ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD

You should really "sweat" your cukes before using them for this salad. What does that mean? Peel them first. Then slice in half. Take a spoon and scoop out the cucumber seeds. Lay cukes on paper towels and salt them. The salt will cause the excess water in the cucumbers to "sweat' out. Turn them over after about a half hour and salt the other sides. Allow them to sit for another half hour. You may need to change the paper towels occasionally.

3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add cucumbers, tossing to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour. Add sesame seeds, and toss; serve immediately.

Having problems finding sesame seeds or sesame oil? Check out the sesame seeds and oil below.

KING OF SNAKE COCKTAIL

A rant before the recipe - I had a heck of a time finding chile pepper vodka. You can get Swedish fish flavored vodka, but good luck trying to find pepper vodka. Is this a Florida thing? Sheesh.

You'll have to really like ginger to enjoy this one.


1 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, first crushed, then chopped
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup of vodka (I used Absolut)
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of chile pepper flavored vodka ( I used Stoli Hot)
2 tablespoons of orange liqueur (I used Cointreau)

2 cups of crushed ice


Muddle the ginger and brown sugar together in a cocktail shaker. (I got to use my skull shaker!) I allowed it to sit for about 10 minutes too. I wanted the sugar to liquify. Add all remaining ingredients except the ice. shake for about 20 seconds. Fill 2 old fashioned glasses with the crushed ice. Strain cocktail into glass and serve.

And then be prepared to sit. Because it's a butt kicker.

Need a cocktail shaker? Look at some of these.

FIZZY CHERRY LEMONADE

With alcohol or not. Your choice. Make the right one.

This recipe yields 8 10 oz. servings.


2 lbs. of Bing cherries
1 cup of fresh lemon juice
3/4 to 1 cup of sugar
1 1/2 cups of vodka
chilled sparkling water


Take the stems off the cherries. You do NOT have to pit them. Put the 2 lbs of stemmed cherries into your blender. (I have a pretty good blender.) I put mine on the maximum speed and power for a few moments. Then pour the cherry mixture into a sieve over a pitcher. Add the lemon juice to the cherries in the pitcher quickly because the cherries will start to discolor almost immediately. Then add your sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.


This is when I add my alcohol.


Fill a glass with ice in it about half way full with the cherry lemon mixture and top with sparkling water.