Bright and Refreshing Cream Cheese Cucumber Sandwiches

Welcome to the summer edition of What Courtney Ate For Lunch This Week.

Starring: The Prickly Cucumber, A Bright Lemon, and a Dollop of Cream Cheese.

Last week my mom sent me home with a bag full of prickly cucumbers plucked straight from the garden. She happened to mention they made quite a tasty sandwich with a smear of cream cheese.

The idea of such a sandwich would have horrified me as a child. I grew up in the country where we always had a sizable garden filled with tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, lettuces, and the occasional sweet pea. My mom has a much greener thumb than my own and always managed to fill our house with fresh garden veggies all summer long.

I remember my parents living off sandwiches like these for the whole season. A couple slices of bread smeared with butter and topped with sliced radishes. Or some Miracle Whip and fresh tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper. The bread and spread would change from day to day, but it always featured the best of what the garden had to offer at the time, whether a ruby tomato or a crisp bunch of lettuce leaves.

Back then I had no appreciation for these sandwiches. In fact, the whole idea repulsed me. In my mind, if it wasn't cheese, meat, or peanut butter and jelly, it didn't belong between two pieces of bread. A plain veggie sandwich?? I couldn't imagine something less appealing.

Oh, how the times have changed. I excitedly brought home my haul of cucumbers. It didn't take long for me to try my own hand at the cucumber cream cheese sandwich. As they say, mom knows best. The combination was wonderfully cool and creamy. This is good refreshing country fare my friends. And I'm so very grateful I finally have the good sense to enjoy it!

I spiced up the cream cheese with a good squirt of fresh lemon juice and a bit of dried dill. If you've got fresh herbs, even better! Sprinkle them on top. Don't have lemon? No worries...this sandwich can really stand on its own. All you really need is the cream cheese, a ripe cucumber, and some salt and pepper to make a delightfully simple fresh summer time sandwich.

Cream Cheese and Cucumber Open Face Sandwiches
Makes 4 open face sandwiches (Serves 2-4)
Recipe by Bake. Eat. Repeat.

Ingredients:
4 slices wheat bread
2 ounces cream cheese softened
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill
2 small cucumbers, sliced
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
1. In a small bowl whisk together softened cream cheese, lemon juice, and dill. Toast bread in a toaster until evenly browned. Spread cream cheese mixture on one side of each slice then top with slices of cucumber. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.