Day: December 29, 2012

Afternoon Coffee On The Terrace – Life Is Good

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Today  was a perfect afternoon to enjoy a cup of hot coffee on the back terrace.  (Too cold for an iced beverage).  My neighbor’s Freddie and Maureen have turned me on to a product they are distributing, ” Organo Gold Coffee ” . They say it is very healthy for me because of the added “ganoderma extract”. I am not sure of any of that stuff (at least for now), but what I really like about it is the fact that in order to get a good cup of coffee, all I have to do is add hot water to the coffee powder, instant coffee style. I also add a small amount of instant chocolate powder and voila ! Instant good hot beverage. (I never claimed to be a coffee connoisseur , although I enjoy my Cuban coffee and the occasional espresso or cappuccino)
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Cheers !
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NO ! I am NOT affiliated with Organo in any way. I just like the stuff 🙂


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Chinese Pickled Cucumber

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Chinese  cucumber  salad.  涼拌黃瓜 (liáng bàn huáng guā)
This is a dish I make often at home. It is easy to prepare, economical , (say cheap if you want  :-). It holds up well in the fridge for a few day’s and I use it as appetizer, side dish or snack during any time of the day, but mostly late at night when I want something tasty, fresh and spicy.

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Ingredients :

Cucumbers,   cut into batons
White rice vinegar,
Garlic,   paste
Ginger,   grated
Chili ,   diced  (substitute peper flakes if you must)
Soy sauce,   just a small amount, so as not to discolor cucumbers
Sesame oil,
Kosher salt,
Sugar,

Method :

Salt the cucumbers, cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Discard the salty juices which have collected. Ad all other  ingredients, adjust seasoning if necessary.

Note: For a variation add a teaspoon of finely diced ginger. You can substitute the cucumber with another vegetable such as radish, jicama, cabbage or Chinese cabbage.
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