I was pregnant with my first child, I craved strawberries. Not a bad thing to crave because strawberries contain vitamins A, C, and K and also contain calcium. Fresh strawberries did little to ease my craving, though. I found that strawberry cake and strawberry pie did the trick and miraculously I was able to keep my weight gain down to the necessary minimum on that strawberry diet and gave birth to an under 6 pound baby. Currently, I live near a town that is reviving its aging strawberry festival and is promoting independent growers instead of wholesalers. Because delectable strawberry-based goodies are everywhere to be found, it’s my kind of festival!

Here are some strawberry tips to keep in mind: Strawberries will not ripen after they’ve been picked, so purchase strawberries that are firm and bright red with no white or green areas and ones that are also free of mold or damage. Look for berries with fresh looking green foliage caps. Strawberries can be refrigerated for one to three days, but do not wash or hull them until ready to be eaten. Whole unwashed berries can be frozen in airtight containers or bags for use all year long.

While I was rummaging through my recipe cards in my circa 1970’s shoebox, I came across a recipe for strawberry pie. With six baskets of berries sitting on my kitchen counter and company coming over for dinner tonight, I thought I’d dust off this recipe and give it another try. It’s a simple recipe and if it tastes as good as it looks, it should be fabulous!

Strawberry Glaze Pie
Ingredients:
1 9-inch pie crust, baked
About 4 cups of fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water
Whipping cream or ice cream

Directions:
Mash 1-1/2 cups of berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water. Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour thickened mixture into a mesh sieve over a bowl and stir to strain the glaze.

Place about 1-1/2 cup berries stem end down on baked pie crust and pour half of the glaze over the berries. Add remaining berries and pour remaining glaze over them.

Chill for several hours before serving.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Serves 8.

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The Three O’s Salad: Orange, Onion, and Olive

Posted in Recipes, Travel, tagged , , , , , , on June 28, 2010| 1 Comment »


Summer’s heat has definitely arrived and the thought of being cooped up in a warm kitchen slaving over meals is enough to make me want to eat salads all summer long. Does the thought of juicy, sweet orange slices sprinkled with thinly sliced red onions and salty green olives sound refreshingly good? I recently had a salad in Greece with all those ingredients and came home with the desire to duplicate the sweet-saltiness of this colorful dish. Searching some of my Mediterranean food cookbooks, I came up with a good basic recipe that only needed a few slight changes. For the salad dressing I used an olive oil that had been infused with the peels of blood oranges and I added the frozen orange juice concentrate to thicken, sweeten, and flavor the dressing. Plating the oranges on a bed of fresh spring greens instead of directly onto the platter made it a more substantial and nutritious salad.

Orange, Onion, and Olive Salad
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma: Essentials of Mediterranean Cooking

Salad Ingredients:
4-5 navel oranges
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced (plus or minus depending on your liking of onions)
1/2 cup olives, cut in half and pitted (I prefer green)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Mixed salad greens, optional

Dressing Ingredients:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
3 T frozen orange juice concentrate
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil (infused with the essence of oranges, if possible)

Makes 1/2 cup of dressing.

Directions:
1. To slice the oranges stand one on a cutting board with the stem end up and the navel end down. Using a sharp knife, slice off the “north and south polar caps” of each orange so it has a flat base. Now cut “longitudinally” downward to cut both the peel and pith (white membrane) away from the orange, making sure you are following the contour of the fruit. Cut each peeled orange crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices and save any juice that accumulates on the board.

2. Make the salad dressing by mixing the orange juice collected from the cutting board with the rest of the dressing ingredients, except for the extra virgin olive oil. Now whisk in the oil. Set aside.

3. Place mixed spring greens on a serving platter. Arrange orange slices on the bed of greens. Sprinkle the onion slivers over the oranges.

4. Scatter the olives over the oranges and drizzle with the dressing. Let sit at cool room temperature for 10-15 minutes for flavors to blend. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once.

Serves 4-6

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Basil, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

Posted in Gardening, In The Kitchen, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , on June 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Having already documented in my post “Living Off the Fat of the Land” my inability to grow vegetables of any quantity and quality, I’ve decided to focus my “need-to-grow-something-edible” on my herb garden. Rosemary is the king in my garden, and it’s too bad that one cannot survive on it alone, because a little 4-inch container planted in my yard has grown into a grand piano-sized bush. Does anyone need any rosemary? Besides rosemary, I also grow tarragon, lavender, oregano, sage, mint, chives, basil, thyme, dill, nasturtium, and lemongrass. And although it is not an herb, I have a kaffir lime tree whose leaves are used to flavor Southeast Asian dishes.

