The Coronation Watch & Cucumber Sandwich Recipe

 Tommy woke me at 3:30...ugh. I made the cucumber sandwiches before and during the coronation. It was wonderful. George seemed to do a superb job as holder of the train. Charlotte was so pretty in her special dress, her hair up and a floral crown just like Kate's. I am surprised that Kate never gives Louis "the eye" to stop him. Yes, he is young but too old for his shenanigans. 

I was surprised Kate and some other royals had coronation robes on at the coronation. Harry seemed genuinely happy to be there, back in his element, I suppose. Finally, I found out who the woman in blue was, the one who carried around the sword, it seemed, during the whole coronation--a politician. And, I was mystified as to the identities of the two women in white who followed Camilla--her sister and another attendant. 

The tears in Charles's eyes during the ceremony were touching, almost making me cry. I was totally shocked at his disrobing partially and the screens put in front of him. The architecture in Westminster Abbey certainly added to the pageantry below. 

So, these are just a few of my thoughts as I watched. Finally, I had to go to bed, just before the crowd reached the balcony. Did you see the horse that was spooked and could not be brought under control, smashing through the barricade and into the crowd? 

I slept for about four hours, got up, then took a 3-hour nap in the afternoon. It was a good coronation watch. I caught up on the rest of the coronation celebration as best I could. After the nap, I made meatloaf and put Tommy's into two halves of a bell pepper.  We had leftovers with it--a bit of Suddenly Salad, and a huge tossed salad. 

I made the cucumber salad filling just before the coronation coverage started. Usually, I serve these on little cut rounds of bread made into sandwiches. Not this time as I just made a sandwich with two slices of bread and cut into rough fourths. I ate nothing else during the night, no matter what I had prepared for the munchies. 

I ate strawberries for breakfast and blueberries after dinner tonight. I was going to make deviled eggs with avocado (green eggs) but did not. The eggs are boiled, so I can do it as I wish later. 

The cucumber sandwiches are delicious, but presentation is everything. I got this from a friend who was a cater who made me promise not to tell anyone, that was 40 years ago, she no longer caters, and sort of quit talking to me , and I don't know why. But, she had a strange life filled with violence and sexual abuse since she was a young child. We were thick as thieves until I went back to school. So, now I will reveal this simple recipe she might have gotten elsewhere. 

I use a cookie/biscuit cutter/jar/tin can. Size is the important thing to me. I make sure it is the diameter of the European cucumber I buy. You will know when it is correct. I don't want the cucumber hidden or hanging out, just a bit smaller than the bread so it shows.

Use room temperature or softer butter to spread on the rounds of bread. You want it to be the thinnest smear, not much at all. The idea is to keep the mix and the wet cucumber from making the sandwich soggy. I usually am transporting these for an hour to my destination. 

Slice the cucumber as thin or thick as you wish.  I try for around a eighth of an inch. 

Try to put the filling on the other buttered bread without crushing the bread. putting on just a little bit, sort in little smears or dots and then spreading keeps the bread intact. 

So, you have bread, butter, cucumber, and cream cheese filling, Good Seasons Zesty Italian dry mix. Do NOT use the whole dressing package with one 8 oz package of cream cheese. Use it to your taste. 

I use cream cheese and half a little packet of Good Seasons zesty Italian dry salad dressing mix. Let the cream cheese reach room temperature, put the dressing on top and mash with a fork until mixed. I did not use the whole package. Try it and see what you prefer. This "recipe" can be made using your own dressing mix, any herbs you please in any combination. There is too much sodium and soy in the mix, so next time I will make my own dry mix. 

The last two times I made this for others to consume, I had Tommy help me with the bread rounds and cucumber slicing. In the past, I have used two different breads that were different bread hues. This added interest to the sandwich tray, I think.

This was my first coronation and my last, I am sure. So, staying up for it, even with little sleep was fun. 

Did you stay up or get up for the whole coronation? 

Did you watch the balcony part? 

Did anyone see the musical part, the entertainment part? I did not but will find it on laptop later. 

What impressed you the most? Or, surprised you?

Cucumber Sandwiches Recipe

 Remember the pants that dumped my phone on the road as I got out of the car? The ones I have still do it. It is so frustrating. The other day, I was digging around looking for something. I came upon a small, squishy bag among hard items and wondered what it was. Well, apparently it is two more pair of the same pants bought over a year ago. The tags were still on, but the receipt is long gone. 

