Cucumber and Onion Salad

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized cucumber
1/2 large onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions:

• Peel and slice cucumbers and place the slices in a small bowl.
• Peel and slice onion and add to cucumbers.
• Sprinkle salt, pepper, and sugar over top.
• Mix vinegar and water and pour over veggies.
• Give mixture a stir and seal in a container with a lid.
• Refrigerate for at least two hours and maybe even overnight.

Hot Pockets

My daughter-in-law, Jessica, was sharing a story about how her parents are surviving their house remodel/add-on with no kitchen and heating up foods like Hot Pockets for dinner.  Now, I know that there are times when we all wish we had no kitchen so we wouldn't have to cook or clean it and could just eat out or something like that.  However, in reality, I don't think any of us really, really wants to be without a kitchen at all.  Yet, her mention of Hot Pockets flung a craving on me today.  Rather than make a dash to the store, though, I decided to try to concoct one of my own.  Here is what I came up with:

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated Crescent Rolls - when you start with this as a base, what wouldn't be easy and good?
1 pound leftover pork loin - rubbed with a secret concoction of McCormick's Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple and Mesquite seasonings and marinated overnight in a secret concoction of Johnny's Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Lemon Juice

mushrooms - an ingredient that I think makes most any main dish wonderful and Mike says I add to everything and...maybe I do

grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese - You know I grew up on a dairy farm and how can you go wrong by adding cheese?

• First, unroll the roll dough and butt two of the triangles together at the base end.
• Top with some roasted pork loin that wouldn't slice when your husband tried to slice it for his birthday party company (various family members) and wound up just pulling apart like pulled pork bar-b-que. 
• Add a layer of the mushrooms and sprinkle with some of the cheese.

• Fold the pointy ends of the dough over the filling and bake in a 350 degrees oven for about ten minutes.
• Sprinkle with a bit more cheese and serve up with some home-made pickles, some Goldfish crackers you steal from the stash for the grands, and a glass of cranberry juice.

Yum!

P.S.  It also looks delish on a pretty blue-and-white plate gifted to you by said daughter-in-law's mother, Karen.  Thanks, Karen! 

Kosher-Style Dill Pickle Spears

Ingredients:

10 pounds cucumbers
1/4 cup mixed pickling spices
2-3 bunches fresh or dried dill
1 1/2 cups canning salt
2 cups vinegar
2 gallons water
6 cloves garlic (optional)
Bay leaves
6-8 cloves of garlic
6-8 hot, red peppers
Mustard seed

Preparation Steps:

I basically had two sized of cucumbers and for these pickles.  I used the larger ones.  I decided to quarter them, slicing them into spears.

• Wash and drain the cucumbers.  Quarter them, slicing them into spears
• Place half of pickling spices and a layer of dill into the bottom of a clean pickling container.  (I used a clean five-gallon bucket.)

• Add cucumbers to within top of pickling container.
• Combine, salt, vinegar, and water; ladle over cucumbers.
• Place a layer of dill and remaining pickling spices over the top. 
• Add garlic, if desired.
• Weight cucumbers under the brine.

• Store container in a cool place.
• Let cucumbers ferment until well flavored with dill and clear throughout.  Pickles should be ready to can in about two to three weeks.

• Remove pickles from brine and rinse.

• Strain the brine; bring to a boil in a large saucepot.

• Pack pickles into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
• Add one bay leaf, one clove garlic, one piece hot red pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed to each jar.

• Get out your new plastic, collapsible funnel that you got on clearance at the grocery store and place it in one of the jars.  Ladle the hot brine into each jar leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

• Adjust two-piece caps.  (I'm not pleased that the brine in these jars is a little milky looking.  Wonder if that is how it is supposed to look?) 

• Process fifteen minutes in a boiling water canner.

• Allow to ferment in jars for two to three weeks.
• Hope they turn out to be tasty!

Sweet Pickle Relish

This is a recipe I found in the Ball Blue Book guide to preserving.  My copy looks like this:

It is full of wonderful recipes and you could get your own copy HERE.  Someday maybe I can try out and sample all the recipes I want!

1 quart chopped cucumbers (about 4 medium)
2 cups chopped onions (about 2 medium)
1 cup chopped sweet, green pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped sweet, red pepper (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup salt
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
2 cups cider vinegar

• First, wash and sort your cucumbers.  I saved the larger of the two sizes I had to make Kosher Dill Pickles.  (That recipe will follow when I have finished that project up!)

• Next, wash peppers and onions.

• Chop cucumbers.  I used my Pampered Chef food chopper but next time I'll probably use a food processor because I will double the recipe and that is a LOT of hand chopping.

•  Chop peppers and onions.

• Combine chopped cucumbers, onions, and peppers in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water.  Let stand 2 hours.

• The mix will bubble and start to stink emit a strong smell become quite fragrant.
• After 2 hours, drain.  Rinse and drain thoroughly.  (I put the chopped stuff into an old, thin, clean pillow case and squeezed all the liquid out to drain this thoroughly.)

Celery Seed

Mustard Seed

Just wanted to show off my pretty new measuring spoons I got for Mother's Day.

Thanks Corey, Bridgette, Lillie, and Lydia!

• Combine sugar, spices, and vinegar in a large sauce pan.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add drained vegetables and simmer 10 minutes.

• Pack relish into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
• Remove air bubbles by sliding a wooden or plastic spoon down the side of the jar.
• Attach two-piece caps.
• Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

The Ball Blue Book suggests that one allow pickled foods to sit in jars for a couple of weeks to fully ferment.  I'm not sure I can wait that long!