Easy Homemade Pickles

Easy Refrigerator Pickles

I love when summer produce starts popping up on ksl! I saw pickling cucumbers and had to try to make pickles! I got this recipe from An Oregon Cottage blog! I am so excited to see how they turn out. Mmm Spicy, garlic, and dill!  The only thing I did different was add a half of a fresh jalapeno sliced long ways, and used dill seed instead of fresh dill. I put 2 tsp of dill seed in a quart jar. You can get the pickling spice, and dill seed in bulk at Winco, they even sell fresh dill.

Easy Garlic Dill Pickles for the Refrigerator

Ingredients per quart (increase as needed for each quart added):

• about 1 quart pickling cucumbers, washed and blossom-end cut off
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half
• 1 large fresh dill head (plus 1 tsp. dried dill seed, if desired)
• pinch (1/8 tsp) red pepper flakes (optional) or dried, whole hot red peppers as desired
• 1-1/4 c. cider vinegar
• 1-1/4 c. water
• 2 tsp. pickling spices
• 1 Tb. + 1 tsp. pickling salt
• 1-1/2 tsp. sugar

1. Prepare number of quart jars equal to amount of pickles by running through the dishwasher or boiling for 10 minutes in a pot of water to sterilize.
2. Place the garlic and dill head in the bottom of each jar. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Pack with the cucumbers leaving 1/2-inch head space.
3. In a large saucepan, combine water, vinegar, spices, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Ladle the brine into the jar leaving 1/4″ head space. Attach lids.
5. Let cool to room temperature, then store in the refrigerator.
6. The pickles can be eaten after about a month, and continue to improve over the months of storage. I’ve stored them for 12 months and they just increase in flavor.  *from An Oregon Cottage. 

Homemade Natural Fermented Pickles

So I just had to ferment me some cucumbers too! I love the slightly salty bubbly taste of fermented cabbage, kimchee, actually! Why not pickles? This is my second attempt, I tried it in Bolivia, but it just didn't work out, now I know I needed to wait longer.  This recipe is from My Humbled Kitchen. 

A Simple Recipe for Homemade Natural Fermented Pickles

Yield: Makes 3 Quarts of Pickles

Homemade Natural Fermented Pickles are simple to make, taste sensational, and are nourishing to our bodies.

Ingredients:

• 24 (or so) small 4"-5" pickling cucumbers
• 6 cloves garlic, ends removed and smashed
• 6 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 tbls pickling spice(cloves, coriander, allspice, pepper, mustard seeds)
• Fresh Dill
• 6 tbls large granule sea salt (kosher salt)

Method:

1. Properly clean 3 quart sized mason jars.
2. Gently clean and remove flower ends from cucumbers.
3. To each quart sized mason jar, stack the bottom with as many cucumbers as you can fit.
4. Divide the pickling spice between the jars.
5. To each jar, add 2 garlic cloves, and 2 bay leaves.
6. Add a good amount of dill to each jar, then fill each jar with as many more cucumbers as you can fit. Do not allow the cucumbers to go up into the band area. Make sure there's 1" headspace between the top of the jar and the lid.
7. On the stovetop, heat 1 quart of filtered water with 6 tbls of salt until it dissolves. Once the salt dissolves into the water, remove from heat. Add 1 1/3 cups of the salt solution brine to each jar.
8. Fill the remainder of the jars with enough filtered water to cover all the ingredients.
9. Place a lid on each jar and give it a good shake to mix the water and salt brine solution. Make sure to check after shaking that all the ingredients are submerged.
10. Place the jar in a cool dark place for 2 weeks making sure to burp the jar after 7 days.

* from My Humbled Kitchen

Green Salsa recipe

Heres an easy green salsa recipe. i like for my eggs in the morning, or my white enchiladas etc. the possibilities are endless!!!

10 tomatillos
5 or more or less jalapenos, i like hot !
handful of cilantro
1/2 small onion
clove of garlic
salt to taste

Remove skin of tomatillos, boil in saucepan or brown on a comal, until soft.  Blend all  ingredients together. enjoy!

Mc Muffin's made better!

Here's as close as we gonna get to Micky D's.  My hubby has been saying how he's craving McDonalds! How weird.  So here's what we had for breakfast today. Of course I made the sausage and bread ahead of time!So I just had to pull them out and cook. It was easy!

