On Second Thought

I've already done the unthinkable and mentioned the impending season (f...a...l...l) and even the other f-word (no, not that one!!!)... football, so you might be expecting some great crockpot recipes coming from our kitchen but alas, as quickly as I mentioned fall, DC has turned the tide on our weather and make no mistake, it is absolutely still summer here. I, for one, am heartily embracing the 100+ degree weather and heat advisories - not that I've had much of a choice.

Thus when the mercury levels started their ascent and suddenly all the comments of "is this really a DC-August" went the way of "oh my gosh, it's hot here... and the humidity!!!" - I knew it was time for this recipe's appearance. Gazpacho and summer are synonymous, after all, right... but, almost too predictable - what with three over-grown tomato plants begging each and every morning to be relieved of some more of their weight, tomatoes have actually become my afternoon "fruit" snack at work (no complaining here - doesn't get much better than some chunks of deep red tomato scooped up with a few tears of garden-fresh basil).

Luckily (except for those of you here for a way to use up your own tomatoes - sorry!), this is anything but another predictable gazpacho recipe. Make this simple perfect-for-summer (and perfectly customizable) soup - I promise you won't miss the tomatoes; but don't say I didn't warn you when you can never look at a tomato-filled gazpacho recipe the same way again.

White Gazpacho Soup

3 medium cucumbers, peeled
1 clove garlic
3 c chicken broth
3 c sour cream
3 TBSP white wine vinegar
2 tsp salt

Toppings:
green onions, sliced on the bias
toasted almonds
tomatoes, small diced
fresh shrimp, finely chopped
crumbled bacon pieces

Cut cucumbers into chunks and blend a short while in your blender with a small amount of the chicken broth. Combine remaining ingredients in the blender and blend just enough to mix. Chill until ready to serve.

*blending in batches is recommended as the mixture will easily overflow