Quick, Homemade Pickles - So Delicious!

Who knew homemade pickles were SO easy?? I can't believe I haven't made these before now! The other day, I was watching Kelsey Nixon's show on the Cooking Channel. She started making homemade pickles and was describing how incredibly easy it is. She also said that once you've tasted a homemade pickle, you'll never want to buy the store-bought variety again...They just don't compare!

Boy, was she right! Brad and I made turkey burgers over the Labor Day weekend, so homemade pickles were the perfect way to use the kirby cucumbers that I had on-hand. I looked up Kelsey's RECIPE, but I didn't have all of the ingredients that she called for. After a little more searching, I found a recipe from Rachael Ray that had great reviews. It was easy, quick (only takes 15 minutes!), and I had everything I needed.

This recipe only takes a few minutes to put together, and it sure is delicious! These pickles are flavored with fresh garlic, mustard seeds, a bay leaf and dill. If you don't have fresh dill, you can easily substitute a little dried dill instead (that's what I had to do).

I did only have 2 cucumbers, so I halved the recipe. However, I did have to double the amount of brine so that all of the pickles would be covered. After reading the reviews, I realized that several other people also doubled the brine for this reason.

If you've never made pickles before, this is a wonderful recipe to start with. You may never buy store-bought pickles again!

Bon Appetit!

Quick Pickles
Source: 30 Minute Meals; Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white vinegar, eyeball it
2 rounded teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove cracked garlic
1 teaspoon dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, chopped or snipped
1 bay leaf
4 kirby cucumbers, cut into 1-inch slices on an angle

Directions:

Heat small saucepan over medium high heat. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, salt, and garlic to the pan and cook until it begins to simmer and sugar dissolves. Toss the dill, bay leaf, and sliced cucumbers together in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the simmering liquid over the cucumbers and stir to evenly coat. Allow to cool to room temperature or chill before serving.

Comments

turmericnspice said…

first time @ your blog love to visit again and again and agaim ...many inspirational recipe to put on my apron

October 11, 2011 at 5:04 PM

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread - Southern Living

***There seriously aren't very many things that smell better than Banana Nut Bread baking in the oven. Don't you agree? This recipe for Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread from Southern Living magazine was one of the very first recipes that I added to this blog...back in November 2007! In fact, I came across it when I worked for the magazine as a Marketing Intern. Back then, I didn't have a photo for every recipe, and the blog post was simply the recipe and nothing else. Because this is my go-to recipe for Banana Nut Bread (and because it is so amazing!), I thought that it deserved a little more attention. This is quite honestly some of the best Banana Nut Bread that I've ever had. An entire 8oz. package of cream cheese is added right to the batter, along with 4 mashed bananas. The cream cheese adds so much to this recipe, with an incredibly moist texture being the main component. Plus, the roasted pecans are the perfect addition. Roasting the nuts brings out

My Favorite Quiche!

***It's not often that a recipe is worthy of re-posting. I think I've only done that once or twice in the entire time I've written this blog. However, this is one of those rare occasions. Back in 2009 when Brad and I went to Europe, we had the most amazing Quiche Lorraine at the incredible Les Deux Magots cafe in Paris. It was delicious and was served alongside a yummy salad of fresh greens (Quiche Lorraine sur Salade Verte). Oh, it was heaven on a plate! It also didn't hurt that we were sitting on the patio of one of the most famous cafes in Paris, after all...haha. The atmosphere and people-watching in that particular area are hard to beat. I'll never forget the elderly lady that was sitting at the table right next to us (the tables were situated pretty close together). She was dressed to-the-nines, was all by herself, and was just the quintessential, classy Parisian lady. I wish more than anything that I had tried to strike up a conversation with her

Absolutely Sinful Cinnamon Rolls

***Alrighty, here are the cinnamon rolls that I mentioned in my previous post. I put these together on Christmas Eve, and then baked them on Christmas morning. Let me just tell you...there's nothing quite like the smell of yummy cinnamon rolls wafting through the house on Christmas morning...ahhhhh...so wonderful! This is going to be a new tradition for us...fresh, homemade rolls on Christmas. I thought that I might try this recipe, and then maybe try a new one next year...until I found one that I really loved. However, I hit the jackpot on the first try! This is THE recipe that I'll always use. UPDATE: Since originally writing this post in 2008, I've made these cinnamon rolls every year for Christmas! They are a holiday tradition that my family looks forward to all year! You can see my other posts here, with lots more photos of these sinful cinnamon rolls: CHRISTMAS 2009 CHIRSTMAS 2010 CHRISTMAS 2011 The great thing was that I could prepare them on Christmas

Sugar & Spice by Celeste

Search This Blog