It’s 2:30 in the afternoon and I’m heading back to the office. Lunch time is over in downtown Richmond. The benches are empty, the birds are feasting on the leftovers and the streets are deserted. All the outside vendors have packed up their wares for the day. As I stroll down the street with my book in hand, “The Broken Window”, Jeffery Deaver’s latest Lincoln Rhyme novel I catch the smell of marinated cucumbers. My eyebrows raise, my lips water and my eyes dart round about trying to find the source of the delectable smell.  It’s not to be found. My steps are slower, my lips are slightly pouty but my mind is calculating how much time is left in the day until I can stop by Kroger’s, grab a couple of cucumbers, vinegar, wine and oil and head home to make my own variation of that smell that brings back many childhood memories of summer on the farm. 

Not to be out done by the farm, my brain has also decided to put a new spin on an old twist by grabbing a couple of extra cukes, some low fat soy sauce, sesame seed and a few spices so I can also make cold cucumber salad much like that which is served at PF Chang’s. What is so great about their salad is that you deseed the cucumber and eat just the flesh for a nice crisp refreshing taste. It’s going to be a great holiday weekend as far as the foods go.