Asian Pickled Cucumbers

A light, refreshing amuse bouche. A marriage of crisp cucumbers, tart rice vinegar and spicy ginger.

For this simple dish slice and seed 3 large cucumbrs ( results in about 4 cups worth). Place them in a large tupperware and nearly cover with rice vinegar. I used the plain unseasoned variety. Next julienne some fresh ginger root. I like my ginger, so I added at least 1/3 of a cup if not more. Now, sprinkle in about 1 tablespoon of sugar. I used brown sugar but granulated will work just fine. Finally, add as much red chili flakes as you would like, depending on your spice tolerance.

Let this mixture sit overnight, and enjoy for days to come.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Simply rinse a bag of fresh cranberries, place it in a saucepan along with once cup or orange juice, the zest of one orange and just enough minced ginger to give a bite. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer until most of the cranberries have popped and the sauce develops a nice bright red color and thick consistency