Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad

When you have 4 beautiful Haas avocados, that are still fairly hard...you let it sit outside in a basket, or fruit bowl and wait for two or three days and they will be perfectly at their best, firm, yet soft to make some nice salad with it...if you let it ripen another day or longer; best to make Guacamole out of it. In my case I chose to make a beautiful and healthy salad. Same goes with the plum tomatoes. When you purchase them, and they are firm, but just getting ripe...let them sit outside for a couple days, and they will ripen to perfection.

Also, I decided to add hard boiled eggs to the salad...only because hard boiled eggs are a nice addition to any healthy salad...and because, I felt extremely guilty for having to toss out half a dozen eggs that I neglected to use up, and they were nearly one month old. I always check the dates on the egg carton and are careful not to use them more than 1 week pass the expired date. The expiration date is really just a caution to warn you but they will still be OK to use after the expiration date for a week, I'm quite sure of that! I always use organic eggs which cost a little more, but so well worth it. Same with my vegetables!

At our Latino produce market, everything is 'dirt' cheap. Just have to make an effort to stop there, and stock up on all the things I need; but it's more convenient to buy everything at the local supermarket when I do my weekly grocery shopping. Who can pass up Haas avocados...2 for $1.00 when at the supermarket they are $1.50 each! Same with the limes, at the produce market, they are always 10 for $1.00 compared to 3 for $1.00 at the supermarket. You really have a choice, but not always convenient to go out of your way when you can find all the things you need in one stop! Whole Foods Market is more expensive, but that still happens to be my very favorite market for the best quality!

Even though I live alone, but I have lovely neighbors/friends in my condo complex, and my family is just a few minutes over the 'bridge' on the other side of the Intracoastal waterway. I live on the island, which is quite a large size, and only 1 supermarket; which I recently realized, but it takes only 10 minutes to drive over the bridge and have the 'world at your feet'! I only cook about once or twice a week, and almost always have all my amazing meals at my daughter's Lora! ...and once a week at my son Joe...how fortunate can one mom be?...having loving family around me...feeling truly Blessed!

When you prepare something healthy and delicious, you really need to have the freshest ingredients, especially when you make a beautiful salad. You don't always need lettuce for your salad...just use your imagination, and create something that inspires you...no recipe needed for that. I happen to love sweet Vidalia or another brand of sweet onions. Naturally sweet; you can almost bite into it like an apple...but really, you don't want to do that; just peel, an slice, or dice it to saute it in cooking...never, ever any tears...which is the best part, as well!

Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad
created by; Elisabeth




4 Haas avocados
4 Plum (Roma) tomatoes
1 firm cucumber
2 hard boiled eggs
1/2 of a medium sweet onion
1 or 2 limes
1 bunch of Italian parsley
Extra Virgin olive oil
Sea Salt
freshly ground pepper







Cut avocados, tomatoes, in half...carefully remove the pits from the avocados, then cut them into half again, lengthwise...same with the tomatoes, and dice them into bite size pieces.

Peel cucumber partially, or all the way, cut it in half lengthwise, and dice it into bite-size pieces as well. For the hard boiled eggs, also cut in half lengthwise and dice into bite-size pieces.


For the onion, cut in half, and slice thin lengthwise, as well. For the parsley, chop a small handful, and save a few whole pieces for decoration. Combine everything in the proper order, starting with the tomatoes, and ending with the avocado, and hard boiled eggs...since they are delicate. they need to be on top.

Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, and juice of half of a lime...or a whole if not enough juices. Salt, and pepper to taste, and additional oil, and juice of lime
if preferred.

Serve with pita bread, flat bread, or bread of your choice. Serves 2, generously!


Thank you everyone for your kind comments, and support; and I do appreciate your friendship, even though I don't comment regularly, and often...not even checking my own blog. I must confess that I'm  Pinterest...aholic, and not even bothering with my e-mails every day! (when you receive about 200 e-mails daily, you really have to add another e-mail address...can't see the 'trees' from the forest...as they say!
Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends! xo

Hungarian Cottage Cheese Noodles...and a Book Giveaway!

We have an old Hungarian tradition, that I remember from childhood, that my grandmother used to make, at least once a week called "túrós tészta (csusza)"...cottage cheese noodles! My mom used to make it, and my aunt, and sister, as well. The only difference is that my mom would make it with homemade noodles, and use fresh "farmers cottage cheese" and farmers sour cream, and real bacon, which could be considered "organic" bacon without "nitrates" added that we could actually buy these days, in Whole Foods Market.

Now, I don't have a step-by-step directions for this delicious and satisfying dish, that you can serve, with or without the crispy bacon bits, if you want it meatless...but oh, my! those organic uncured crispy bacon bits really, really add some extra flavor.

Hungarian Cottage Cheese Noodles
hand me down "oral" recipe from my mom

1 lb. wide egg noodles
1lb. small curd cottage cheese, or farmer cheese
(dry cottage cheese "Friendship" brand)
1 lb. sour cream
1/4 lb unsalted butter or margarine
salt and pepper to taste
4 slices of bacon (I used organic uncured)

Boil noodles till done, set aside. Cook bacon till crispy. Set aside on double paper towel to soak up
the excess grease, and chop coarse. Set aside.