Pretty much all the herbs I grow are perennials. The only annuals I need to replant each year are dill and basil. Perennial herbs are like weeds – they may die off in the winter, but they come back again. That’s why I like them! A word of caution about a particular perennial herb, though. Because mint is invasive, it is best to plant it in a container unless you want it to take over your yard.

Many of the herbs I grow can be propagated in water. Mint, basil, sage, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and lemon grass should all form roots if you cut a 4 to 6 inch long piece of the herb, remove all the leaves from the bottom, and place the cutting in a glass or jar of water. Place the glass in a semi-shady location or where it will receive indirect light and change the water every day or two. The cutting should start setting roots in a few days and will be able to be transplanted carefully into the garden within one to two weeks. I’ve even had success rooting basil and lemongrass purchased at the market. On my kitchen counter I have a row of little vases lined up holding herb cuttings. They’re rooting and decorating my kitchen at the same time.

Here’s a simple and fragrant rice pilaf recipe that utilizes fresh rosemary sprigs. I’ve made it when I’ve needed a flavorful rice dish that wouldn’t detract from the main course.

Rice Pilaf
(Adapted from a Food Network Kitchen recipe)

Ingredients:
3 T butter
1 shallot, thinly sliced or chopped
1 to 1-1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups long grain rice (basmati is good)
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions:
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter and the shallot. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the shallots are soft. Add the rice and stir until coated with the butter. Increase the heat to medium-high. Let the rice cook until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally, but being careful not to let the rice burn – about 5 minutes. (Note: At this point, if desired, the rice can be transferred to a rice cooker to which the broth, bay leaf, and rosemary sprigs can be added).

To the saucepan of rice, stir in the broth, bay leaf, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer over low heat, cover, and cook until all the broth has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender, about 15 to 18 minutes. It is better to refrain from removing the lid and taking a peek during this steaming period. Remove the pan from the heat and let set for 5 minutes. Discard the rosemary and bay leaf. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

Makes about 5 cups of rice.

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No Ordinary Turkey Burger

Posted in Health, In The Kitchen, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on June 21, 2010| Leave a Comment »

The Oprah Show was playing in the background, as I sat at my kitchen table with a stack of cookbooks trying to gain some inspiration for dinner. I was on a quest to find something different for dinner that was reasonably simple to prepare, did not require a ton of ingredients, and was on the healthier side. Then I heard Oprah say, “I believe [it] may be the best turkey burger in the entire world.” I thought to myself, “Good turkey burgers? Is there such a thing?” Because they lack a significant amount of fat, I was under the impression that turkey burgers were dry and flavorless unless you added back a lot of “bad” stuff. Oprah brought Jeff O’Neill, the chef from Donald Trump’s private club Mar-a-Lago, on her show to prepare the burgers on stage. His turkey burgers looked juicy and had ingredients that were different from other burgers. I sped off to the market to pick up a few ingredients and zipped back home to test the recipe and to find out if Oprah’s praise for these burgers was deserved or not. They did not disappoint and they are among my daughter’s friends’ favorites when they come to visit.

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

1/8 cup canola oil

4 pounds ground turkey breast

2 Tbsp. salt

1 Tbsp. black pepper

2 tsp. Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce

1 lemon, juiced and grated zest

1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup Major Grey’s Chutney, pureed

Directions:

Sauté the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender. Let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl. Add sautéed items and the remaining ingredients. Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper. Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill. Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Serves 8.

Linnell’s Notes: I never add the full 2 tablespoons of salt, however, my taste buds have adjusted to a lower sodium diet. Also, depending on how chunky the chutney is, sometimes I puree it and sometimes I don’t. I also play with the amounts of apple, celery and green onion. If I have a bit more than the required measurements leftover, such as a few slices of apple, half a celery stalk or a green onion, I go ahead and add them. The last time I made these I only had 2 pounds of ground turkey and I made at least six patties. My husband usually grills the burgers for 4-5 minutes on each side and not the 7 minutes mentioned in the instructions. Of course, this is all a function of how thick you make your patties.

Enjoy this great recipe!

