What can I do with this?

"Hmm, let's see. That's about to go bad. I have a ton of that. I always have a little of that. What can I do with these things? How can I put them together?" Anyone ever have this self-conversation? Anyone else talk to yourself? Ok, maybe that's just me. (At least that's what my first college roommate told me :-))

Either way, some people make dinner every night with this conversation. I, however, am not that person. I don't get home, and then see what's in the pantry. On Saturday, I figure out what I want to eat/make this week, and then get the ingredients for those things. This generally eliminates the rotting 3 tomatoes, the 14 cans of cream of mushroom soup, the extra cup of olives, etc. (In fact, I just ordered this and this, as depicted above, to assist in this process.)

However, since we started gardening, the "What can I do with this?" conversation is a bit more present in my extensive self-conversing. (Let's just say, we definitely lived through cilantro week, which I'll write about later. It's a close relative of strawberry or peach week.)  I don't mind doing this occasionally, because it makes for some creative cooking. That's what happened a few weeks ago, when I was pondering my cilantro shrubs, the contents of my freezer, and my newest favorite flavor. As I surveyed these items, I concocted this southwest flavored cucumber corn salad. It's nice and refreshing, and I imagine there's quite a bit more creativity to add to it. See what you think-

Southwest Cucumber Corn Salad

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 c. corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
1 T. cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. oil
1 T. white wine vinegar
1/4 t. southwest spice rub
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in bowl.

2. Put garlic and oil in small microwaveable container. Heat in microwave for 30-60 seconds. [Omit this step if you like raw garlic.]

3. Combine garlic and oil with vinegar, spice rub, and salt and pepper in small bowl. Whisk together. Pour over vegetables in bowl. Chill or serve at room temperature.