Today we had a typical pandemic Sunday lunch on our patio with our kids. After we finished playing tennis and everyone got cleaned up our son helped me make a Thai inspired tomato and cucumber salad. He did a lot of helpful chopping of chiles, cilantro, onions, bell pepper, cucumber, and ginger. I skinned and chopped some of our daughter’s community-garden-grown tomatoes. The dressing is a combination of lime zest, lime juice, a neutral oil, soy sauce, sugar, and fish sauce. We topped it with some torn basil and tarragon. The salad was a big hit!

I forgot to take pictures so I only have approximate photos from the Internet.

Thai inspired tomato and cucumber salad

We just got a new gas grill this week so today was its debut. We are a family who likes their burgers without cheese, tomato, or lettuce. Some ketchup, a little mayo, and a slice of onion is all we need. John did a great job cooking them considering it was his first time using the grill.

It is remarkably hard to find a picture of a plain hamburger on the Internet!

Just a burger, please.

After burger time we had grilled corn which had been briefly microwaved. The kids liked putting butter and “Everything Except the Elote” seasoning from Trader Joe’s on theirs.

Grilled corn

To finish off our patio lunch, our daughter contributed a banana cake made from her grandmother’s recipe. It is delicious! She is such a good baker.

Nana Banana Cake