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Friday’s Fresh Five! (6/18/10)

Posted in Art and Crafts, Creativity, Gift Ideas, Health, In The Kitchen, inspiration, Kids, Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 18, 2010| 1 Comment »

There are always so many reasons to celebrate life, but this weekend is special. My youngest child celebrates her 21st birthday today and I feel so blessed that she has become such an extraordinary adult.  And when I count my blessings, I always include the amazing men in my family. Today’s post is dedicated especially to my dad and my husband, and to all the fathers who work hard, sacrifice a lot, and love beyond measure.

#1 – Top Ten Father’s Day Gifts
Weigh AskMen.com‘s top ten Father’s Day gift suggestions against gift suggestions from What About This?:

1. Landscaping services versus Go to the park or work in the garden with your dad
2. Sports tickets versus Playing his favorite sport with him
3. Meat versus Prepare your dad a tasty and nutritious meal
4. Driving gloves versus Plan a nice drive or day trip with him
5. Wine versus Take him wine tasting
6. Leather wallet versus Create a digital inventory of his valuable personal property for him
7. Set of golf clubs versus Play a round with him, go to the driving range, play miniature golf
8. Fishing gear versus Take him fishing
9. Alcohol versus A nice dinner out together
10. Grilling tools versus Clean his grill for him

You get my drift. Spending time and doing is better than buying.

#2 – Power Breakfasts
Menshealth.com has an article called “Abs Diet Super Bowls” that caught my attention because the ingredients listed in its “Honey, I Shrunk My Gut” bowl are similar to those I eat for breakfast every morning! Check out these recipes and please, no wise cracks about my gut!

#3 – Graduation Thank You Cards
I make my own thank you cards using photos that I take and card stock. Here’s an idea for graduation thank you cards: Print photos of the graduate or of some aspect of the graduation ceremony (hats thrown in the air, close up of the diploma, family photo at graduation, etc.) and using either double stick tape or glue that is photo safe, adhere it to a piece of 8.5″ x 5.5″ card stock folded in half. That would be a sheet of 8.5 ” x 11″ card stock cut in half. Personalizing the card with a photo makes the thank you card extra special for those who could not be there for the celebration or have not seen the graduate in a while. Envelopes can be purchased at any office supply or paper goods store.

#4 – You Peel Tomaaaato, I Peel Toooomato
To peel tomatoes (peaches, and plums, too):  Wash and remove any stickers. Gently remove the stem. With a paring knife, cut a small, shallow “x” on the bottom. Plunge the tomato into boiling water for about 15 – 25 seconds, then put it into a bowl of ice water to cool. After it’s completely cooled, wipe it dry and gently peel off the skin.

#5 –  A Father’s Greatest Gift
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” -Jim Valvano-

Have a joyful weekend and a happy Father’s Day wish to all those wonderful dads out there!

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Orecchiette Pasta Salad

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on June 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »

There’s a wonderful little bakery and cafe not too far away from my home that serves an interesting Mediterranean-type pasta salad that I order every time I’m there.  There’s a subtle sweet, spicy, and salty juxtaposition of flavors in the salad dressing that has had me playing detective trying to dissect its complexity.  I’ve been playing around with ingredients and I think I’ve got it pretty close to the original salad now –  but knowing me, I will continue to tweak this recipe long after this post is printed!

This recipe uses orecchiette, which is a kind of pasta typically made in Puglia, a region of Southern Italy. In Italian, “orecchio”, means ear, and the suffix “etto” means small. If the thought of “small ears” on your plate creates a bad visual for you, then think of this pasta as resembling “small hats” instead! These slightly domed ovals have centers that are thinner than their rims, creating dense and somewhat chewy pasta. Orecchiette is perfect for pasta salad, because it’s sturdy enough to be tossed around and it catches and holds the tantalizing dressing.

Here’s my basic recipe for Orecchiette Pasta Salad. It’s the type of recipe that is adaptable to many variations. Here are some of my ideas for variations:

*Add some citrus into the dressing
*Toss in some cubed or crumbled feta cheese
*Substitute sweet golden raisins for the currants
*Toss in some thinly sliced prosciutto

My Orecchiette Pasta Salad:
Note: The amounts listed for the ingredients can be easily reduced or added upon depending on taste.