Mc Muffin's made better

Homemade Sausage
Sourdough English Muffins
Fried eggs
butter or mayo for bread its your choice! We choose butter!

Ways to use your sourdough starter instead of tossing it!

I am having so much fun using my sourdough starter!  I bought mine starter at cultures for health but you can also make one, Heavenly Homemakers has a step by step tutorial for making your own. I am totally new to sourdough but have been doing some experimenting with good results! Some of the things I've tried so far are English Muffins, waffles and pancakes.  My list will keep growing so check back often to see what I've been making!

Sourdough Starter pancakes

 

Sourdough Starter Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh sourdough starter
• 1 egg
  
• 3 tablespoons sugar (rapadura, Sucanat, honey, maple syrup, etc.)
  
• 2 tablespoons oil
  
• 3+ tablespoons milk, coconut milk, or water (see below)
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda (optional, makes the pancakes fluffier)

Mix together sourdough starter, egg, sugar, oil and baking soda.  Use the milk, coconut milk, or water to thin the batter to a pancake batter consistency. (How much you will need depends on the consistency of your sourdough starter.)

Heat a griddle to moderate heat.  Melt a slice of butter or coconut oil on the griddle. Once the griddle is hot, use 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until golden brown and flip. Cook until golden brown on both sides.

Sourdough English Muffins

This was my first go at English Muffins! They turned out really good, I will definitaly make them again. Great recipe for when you need to use sourdough starter instead of throwing it out. I got the recipe from An Oregen Cottage, she has some really good recipes and pictures.  I want to eventually use my own fresh ground grains like she does but I just don't have acsess right now.  So if your in the same boat as me, go ahead and use what you have and enjoy them, at least you still know whats in them!

 

here they are nicely risen

 baked on a cast iron skillet

Sourdough English Muffins

Mix together the night before
  1/2 cup sourdough starter
  1 tbsp brown sugar or honey (preferably honey but I was out and brown sugar worked)
  1 cup milk (can use water, but milk makes them more tender)
  2 c. whole wheat (I used white unbleached flour)
  Cover with a towel and leave at room temperature overnight.
  
 In the morning, transfer the sponge to the bowl of a mixer, I used my food processor (can be made by hand) and add:
  1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
  1 tsp. sea salt
  1/4 cup flour (plus another 1/4-1/3 c. during kneading)

Knead for 3-4 minutes, adding another 1/4 to 1/3 cup of flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is just tacky to the touch, clears the sides of the bowl, but still sicks to the bottom. If using a food processor pulse then stop every so often not letting the dough get to hot.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead a few times into a round shape. Use a rolling pin to roll about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or other round shape).
4. Place the muffin rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone and sprinkled with a dusting of cornmeal or flour. Leave about 1 to 2-inches between each muffin, and dust the tops with a bit more flour or cornmeal.
5. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours. They will just slightly puff.
6. Heat a nonstick griddle to a medium-low setting (about 275 degrees) in order to cook the inside of the muffin without burning the outside.
7. Transfer the muffins, one at a time, to the heated griddle (dry- do not grease for even browning) and cook for about 4 minutes on one side. Flip the muffins, flatten slightly with the back of the spatula, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on the other side until both sides are nicely browned.

 

Easy Alfredo Sauce

This recipe is so yummy, I remember my friend Angie making this to dip bread sticks in.  I love it!  So not only is it good for bread sticks but also with chicken and pasta.

   garlic, butter, cream and cream cheese cooking

     Freshly shredded parmesan cheese

    I added spinach to my alfredo sauce this time.

Alfredo Sauce
2 cups heavy cream, I use the real stuff here!
2 -3 Tbsp cream cheese, I use Philadelphia and just cut off 2 ounces that's marked on the pkg.
1/2 cup butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in medium sauce pan, add minced garlic.  Let garlic cook a little bit, but don't let brown.  Add the cream and cream cheese to pan and let simmer until melted together. Add parmesan cheese and cook until melted. Be careful not to go outside and show your husband your garden and let half of the sauce overflow onto the stove! :) Sauce can be used to for bread sticks, chicken, noodles etc.