If you love pickles like I do, then these easy-to-make pickles are for you! Not only are they really easy to make, they are so freaking delicious I've made two batches in the last week! I got this recipe from CherylStyle's website and only changed/added a few things from her recipe to suit my own taste. Enjoy!
Sweet and Sour Refrigerator Pickles
Brine Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 cups water
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon black pepper corns
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
1 bay leaf
Pickle Ingredients:
3 lbs. cucumbers (I used regular cucumbers), sliced about 1/4"
1 yellow onion, sliced very thin with mandolin
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6-8 whole garlic cloves, pealed
Directions:
Place all brine ingredients into a medium-sized non-reactive saucepan such as stainless steel, enameled, or glass—not aluminum or copper. Bring brine to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to reach room temperature.
While you are waiting for the brine to cool, prepare your pickle ingredients. Slice the cucumbers using a mandolin to about 1/4", slice your onions very thin at your lowest setting on your mandolin. Put cucumbers, garlic and onions in a large colander in the sink and sprinkle with kosher salt, toss to coat evenly. Let sit for 30-45 minutes letting any water the salt may draw out drain.
After the cucumbers, garlic and onions have sat and drained, and the brine reaches room temperature rinse the cucumbers mixture with cold water to remove excess salt. Put cucumber mixture into a large glass bowl. Pour room temperature brine over the cucumber mixture and cover with saran wrap. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day remove from pickles from refrigerator and stir a few times. Now you can place pickles in jars or plastic containers and keep them in the refrigerator. They are great the first day, but get even better with each day. The garlic stays sharp, so beware! But, give those enough time and they'll be pickled too!
They are not "canned," so don't put them in your pantry, they need to be refrigerated and eaten within a few weeks.
Yield: 5 jars.
This recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and vegan.
I love when my niece Ava comes over for a sleepover. And when she does, we try and do as many fun things together as we can like playing games, coloring, watching movies, and baking. Having her over takes me back to when I was little and would spend time with some very special people to me in my life.
When I was a little girl, I used to spend a lot of time with my Grandmother and my two siblings, Chrissy and Peter, at my Grandparents house in Brooklyn, NY. We would spend a week each summer with them while our parents took a well needed vacation for themselves. It was always a great time when we were there, and all of us "kids" have many fond memories of those times that we still talk about today. Whether if we were playing together out on the driveway, picking raspberries and blackberries from her small garden, eating delicious meals she cooked for us, or when we'd all venture out to the 5 & 10 (Woolworth's) where she would treat each of us to a toy of our choice, we truly loved spending time with Grandma.
Pictured below is a photo of my Grandparents on my wedding day in 2001.
I also have a lot of fond memories of my Uncle Ed. Growing up as a child, I remember him always being around, especially on the weekends and during the long summers. He was like a second dad to us kids. I remember him coming over to our house early in the morning and he would empty his pockets of whatever change he had in them to give to us to put in our piggy banks. He would always horse around and play with us, especially with my brother Peter. I remember a few things he used to say to us too that would always make me laugh. If one of us would say "Hey...!" He'd respond with "Hay is for horses!" And, if we were bugging him too much, he'd say, "Stick an egg in your shoe, and beat it kid!" I laughed every time. Maybe in that respect he was more like a big brother to us, and boy did we love it! Uncle Ed was the coolest!
For many years, he and my Dad played guitar and sang together. They would play out at local bars where even on a rare occasion—if the setting was right—we'd be able to go listen to them too. So, on the weekends if you didn't find them practicing their guitars in preparation for the next gig, you could probably find them out on the driveway playing basketball. They were both pretty competitive guys back in the day, so as you could imagine they could be out there for hours on end before calling it a night.
I've always admired and looked up to my Uncle. He is very special to me. I even asked him to sing Blackbird by the Beatles as a surprise for my Dad at my wedding for our Father/Daughter dance. Blackbird was always my favorite song that they played together so it was very special to me to have him play that song for my Dad and I, and also for me to be able to include him on my most special day.
Since I have been blessed with so many fond memories of time spent with my Grandmother and my Uncle, I wanted to follow in their footsteps and do the same for all of my niece's. I have been able to do this the most with my niece Ava. Ava has been coming to my house for sleepovers since she was about 3 years old. She is now five, and she loves helping me in the kitchen.
On this particular sleepover we baked some of my Banana Bread Mini Muffins, Nutella White and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies, and also the recipe I am sharing with you today. This recipe was all Ava's idea, which came from a commercial on TV she saw one day at home. She remembered this recipe completely, and luckily I had everything we needed on hand to make it.
This recipe is actually quite beautiful when put together. I would have no reservations to serve these to my friends and family at any BBQ, family dinner, or get-together. They make for a perfect summer appetizer or afternoon snack, or in this case, a side dish to our main meal. They are really easy to make, and quite tasty too. Try them for yourself, and I'm betting you'll be making them again soon.
Ava's Summery Cucumbers with Hummus, Carrots and Raisins
Ingredients:
1 English Cucumber
Matchstick Carrots, pre-cut in the bag
1 Small Box Raisins or Craisins
1 Container Hummus (we used Trader Joe's Horseradish flavored)
Special tool: Melon Baller
(You can use a small metal spoon if you don't have a melon baller.)
Directions:
Wash and dry your cucumber.
Cut cucumber in about 1 1/2" - 2" slices.
Then, take your melon baller and make a cup for your hummus by scooping 3/4 of the way down into the center of the cucumber removing the seeds. Make sure not to scoop too far down, or too close to the sides, so that you leave yourself a nice cup for your hummus (see below).
Take spoonfuls of hummus and fill in each cucumber cup to the top.
Now, take matchstick carrots and start sticking them into the hummus around the inner edge of the cucumber cup, then add 3 or 4 raisins to the center as shown.
Place them on a serving plate and enjoy. Yes, it's that easy...and Ava gives them the thumbs up seal of approval!
You can also serve these with "refreshin' snacks" (Ava's exact words) such as grapes and pineapple.
Makes 8 cucumber cups.
This recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan.