Salad Ingredients:

1 pound of orecchietta
12 ounces sweet grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2/3 cup red onion, chopped
1-1/4 cup Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
2/3 cup currants
2/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
Bunch of basil, chiffonade leaves

Dressing Ingredients:

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 – 1 tsp curry powder
1/4 -1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp season salt
¼ tsp paprika

Directions:

  1. Following the package directions, cook the orecchiette until al dente. While cooking make sure you stir the orecchiette frequently to prevent the pieces from “nesting” into each other and forming doughy globs. Drain in colander.
  2. Make salad dressing by whisking all salad dressing ingredients into a small bowl. Set aside for flavors to meld.
  3. Slice olives and tomatoes and set aside.
  4. Chop red onion and set aside.
  5. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a heavy frying pan, making sure to keep an eye on them constantly – the oil in them can burn quickly. Let cool.
  6. Rinse the basil leaves and blot them dry. Chiffonade the basil leaves by stacking the leaves, rolling them lengthwise (like a cigar) and then cutting them crosswise into long, thin strips. Set aside.
  7. Put the cooked orecchiette in a large bowl. Add the rest of the salad ingredients except for the basil.
  8. Whisk the dressing again and then pour it into the salad ingredients. Toss all together. Sprinkle the basil on top and gently toss again.

This salad will taste better the next day after the flavors have a chance to blend and soak in. It is best served at room temperature.

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Quinoa Muffins

Posted in Health, Husbands, Kids, Recipes, tagged , , , , , on June 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »


My husband receives the same Father’s Day gift every year, yet he never complains about it and he always delights in it. More impressively, he thinks I planned his gift pretty darn well. So here’s what his perennial gift is – it’s our daughter! She was born on Father’s Day over two decades ago and ever since then, I just haven’t been able to top that gift!

Since my hubby already knows what his gift is and since Father’s Day is just a few weeks away, I’ve started thinking about what items I’m going to serve him to make his brunch extra special. Wanting to serve him something healthy, yet tasty, I searched my infamous stacks of clippings and came across this Martha Stewart recipe for Quinoa Muffins. Interestingly, this recipe calls for using whole cooked quinoa seeds instead of quinoa flour.

Quinoa, as you will recall from my previous Quinoa Shrimp Salad post, is a tiny Peruvian seed that is a complete food and contains a balanced set of amino acids. It is also gluten-free (however, this muffin recipe is not). It’s a staple in my pantry and I continue to search for interesting quinoa recipes. Don’t forget to rinse quinoa with clear running water prior to cooking it to remove the bitter protective coating.

Martha Stewart’s Quinoa Muffins:

Ingredients
* 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower, plus more for pan
* 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
* 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup raisins**
* 3/4 cup whole milk
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

**I used 1/2 cup of mixed dried fruit: blueberries, currants, and orange-flavored craisins.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
4. Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.

Makes 12.

Linnell’s Note: Despite their chicken pox appearance, these muffins were surprisingly crunchy on the outside and very moist on the inside. It’s a good basic recipe that lends itself to many possible variations. I will be making these again and will try substituting organic blue agave sweetener for the sugar, a banana for the oil, and will add some cinnamon and nutmeg. I’ll let you know how my experiments turn out. Oh, and if I’m lucky and my husband is even luckier, we’ll get our food-loving second son to make his fabulous Crab Benedict for Father’s Day brunch!

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Tzatziki

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on May 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

“Tzatziki, please,” is what my family found ourselves saying every time we ordered a meal in Greece. Tzatziki is a refreshing blend of yogurt, cucumbers, and garlic. It’s a healthy and versatile mixture that can be used as a dip or a spread, as a fresh-flavored salad dressing, or as a condiment for grilled meats, especially homemade gyros and souvlaki (skewered meat). Tzatziki would also make a nice accompaniment to salmon. For the very best results use a creamy and thick Greek yogurt.

Tzatziki – From the cookbook 300 Traditional Recipes: Greek Cookery with minor adaptations by Linnell

Ingredients:

2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt*

1 English (hothouse) cucumber, peeled

4 cloves of garlic, mashed to a paste or very finely minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Pinch of pepper

A little vinegar

Fresh dill weed, finely chopped

A few ripe olives

* If you cannot find Greek yogurt, you can substitute drained plain regular yogurt.  To drain yogurt: Line a sieve with cheesecloth, place sieve over a bowl, pour yogurt into the sieve, and place sieve and bowl in the refrigerator for eight hours.

Directions:

Grate the  peeled cucumber using a coarse grater. Squeeze out as much liquid from the cucumber as possible. Mix the cucumber with the rest of the ingredients. For the best flavor, let the mixture sit for about two hours before serving. Garnish with the olives.

Serves 6

Opa!

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