Better Home Cooking Basics: #63 Store Cucumbers at Room Temperature

Today's tip is to store cucumbers at room temperature. I never knew this. I always kept mine in the fridge but apparently I'm doing it all wrong (according to Cooking Light magazine). Evidently  cucumbers develop pits outside & wateriness inside when chilled below 50 degrees. To prevent this from happening store your cucumbers in a cool place on your kitchen counter. Also, be mindful & store them away from tomatoes, melons & bananas. Turns out cukes are sensitive to the ethylene gas these fruits & veggies emit.

I learned so many life lessons today.  Is anyone else running out of counter space these days?

Get more of my better home cooking basics here.

Num Pang Tiger Shrimp Sandwich

I know I've mentioned Num Pang before. In fact I made the watermelon juice they serve there (here… remember?). To refresh, Num Pang is a delish Cambodian sandwich shop. My sister & I always laugh about how when we asked them to cut a sandwich in half for us (so we could share two different kinds - because choosing is just so difficult!) the cashier kindly pointed the the sign "no substitutions." We cut the sandwiches ourselves - no big deal. The truth is they really don't need any substitutions & the tiger shrimp sandwich is no exception.

I found a recipe on the VillageVoice.com for said sandwich & had to give it a try. It was surprisingly simple as well as delicious. There will be no leftovers.

PS: Happy birthday Dawnie :)

Mediterranean Chicken Wrap

I love Mediterranean food, if you haven't noticed.  This post is this week's recipes wrapped into one, literally. Sometimes if you don't feel like cranking the oven it becomes a sandwich kind of night, or in this case a wrap kind of night. Just because you didn't turn the oven on or use your stove top doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor. This Mediterranean chicken wrap proves just that.