Cucumber Spread

My mother loves sandwiches made with this cucumber spread and I'm pretty fond of it, too.  She ate some that a friend had made, then went home and figured out how to make it herself.  I have to admit that grating the cucumbers by hand is not much fun and can even be painful on your fingers.  Next time I'm going to get out the food processor and let it do the work.

One of the main things to remember in this recipe is to drain the cucumbers.  They are very watery and if you don't drain them after grating, your spread will be a liquid mess.

Slather this between 2 slices of bread and you've got a nice little sandwich.  Cut the crust off and cut into small finger sandwiches for parties.  Use it as a spread/base for a turkey sandwich or any other type of sandwich you like or top a cracker with it. 

Cucumber Spread

4 oz. cream cheese, softened or use soft cream cheese
2 cucumbers
1/8 - 1/4 c. onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Onion powder to taste

Peel the cucumbers and slice lengthwise into 2 halves.  Use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds.  Grate cucumbers and onion with a hand grater or food processor.  Place the grated cucumber in a strainer to drain all the liquid.  Mash it down with your hand to get the water out.  Let this drain for at least 15 minutes.  Mix the cream cheese with a mixer to get it nice and smooth.  If you are using the soft cream cheese in a tub, you can skip that.  Add all other ingredients and blend.  Refrigerate.