Spray a casserole with cooking spray. As soon as
you drain the pasta, put it back into the pot, add the butter or margarine, half of the cottage cheese, half the amount of the sour cream, and mix together. (also, you can fold in half the chopped bacon.)
Top with the rest of the bacon, and bake in a 350 degree F. pre-heated oven for about 25-35 minutes, till it gets nice and crispy on the top.

To serve, spoon extra cottage cheese and a spoon of sour cream, and serve...Serves 4-6

note: this is so delicious, even the little ones love this dish, and look forward to having this. My daughter and I make this this at least once a week!

...and now, for the Book Giveaway!

Signed by the author!

Here's a yummy cucumber sandwich photo, and recipe!

1 cucumber sliced in half lenghtwise, seeds removed, and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 Tablespoon butter, and room temperature
6 white rolls cut in half
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill

In a bow, combine the cucumber and salt. Divide the cucumber mixture evenly among the roll halves, and
sprinkle with the dill. Makes 12

Pineapple, Strawberry, and Banana Salad

1 pineapple cut into small chunks
5 bananas sliced
1 pound strawberries, stems removed, cut into thirds, or halves

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and serve immediately. Or, if you want to prepare the salad ahead of time, cut the pineapple and strawberries, and wait until the last minute to slice the bananas, so they don't turn brown.
Serves 12

Classic Tomato, Basil and Garlic Topping

7 to 8 plum or heirloom tomatoes roughly chopped
10 basil leaves finely chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a serving bowl, and stir well. Let the topping sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the flavor to develop. Makes about 3 cups

Butternut Squash and Barley Soup

1 Turkey wing
1 large butternut squash. peeled, seeded, and cut into 2 inch chunks
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
5 parsley sprigs
6 sage leaves, plus 1 Tablespoon finely chopped sage
1 1/2 cups barley
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Place the turkey wing, squash, celery, carrots, onion, parsley, and whole sage in a large soup pot with 16 cups (1 gallon) of water, and place over high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Add the barley, and cook for another 45 minutes. Just before serving, add the salt, pepper, and chopped sage, and stir. Serves 16

Mussels in Beer

5 pounds mussels debearded
1 bottle dark beer
1 head garlic, peeled and sliced
1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons coarsley ground black pepper
1 loaf crusty bread

Place all the ingredients except the pread in a pot. Place the pot over high flame, and cook covered for 2 minutes. Give the pot a shake, and cook 3 minutes more, until all mussels open. If any refuse to open, discard them. Serve straight from the pot with a loaf of crusty bread. Serves 8

OK, so you get the "picture?"...I mean, you get the idea what I'm giving away, a nice 176 page of appetizers, brunches, main meals for a crowd, and lots of recipes, and picture illustrations! Great book, great thrift find, and a great giveaway gift.

You don't have to do a thing, just let me know if you would like to receive this book...if you don't follow my blog, you do not qualify, to win this. I'm also on twitter, and facebook...but not really acitve, so you are not obligated to follow me there!
I will ship anywhere in the U.S. and Canada...sorry for excluding all the other countries this time!

The winner will be determined at Random.org generated number, and you have till Monday, September 12, 11:00PM Eastern Standard time to let me know, and comment on my blog!
I will announce the winner, on Tuesday, September 13. 2011.

I know I love this book, have not really looked at it much, I just keep piling up on the thrift finds, one after, another...only to re-donate them. (I cannot imagine having a huge library of cookbooks...been there, done that!) Now, I really am "downsizing"...I don't want to go into a long "song and dance" story, but if you had to move 3 times in the last 6 years (#1. due to hurricane damage #2. help daughter w/her sm. business venture,( which she sold since)
#3. change job/location) you would downsize too. First things that had to go was my huge cookbook collection, Bon Appetit magazine and Gourmet magazine collection. As the saying goes,
"you can't take it with you" when you die, of course...and neither when you are alive, so thank God I'm alive, and well, and thanking God every day for the "small things in life."
Enjoy your weekend, and hug your loved ones!
Hugs, from me to you, as well!

Remembering those who died at the World Trade Center...as well as those who gave their lives to save others.
May God give those who lost their loved ones comfort, and blessings! ...God Bless us all, and God Bless the United States of America!



True Random Number Generator


...and the winner is: Nami-Just One Cookbook

Min: 1

Max:  41

Result:

14

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congratulations, Nami! I hop you will enjoy the book. I will contact you for your address to ship to!
Thanks, to all for participating, I appreciate you kind comments. I will have other books for a giveaway, I get such nice cookbooks, and I just can't keep them all. At the price that I'm able to buy it (which is practically free)...and excellent usefool books, I'm happy to pass it on and just pay for the shipping cost!

Also, I wanted to mention that I forgot to check the Random.org number generator last night and this morning I checked it at 11:00AM, so at this time I had 41 comments...and yes Becky, and Gina, you were not too late, I did include you in the total numbers!