A modified cucumber vodka cocktail

My Korean friends introduced me to cucumber flavored soju - just take half a cucumber, slice it up and pour soju over it and let steep for half an hour.  Tastes great.

Here's a fancier cocktail -

• 1 and 1/2 ounce Effen Cucumber Vodka, 
• 3/4 ounce Saint Germain Elderflower liquor, 
• 1 tbsp agave syrup
• juice of one lime

Combine with ice, and shake or stir - pour into an ice-filled glass then top with soda water and garnish with a cucumber slice.

Refreshing.

Manchengo Stuffed Mushrooms with Potato Salad

These stuffed mushrooms are a departure from the typical dry-breadcrumb stuffing I've only been exposed to with mushrooms.  So I was delighted with the outcome.  Rat thought the stuffing was a little runny, so use less milk because it will melt a bit as it cooks.

Get the biggest mushrooms you can find - I used cremini here, but any type of mushroom will do.  Make the roux by cooking 4 tbsp butter with 4 tbsp flour for 3-5 minutes until it starts to brown.  Add 1/2 cup milk slowly and whisk to thicken the sauce.  Add 1 cup grated manchengo cheese with a touch of garlic to taste.  Pour into the mushroom caps and top with some paprika or chili powder, or even better - chipotle powder.  Bake at 425 for 5-15 minutes to desired toastiness.  Serve warm.

Vegetarian Corn Chowder

Vegetarian Corn Chowder

It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is a very good corn chowder.  I like it both hot and chilled.    We got quite a lot of corn from the CSA this week, so I'll be experimenting with some corn fritters as well.

Vegetarian Corn Chowder
3 ears of corn - boil for 7 minutes
After cooling, cut the kernels off one cobb, and put in the blender with 1 cup of water.  Blend until smooth and creamy.  Cut the kernels off the remaining two cobbs and reserve for later.

Chop up 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 or 3 ribs of celery.  Saute over medium heat with 2 tbsp butter for 5-10 minutes until just softened.

After the vegetables are softened, add 3 cups water to the pot, the creamed corn, and the remaining corn kernels.  If you like your chowder spicy, add one seeded chopped jalepeno pepper.  If you like bell peppers, you could chop one up and add it to the soup.

Bring soup to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.  Serve hot, or chill and serve cold.