Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

What a beautiful evening it was last night!  Fair week is always so busy as I'm sure it is in any little town.  What better way to kick off a busy week, but at a nice relaxing Book Club meeting.  We just finished reading Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.  I loved it.  Set in England in the early 1950s where a precocious eleven-year old finds a man murdered in their cucumber patch.  It is a race to see who can solve the mystery first - Flavia de Luce or the Inspector.  I laughed all the way through it, mostly because she reminded me of myself as a child.  I'm afraid I spilled many beans last night at PiCkLe readers book club...  (sorry).  Flavia is left to her own devices and overactive imagination in her huge country home with her two sisters.  She gets into plenty of trouble trying to solve the case, while exacting revenge on her siblings.  My sisters and I had many moments of revenge.  I clearly remember intentionally causing a ruckus in our little home knowing full well that eventually our irritated mother would separate us.  One of us would go to our boring little bedroom and the other would get to go into the inner sanctum. Our parents' bedroom.  Naturally, since I was the instigator, I had all bases covered.  When it was clear Mom would simply take no more of our bickering, I would position myself closest to their room, so I could stomp off to my Time Out and have many hours of peace.  During that time, while my sister stewed and simmered, I would try on Mom's feather hats and all the jewelry I could find.  I had a great time snooping in drawers and reading old newspaper clippings.  One time I even snuck in (ahead of time somehow... to this day I don't know how I accomplished that) my older sisters' wedding dresses and having a real fashion show.  I don't remember returning them to their storage boxes in the hall closet, but I guess I did because I didn't get caught.  Here's a family favorite cucumber recipe for you to enjoy. 

Old Fashioned Creamed Cucumbers

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cucumber
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
I usually put in a sliced green onion as well.

PREPARATION:

Mix the mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small bowl. Mix until smooth.

Peel and slice the cucumber very thin. Pour the sauce over the cucumber; serve.