Salad and a Sandwich

Perhaps this is just proof that I am more than a bit weird, but one of my favorite dishes when I was growing up was Marinated Cucumber and Onion Salad. Well, come along and see...

Here we have the remaining cucumber from the Gypsy Bacon from the other day and some red onion. My childhood rendition of this recipe calls for white distilled vinegar, but I chose to use reduced sodium rice vinegar for today's version. Also needed are sugar, salt and black pepper.

The classic recipe for the marinade calls for a one-to-one ratio of sugar and vinegar, with a pinch of salt and black pepper.

I peeled the waxy skin from the cucumber before slicing and then sliced about half as much red onion which I then separated in to rings.

Then it's a simple matter of mixing and tossing before refrigerating for at least two hours before serving.

It really is too bad that I am the only one in my family who likes this dish. Really, it is.

A twist on an American favorite. Guess I was feeling a bit international today...

Today I was struck with the odd desire to make my own Croque Monsieur. As I really wasn't feeling like making or eating a cream sauce, I chose a simpler recipe. But alas, my inability to follow a recipe came into play, so I ended up blending two different recipes. First, I started with Chef Jill Davie's recipe, but then I veered off the beaten path and added a bit of Paula (I love butter) Deen's recipe for Croque Madame (minus the egg). And just in case you didn't catch the distinction, a Croque madame is just a Croque monsieur with an egg added to the sandwich.

Unfortunately, I do not currently have any Gruyere cheese on hand, so I made do with my baby Swiss cheese. I did pull out some creamy horseradish that I added to the mayonnaise.

First, butter (or margarine?) one side each of two slices of bread. Lay the buttered side down in a preheated skillet. Spread mayonnaise and horseradish on the other side. Lay out a bit of the Swiss cheese.

Layer with thinly sliced deli ham and top with more Swiss cheese.

Spread mayonnaise on the other side of the other slice of bread and place, buttered side up on top of the sandwich. Cook until the bottom is nicely browned and flip.

Once both sides have browned and the cheese is melted, take off the heat and slice, if desired.

And yes, I do realize that this is just a fancy grilled cheese sandwich, but what else do you expect from those wild and crazy French people? Just in case you were wondering, it was good. Next time I might even decide to make a nice creamy sauce to go with this.