The Monstrosity In The Fridge

"What monstrosity did you make in here, Erin??" my dad hollered from the kitchen with his head half in the refrigerator.

"I'll have you know that monstrosity is a light and refreshing melon salad," I shouted over my shoulder towards the general direction of the kitchen, not budging from cushioned glider in which I had just made myself comfy.

"What's in this thing?" he said, emerging from the kitchen.

"Delightfulness. And awesomeness. And some honeydew, blueberries, cucumbers, lime, and mint and basil from our garden."

"Hmmmmmm...sounds...interesting."

My family doesn't like my food.

Seriously.

They call it "weird stuff" or "science experiments."

We have different definitions of delicious.

Ever seen Pixar's Ratatouille?

My little brother often compares me to Remy, the chef rat.

I overlook the fact that he's comparing me to a rat.

I love the part where Remy is trying to explain to his rat brother (which, theoretically, represents my little brother - heh, heh, heh) the textures and flavors of cheese and strawberries....






Food is art to me. My brush is a knife, the saute pan is my palette, the plate is my canvas, and fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats are my paints. My family just doesn't share the same food vision as me.

Sigh.

Combining a vegetable with fruit...not their thing.

Combining basil with fruit...not their thing.

Combining fruits and vegetables and herbs from my garden...totally my thing.

And so I made this summer honeydew salad.

Or a "monstrosity in the fridge" as my dad called it.

And I'll probably eat the "monstrosity" all by myself.

Don't be scared to combine the cucumber with the melon. Perhaps you haven't noticed, but cucumbers have a mild, sweet, almost melon like flavor. If it's good enough for Bath & Body Works to combine as a lotion, it should be good enough to combine for a fresh salad.

And don't skip the basil either.

The mint and lime add brightness and the basil adds a hint of licorice.

Trust the bossy middle child in me and make it.









. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Summer Honeydew Salad

1 honeydew melon, seeded and cubed
1 english cucumber diced
1 pint of blackberries, washed
1 pint of blueberries, washed
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 Tbls chopped fresh mint
1 Tbls chopped fresh basil

Toss all the ingredients together and serve right away or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Switch it up: Use strawberries and raspberries in place of the blackberries and blueberries.