Labor Day always feels like back to school time for us no matter how many years it has been since elementary school. One of our favorite pastimes is shopping for supplies but our list no longer includes No. 2 pencils and binders. Instead, we're filling our desks with chic notebooks and lucite accessories. Check out Artisan's picks for our favorite back to school supplies...for grown ups!
Alton Brown's (Cool as a Cucumber) Recipes
ALL RECIPES COURTESY OF ALTON BROWN, 2013
CUCUMBER AQUA FRESCA
3 large cucumbers, approximately 11/2 pounds total, seeded and coarsely chopped
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 3 large lemons
¼ cup dark agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 quarts water
Cucumber and lemon slices, optional for serving
Combine the cucumber, lemon juice, agave nectar and salt in a blender and puree. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large pitcher, pressing the pulp as you go. Add the water to the pitcher and stir to combine. Chill for 1 hour and serve over ice with cucumber and lemon slices as garnish if desired.
CREAM GREEK SALAD DRESSING
1 cup greek yogurt
½ cup Cucumber Aqua Fresca
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
Combine yogurt, Cucumber Aqua Fresca, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper in a pint sized jar. Lid and shake well to combine.
CUCUMBER COCONUT LASSI
1 large mango, peeled and chopped
1 cup Cucumber Aqua Fresca
1 cup of coconut milk
8 ounces ice, approximately 1 cup
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon chile powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Combine mango, Cucumber Aqua Fresca, coconut milk, ice, ginger, chile and salt in a blender. Puree until smooth. Serve immediately.
CHILLED SWEET PEA AND CUCUMBER SOUP
3 cups Cucumber Aqua Fresca
1 pound frozen petit peas
½ cup fresh mint leave, loosely packed
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine the Cucumber Aqua Fresca, peas, mint leaves, lemon juice salt in a blender. Puree until smooth. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of feta cheese or with a drizzle of the Creamy Greek Salad Dressing.
Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen
Cooking chops, sabotage skills and cold hard cash are on the menu in Food Network's Cutthroat Kitchen - airing Sunday's at 10 p.m. EST. In this new competition series, chefs must also be crafty, clever and willing to sabotage their opponents.
Led by Alton Brown as the kitchen's cunning provocateur, the game features a briefcase filled with $100,000 in cash, four competitors, three rounds of cooking and auctions where chefs bid on items to help themselves or hinder their opponents.
