Summer Cucumber Salad

Summer calls for cold drinks, cook outs and crisp salads. This cucumber dish has simple ingredients and whips up in minutes.

Want this cutting board? You can find it here.

What you need:
3 english cucumbers (or 4 peeled garden cucumbers)
Handful of cherry tomatoes
4 strips of bacon (plus extra for snacking - I'm not here to judge)
1/4 cup mayo
Dash of onion powder
Salt & pepper to taste

1. Spiralize (or dice!) your cucumbers. If using garden cucumbers, place in colander and lightly salt to drain. 10 minutes should do the trick.
2. Cook up that bacon nice and crispy, then crumble.
3. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
4. Place your cucumbers in a bowl and stir in the mayo and seasoning.
5. Fold in your tomatoes and bacon.
5. ENJOY! Best served while bacon is still crispy.

This is a flexible salad - you can pop in some fun additions. Try grilled chicken, avocado, corn or olives. Let us know what you add!

Written by Alonda Baird-Juhasz, owner of Designer Dwellings, who believes in adding color to life. An avid DIYer, sparkle-loving, all things fabulous addict, her shop features bright and fun home decor accessories and gifts. When not in the shop you can find her interior decorating or visual styling events and photo shoots.

Connecticut Food & Farm Magazine Summer Issue

You do not want to miss the newest issue of Connecticut Food and Farm Magazine!  With its beautiful images and stories from all over the state, it is a must-read for anyone interested in local food.  You can read the Summer issue online here:  Connecticut Food and Farm Magazine

You can also have it sent to your Inbox by signing up here!

Cover photo by Anna Sawin Photography at SIFT Bake Shop Mystic.

Cover designed by Rita Rivera at Love & Pop.

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

Hot weather means cool summer drinks!  As local strawberries appear, make a batch of homemade strawberry lemonade for a sweet treat.

You'll need:

3 lemons
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup of sugar, divided
water

Remove the strawberry stems and quarter the berries in a small bowl.  Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and allow the berries to macerate for at least an hour to sweeten them and draw out the juice.  Puree the softened berries in a blender or food processor (a mini chopper is also handy) and pour the puree into a 2-quart pitcher.  Juice the lemons, keeping any seeds out, and add the juice plus the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar to the pitcher.  Fill with water halfway, covering it tightly and shaking the pitcher vigorously to help dissolve the sugar.  Fill to the top with water and shake again.  Refrigerate, or serve over ice, and enjoy!

Summer Skills with Hartford Prints!

Summer is the perfect time to get out and about and learn something new.  The ladies of Hartford Prints! have put together an amazing roster of workshops, perfect for everyone's interests:

All images courtesy of Hartford Prints!

Summer Vegetable and Bean Salad.

This is one of my favorite summer salads! It's refreshing on a hot day and is especially good using locally grown veggies.

You will need:
2 cups of washed and chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, washed and cut into large chunks
3 pickling cukes, washed and cut into large chunks
4 oz ball of buffalo mozzarella, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Olive oil to taste
Balsamic vinegar to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herbs: recommend thyme, oregano, and rosemary

Combine the lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, cheese and beans in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and herbs, and toss to combine. Makes 2 large salads.

Enjoy! 

With a love of creating and decades of ultra-sensitive skin, Jennifer Knapp became curious how soap was made after receiving a handmade bar. Several classes and months of research later, Jennifer launched Nutmeg Naturals LLC, with a line of soaps catering to all skin types. Jennifer’s products include cold-process handmade soaps, laundry soaps and wool dryer balls. In 2014, Jennifer launched The Felt Haus, a place for her other felted projects. She is a native Nutmegger and lives in Haddam with her husband and daughter.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Summer Eating Spots in Connecticut

There is something so satisfying about having a meal outside in beautiful weather. 

Here are some great places recommended by our members to eat in summertime Connecticut!

Abbott's Lobster in the Rough and Costello's Clam Shack, Noank

Bartacoa, Westport

The Blue Oar, Haddam

Bill's Seafood, Westbrook

Harry's Place, Colchester

source

Lobster Landing, Clinton

Shad Row, Rocky Hill

David's Place, Chesterfield

Captain Scott's, New London

Sandpiper, East Haven

Engine Room, Mystic

And check out one of our members, Patti Murphy, in CT Eats Out New London County Video Guide

beautifully featuring food and cocktails from that Connecticut region.

If you have any can't miss summer places, please share!

Cyn Thomas is the illustrator, designer and pattern maker of RiverDog Prints. Her paper goods and gifts are guided by earth, animals, function, food and cocktails. You can also find Cyn canning in her kitchen, walking her dog, being outnumbered by her boys and husband or reading herself to sleep.
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | woof@riverdogprints.com

Sugar-Free Blackberry Freezer Pops

Summertime!
I’ve been trying to use my garden in different ways than I have in the past to create fresh food and treats. I snagged a copy of the people’s pops cookbook at the library. It’s a book of 55 recipes from a pop shop in Brooklyn, NY. Excellent summer inspiration…

In the past, my husband has removed refined sugar from his diet. He encouraged me to try eating this way, and after some resistance, I hopped on board the sugar-free “loco”-motive. In reality, it wasn’t a big sacrifice. The adults in our house (me and him) try not to eat processed foods that we don’t process ourselves (jams, pickles, etc.) I snack on nuts/seeds more often and have developed a dangerous watermelon addiction.

I got my hands on the last of the blackberries at my CSA. I found the perfect recipe in paging through the pops cookbook. I only had a half of a pound of blackberries, so I adapted the recipe for blackberry, yogurt & honey pops. To make the pops sugar-free, I needed an alternative sweetener. I made stevia syrup by boiling a 4 to 1 ratio of water to stevia crystals and steeped mint leaves from our garden in it for a few hours.

Blackberry, Yogurt & Honey Pops*

1/2 pound blackberries

1/3 cup mint stevia syrup

1/4 cup organic yogurt (I used greek-style)

2 T. honey

2 T. fresh lemon juice

In a food processor or blender, puree all the ingredients until mixed well.

Strain the mixture through a sieve. I used a metal strainer, but you can use

cheesecloth or something similar to remove the seeds. Pour your mix into pop

molds, making sure to leave a bit of room for expansion after they freeze.

Makes four delicious pops – enjoy!

*based on the people’s pops recipe

You can get your own copy of the people’s pops 55 recipes for ice pops, shave ice,

and boozy pops from brooklyn’s coolest pop shop here.

Cyn Thomas is the illustrator, designer and pattern maker of RiverDog Prints. Her paper goods and gifts are guided by earth, animals, function, food and cocktails. You can also find Cyn canning in her kitchen, walking her dog, being outnumbered by her boys and husband or reading herself to sleep.
Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | woof@riverdogprints.com

Summer Celebration Finds.

A summer staple is getting together with family and friends for picnics and parties.  The Nutmeg Collective has a wide variety of products to help you celebrate this summer!

Designer Dwellings

Make your favorite salad and serve it up at a picnic with these bamboo utensils from Designer Dwellings.

 Hartford Prints!

Hartford Prints! knows what summer is all about.  Send this card to a favorite friend!

and Morgan

It's cherry season! Bring a pint to a picnic along with this cherry print tea towel from and Morgan.

Treefort Naturals

After being out in the yard all day, clean up with a bar of blue clay soap from Treefort Naturals.

Hickster Tees

Pack up a swimsuit and towel in this organic Mary chicken tote from Hickster Tees.

Rhymes With Smile

Pack up some snacks and drinks and go have a picnic with this rope tote from Rhymes With Smile.

Have a wonderful summer!