Fresh Tomato Cucumber Salad

This is the time of year that we all enjoy the beautiful harvest form our gardens. This year Jamie planted a container garden with tomatoes, cucumbers, banana peppers, and fresh herbs. We are enjoying the harvest with this fresh tomato-cucumber salad.

We started by slicing eight banana peppers. You can also use bell peppers for this salad it really doesn't matter. If I were to use bell peppers I would have sliced them into squares.

We peeled and sliced two nice sized cucumbers. We Sliced them about 1/4-inch thick or more and then cut them into fours.

Five medium-sized tomatoes cubed. Now we have banana peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes all together in a medium-sized bowl. Oh, wait I forgot to tell you about the garlic, we chopped up four cloves of garlic and added it to the salad.

Mixing the Fresh Salad:

8 banana peppers sliced

2 cucumbers sliced 1/4-inch and then cut into fours

5 medium tomatoes cubed

4 cloves of garlic chopped

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup light olive oil

Chopped fresh basil (Add to your taste)

Italian Seasoning, Salt, and Pepper (Add to your taste)

Mix everything together well, cover, and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to let all of the flavors meld together.

This is a perfect salad to serve with any meal. I always like having some fresh Italian bread handy to dip in the juices. Oh! that is so good!

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

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Fresh Blueberry Hand Pies

 These fresh blueberry hand pies are a sure crowd-pleaser. A friend of ours came to visit last week and brought us a boatload of fresh blueberries.

I wanted to make something quick with these fresh blueberries so I decided on these hand pies. The first thing I did was make my pie crust. 

Pie Crust Ingredients:

2-2/3 cups of all-purpose flour

1 cup Crisco (Chilled)

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 to 10 tablespoons ice water

1. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour and salt
2. Cut the chilled Crisco into smaller pieces and add to the bowl. I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer.
3. Using the dough hook turn the mixer at low speed.
4. Begin adding the ice water one tablespoon at a time.
5. Continue on low speed until a ball of dough forms. If you have to use more water that's okay.
6. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Wrap each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

While the pie crust was in the refrigerator it was time to make the blueberry filling. This filling was so easy to make and can be used for pie filling also. I had some of the filling leftover and our grandson loved it on his waffles.

Blueberry Filling Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh blueberries (Divided)

3/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, water, and salt.
2. Over medium heat stir until all is combined.
3. Add 3 cups of blueberries and continue to stir.
4. Bring this to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes Until the filling thickens.
5. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup of blueberries, butter, and lemon juice.
6. Stir until all is combined and let the filling cool.

Now it's time to roll out the pie crust. I rolled the pie crust between two pieces of wax paper to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut 4-inch circles. Place one tablespoon of the blueberry filling in the middle, fold it over and crimp the edges with a fork.

Next, press a fork in the middle of each hand pie to create venting. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Before baking, beat two egg whites and brush over the top of each one. Then, sprinkle sugar over the top.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake on center rack for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown.

These little treats a perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just an anytime snack.

You might also like these Fresh Lemon Hand Pies

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it!