Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread with Cucumber Chips

When I was a little girl, my parents sometimes would host cocktail parties where, along with tinkly drinks, hors d'oeuvres would be served. In our house circa 1972, hors d'oeuvres meant yummy treats like Pigs in a Blanket (frozen miniature hot dogs wrapped in puffy dough that you'd heat in the oven, stab with toothpicks and dip in Gulden's Spicy Brown mustard), carrot and celery sticks, and assorted boxed crackers and cheeses served on a plate.

Once I was old enough, my mother put me in charge of arranging the raw veggie and cracker plates, and I used to really enjoy making an artistic display with all the different shapes and colors. Fast forward a few decades and things haven't changed much. Except now I'm the adult, the crackers are made of thinly sliced raw cucumbers, and the cheese is made of nuts!

I brought this platter of Cucumber Chips with Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread to my friend Emily's annual summer garden party extravaganza, and was pleased to see it greeted with as much delight as my Triscuit and Port Salud creations of yore. The whole spiral of tasty bites disappeared in minutes (the kids loved them, too!), and a good time was had by all.

Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread can be made in advance - it keeps beautifully for up to a week in the refrigerator. If serving with cucumber chips, it's best to slice the cukes at the last possible minute, though, to retain freshness and nutritional value.

I made this spread with freshly dried oregano from my herb garden. It would also be delicious with thyme, basil or any Italian Herb blend.

Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread
1 cup raw Brazil nuts
1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 Tablespoon dried oregano (plus 1 tsp for garnish, optional)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons cold water

Add the first five ingredients to a food processor fitted with the S-blade, and pulse process into a crumbly meal.

Add lemon juice and water and pulse until the cheese spread comes together in a ball. For a creamier spread, add more water.

To make Cucumber Chips, thinly slice 3 or 4 small cucumbers with a mandolin or very sharp knife.

Spread each cucumber chip with Brazil Nut Parmesan Spread and arrange on a plate, with additional oregano sprinkled over the top.

Bon appetit!

Summertime Blues

Summer has been flying by at a lazy, rain-drenched pace, and here it is late August already. The weather experts inform us this has been the wettest summer "on record" for Western Mass; now that's impressive! Lots of rain makes the sunny days all the more magical, and keeps the blueberries ripening on the bushes, somewhat past their expected expiration date I believe. Great news for all of us blueberry lovers!

This year on my birthday, which happened by chance to coincide with perfectly clear and sunny skies, I went blueberry picking for the first time in my life. What a thrill! Sure, I'd picked lots of those tiny, delicious wild blueberries in my day, the kind that grow low along trailside paths and such, but these were cultivated highbush berries, an entirely different animal. The bushes themselves average six feet in height, so they are tall and proud to be absolutely laden with deep blue fruits that hang down in small bunches, like grapes. My partner and I were each given a lightweight plastic pail on a long white nylon cord to hang around our necks, and with a bounce in our step, set forth upon the corridor of dreams.

Jaws open and uplifted like little birds to receive their mother's manna, we filled our mouths, bellies and, of course, our pails with fingerfulls and handfulls of the biggest, sweetest blueberries I've ever tasted. All warm from the sun, bursting with juice, smooth-skinned on the lips, tender to the bite and just barely tart on the pop... it was blueberry heaven! So many berries! In only one hour we picked NINE POUNDS!!! (And that's not counting all we could eat!) Now my freezer is full and my heart is glad, knowing there are many blueberry-kissed smoothies in store for future days, brightening the chill promise of winter.