I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! I loved visiting with my parents and we all had a fabulous 4th!

 

After spending the day roaming around town with my parents on Friday, we grilled out at home for dinner and then took the boat to get ice cream with Robert’s whole family. On Saturday we had a fantastic cookout on his sister’s new porch and watched the annual neighborhood 4th of July golf cart parade. All the kids in the neighborhood decorate their bikes, scooters golf carts and then caravan around the neighborhood and throw out candy while everyone watches from their lawns. This was my first year experiencing it but I thought it was such a cute tradition!

It rained Saturday evening which was kind of a bust and delayed a lot of the fireworks, but we did manage to catch a few and enjoyed our time together nonetheless.

On Sunday my parents and I took a day trip to Savannah to celebrate my dad’s birthday in one of his favorite cities. He used to travel to Savannah often for work so he toured us around the city and then we came home and met Robert for a casual dinner out. Happy 61st Dad!

 

I am missing my parents already but I am happy to do a bit of detoxing after a weekend full of barbeque, birthday margaritas and red white and blue desserts. Fun, delicious and oh so worth it, but it IS nice to get back on track.

Remember those herb pots my mother was bringing down, aren’t they great looking?

 

She had my dad make these cute wine cork labels, which I thought were adorable and will probably be replicating in the future.

 

She also brought me a new retractable hose which she swears by. I am so thankful for my thoughtful mother and her never ending practical gifts!

I can’t wait to start cooking with my new herbs, and this light summer soup recipe is a good candidate! Soup is always one of my go-to dishes for healthier eating since it’s so easy to keep light and full of healthy veggies. I serve this soup warm but if you are a fan of chilled soups, (I am, Robert isn’t) you could easily refrigerate for a few hours before serving and serve it cold.

 

Hope you enjoy this recipe and have a fantastic week!

 

Creamy Cucumber Soup

Slightly adapted from Eating Well

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Minced Garlic

1/2 an Onion, diced

3 Large Cucumbers, seeded and thinly diced

1 1/2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth

1 Tbsp. fresh Lemon Juice

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley

5 oz. Plain Greek Yogurt or Light Sour Cream

 

Directions:

1. Heat Oil in a stockpot over medium high heat, add Onion and saute until tender, about five minutes. Add Garlic and saute for 30 more seconds. Add Lemon Juice and saute for another minute.

2. Add Cucumber, Broth, Salt and Pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until cucumbers are soft.

3. Remove from heat, add Parsley and use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Once it is blended to your desired consistency, stir in the yogurt and blend for another 30 seconds to evenly distribute.

4. Pour into bowls and serve warm or chilled, garnished with Parsley and additional Yogurt if desired. Enjoy!