Mary Lou's Cucumber Salad
A new, improved heart and a sweet-tart salad, celebrating modern medical miracles with Grand Aunt Mary Lou's refreshing summer side
Good morning. Sorry, I missed last week’s post.
My mom’s heart surgery last week disrupted my balance and focus.
Fortunately, the doctors completed a successful transcatheter mitral valve replacement in just one hour.
At 81, she was the youngest patient of the day for cardiac surgery!
Ten years ago, her open-heart surgery lasted seven hours and required a week in the hospital. Thanks to medical innovation, this time, heart surgery took record time with fewer risks—she was even home within 24 hours!
If you’d like to learn more, I’m including a video about Dr. Praveen Panguluri, who led my mom’s surgery and was supported by a team of 11 top cardiac doctors at Eisenhower. Our family also appreciated the outstanding care from the nurses and volunteers throughout the process.
This week’s recipe is a family favorite, passed down from my great-aunt, Mary Lou Baker Allen, on my mother’s side.
Mary Lou was born in 1922 in Hagerstown, Indiana, to Jesse and Clara Baker. Like her father, she too worked for Perfect Circle. She married Harold ‘Pete’ Allen and had two children, Vicki and Richard. She passed away in 2003 at the age of 81.
Mary Lou’s Cucumber Salad
Quick and easy to prepare and incredibly delicious. Sweet and tart, it perfectly complements grilled meats or fish, or stands alone as a refreshing dish. Enjoy!
Makes 8 servings
Tools
Ingredients
2 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
15 tbsp. water
5 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
1 white onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
Slice the cucumbers and onion and place them in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix water, vinegar, sugar, and salt, then pour over cucumbers and onions.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Complementary Pairings
Serve with grilled steak, chicken, or fish.
Pair with Solminer 2022 Grüner Veltliner Spear Vineyard. Made in Los Olivos, Santa Barbara, California, it’s a refreshing match for a sweet-tart dish.
I just made a cucumber salad yesterday morning before reading this! Similar recipe, but I’ll try this one next time. We have this a lot, especially in our hot AZ summers! Thanks for sharing about your mom, happy she is home and recovering well.
Such a lovely column on your mom and great aunt. So happy your mom had such a great result from her surgery. And, I am so happy to see the cucumber salad recipe as I have been looking for one! Just in time, as our temperatures start inching upwards! Thank you for sharing! Linda D.