Fresh Cucumber Salad

    Talk about a crazy weekend! My little brother was supposed to get married on Friday but Hurricane Matthew had other plans. Stephen was called away to serve in the National Guard. We were very fortunate that the storm stayed off of the coast Thursday night and we remained out of harms way. There are still thousands without power that need your prayers. On the slightly brighter side, we had a lot of family time while bunkered down for the storm. My dad smoked a couple of pork butts and a huge brisket in the smoker over night. Saturday we had a cookout and the weather was perfect. I made my famous corn casserole and it was a hit. I tried this new cucumber salad recipe too! It is the perfect side dish for a bbq on a hot day!

Fresh Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

- 3 large cucumbers, cored and sliced

- 1 medium white onion, sliced

- 1/2 cup of sour cream

- 1/4 cup of mayo

- 3 tablespoons of white vinegar

- 2 large tablespoons of chopped fresh dill

- 1 teaspoon of sugar

- salt and pepper to taste

    In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayo, vinegar, dill, sugar, salt, and pepper. Once combined, toss the cucumbers and onions in the mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

Family Time!!!!!

Cucumber Bliss Bites

    Is Christmas really almost already here?? I can't believe it! So, my original plans for these little dill cucumber bites of bliss were for my cookie swap party on Friday. Needless to say, I may have forgotten about them. Which is not surprising considering the crazy hours I've been working at both of my jobs lately. I'm finally on break for Christmas though! Thank goodness! Anyways, it worked out nicely because Frankie and I drove up to Jacksonville to visit with an old friend of mine on Saturday and I just threw them in the cooler and brought them up North with us. This old friend of mine wasn't just any old friend! DeeDee Hughes was not only my best friend throughout my entire childhood, she was the sister that I never had growing up. It was really nice to have some time to visit and celebrate! She threw an ugly Christmas sweater party, so much fun! You're going to love these cucumber bites, they did great surviving the trip! 

Cucumber Bliss Bites

Ingredients:

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 1/4 cup of ranch dressing

- 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise 

- 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped dill

- 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper

- pinch of salt

- black pepper to taste and to garnish

- 3 or 4 large cucumbers

- 1 package of cherry tomatoes, sliced into fourths

    With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, ranch, mayo, dill, white pepper, salt, and black pepper. Cut the cucumbers into bite sized slices and use a melon baller to scoop out some of the seeds. Put the cream cheese mixture into a pipping bag and pipe into the cucumbers. Top them with the cherry tomatoes and black pepper. Chill and serve.

Such a fun party! Even our wine had an ugly sweater!