an oldie but a goodie

This is the kind of recipe you'll find in church cookbooks from your grandmother's youth, and really, aren't those the best kind? They use common ingredients and simple steps, and happily, they yield repeatable, attainable, and tasty results. The very fact that many of these recipes are still being made speaks to their total awesomeness.

Marinated cucumbers is a side dish is as basic as they come--the ingredient list is short and unassuming, and the procedure takes all of 10 minutes to complete*. The resulting creation, though, is terrific, and it's absolutely fitting to be served alongside any number of entrees. It's salty, sweet, and sour, and it complements everything from a fat and juicy grilled ribeye to filling and satisfying chicken gyros. You'll almost certainly find this dish at most spring and summer picnics and potlucks, and it always goes fast, at least in my experience.

*This speediness is mostly attributable to my handy dandy handheld slicerfrom OXO.

Most people include onions in their cucumber salads, but since I really, really dislike the taste of raw or even pickled onions (initially and when it's still there two four eight hours later), I always leave them out. I added some zucchini to this batch, mostly because people are telling me we'll soon be swimming in squash and I'm doing my best to use them as they ripen.** Dill is my go-to herb for this, and it's the classic choice, but do what you will. I also used mustard seeds thinking they might be fun, and they were. What do you use? Do you like yours sweeter or sour-er? I may have bumped up the sugar a little in my version, but that's pretty much my standard operating procedure. I have a feeling most of the grandmothers out there would approve.

**In sad news, at least two of our zucchini plants have fallen victim to squash vine borers, which I had neither heard of nor thought possible before they afflicted us. Sneaky ne'er-do-wells. :(

Marinated Cukes and Zukes
Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried dill, or to taste

Directions:
Place the cucumbers in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Combine the vinegar, water, and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and pour over the cucumbers.
Stir in the dill, cover, and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour (but overnight is better).

Curvaceous--loving that hourglass figure!