Aren't I lucky? Not so much. These two are the same as the pair that stays filled with pills and dumped my phone. The pants fit well, are soft, stretchy but do not look like knit pants. So, I decided to keep wearing the pill-y pair. They are good enough for this Pig. I will not wear the others one moment other than out to someplace where I want to look nice, like to the doctor. No wearing them while I sit here. 

This afternoon, well, about 6 pm, we went out. With the light lasting so long, it is hard to think of it as evening. So, I guess we went out this evening and bought water, bananas, PAM bogo, and Cheerios bogo. I decided I wanted Special K Original. By the time we got home around 7 pm, I would rather have died than cooked or dealt with dinner. But, I gave myself a talking-to and got up and headed to the kitchen. 

In the freezer was a package of two chicken legs and another package of two chicken tenders. I thawed the legs for Tommy. He had chicken, corn on the cob, and sweet potato. He was happy. I had Special K with bananas sliced on it and milk. I finished dinner with the two chicken tenders. Right now, I will have apple. 

If I double up on vegetables tomorrow, does that count? 

For nights like these when I have no ambition or when I am sick or we have been gone all day and I am tired, having frozen protein is a lifesaver. He could have had salad or opened a can of peas. Now, the leftover, refrigerated vegetables are gone. Tomorrow, I will probably bake carrots, potatoes, onions and zucchini for dinner. That will be enough vegetables to last at least three days, maybe more. 

Cucumber sandwiches, at least the ones I make, are one of my favorite party foods. I took them for about twenty years to my friends Christmas Open House. One year, people stopped me between the front door and the table to get one "before they disappear." I had them in a gold wire sleigh and covered with Glad Wrap. People who knew me knew what I had brought, so wanted them immediately. 

I suppose with the festivities in England, cucumber sandwiches are my celebration over here. These won't have the bread cut in circles like I usually cut the bread, but they will be delicious. The European cucumbers were given to me, and the cream cheese was here already, bought when it was on sale a few months ago. 

These sandwiches were a hit at a ninth-grade tea party for my class. The boys took the sandwiches in the palm of their hand like their hands were claws. They had no manners or finesse, but it was sort of cute. Thankfully, I had made dozens since I knew they were young, hungry kids. Maybe it was our old-fashioned picnic where we had these. This was a class outdoors on the grass with blankets. We did study poetry, not just skip class. The meanest, rudest, and most recalcitrant boys cooperated. Feed them home-made cookies everyday and they shut up long enough to learn. Yes, they did learn while eating.

Now, Tommy tells me he hates cucumber sandwiches, and Lynda hate cucumbers, rather, cucumbers hate her. So, I have lots of sandwiches if I use even one of the four cucumbers. Of course, I really hate cucumbers, but these European ones grown in Mexico are different somehow, and I don't know how. But, the European cucumbers don't make me violently ill. 

We recycle and take the items to Publix. The newspapers are the problem. I want to read the newspaper every day. When I was ill several times, I missed days of reading. They were stacked for me to finish. It took me three days to get them all ready to add to our recycling bag. Somehow, Tommy put in papers in the stack for me to read, papers I had read. But, they are ready and a place on the shelf is empty. Things get done slowly some days. 

Recipe: 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix (powdered). I used another brand at one time and cannot remember what it was, just Italian. Put the cream cheese out to get soft. I put it in a low, flat bottom dish and use a fork to blend in the powdered dressing mix. Use whatever bread you like and use a biscuit cutter, juice glass or what ever to cut circles the diameter of the cucumber. Soften butter. Spread a very thin smear of butter on the bread on one side. Put the cream cheese mix on one buttered circle. Put a thin, very thin slice of European/English cucumber and place another circle of buttered bread with butter next to cucumber. I never make the cucumber thick, but that is your choice. Only put a thin smear on the bread. 

My friend who catered weddings made me promise to never give anyone this recipe. That was about 40 years ago and she is not in wedding or catering business, so I think it is okay to give this out. People have begged me for this recipe and this is the first time I have relented. People have begged me for this recipe, promising me they would keep the secret. 

I am hesitating to post this. I asked Tommy and he said it would not be dishonest. My friend and I had a falling out a few years back, but I still kept the secret. I hope you do not think I am dishonest.

How do you use European cucumbers? Do you like cucumber sandwiches?