Refrigerator Pickles

I have received a ton of cucumbers over the past few weeks in our bountiful basket and so after searching Pinterest for some ideas, I decided to make Refrigerator Pickles.  One Perfect Bite shares a delicious recipe for these pickles.  The recipe I am going to share was adapted from the one I found and  let me tell ya, they are yummy.  They lasted, well, about a day in our house and this morning my oldest asked me when I was going to make some more.  So yeah, you guessed it, I have another batch made up and resting in the refrigerator until tomorrow.

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What you need for these pickles:
1-1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 3/4 teaspoons of pickling spice
2 cups hot water
2 pounds kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tablespoon dill weed spice
3 cloves garlic, minced


Making them:
1.  Combine Vinegar, sugar, salt and pickling spice in a medium size bowl.  Add the hot water and stir until the sugar dissolves and the liquid is clear.  Cool to room temperature.  (This only takes a minute or two.)
2.  Place your cucumbers, minced garlic and dill weed spice in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Pour your brine over the cucumbers and stir until cucumbers are well coated.  
3.  Cover them with a plate to weigh them down and keep them covered in the brine.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice.    
4.  Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks. Yield: 1 quart. 

Cover your cucumbers in brine.

Refrigerator Pickles

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Yesterday, as I was getting my meals planned for the week, I realized I had failed to blog a very delicious Broccoli and Cheese Soup that my family absolutely loves.  I have some broccoli that I need to use that I got from Bountiful Baskets last week, which is how this soup landed its way onto our current menu.  This soup is a delicious blend of broccoli and cheese, and topped with some croutons, you will definitely find yourself going back for seconds!

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION
WHAT IT TAKES:
1 LB Velveeta Cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup milk
16 oz of frozen broccoli (thawed).  *you can also use fresh broccoli

OPTIONAL TOPPING:  Croutons

IT DOESN'T GET MUCH EASIER THAN THIS:
Mix all of the ingredients into the CrockPot.  Cook on low for 2 1/2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  If soup seems too thick, you can add a little more milk to thin. Spoon into your favorite soup bowl, top with croutons if desired, and enjoy!

 

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

25 pounds of carrots!

If you read by blog earlier this week, you will recall my joy over discovering Bountiful Baskets, www.bountifulbaskets.org, and that I also mentioned ordering 25 lbs of carrots for only $8.50, to be picked up today. Wow, let me just say that 25 lbs of carrots is a lot of carrots! I am so pleased with today's basket. For $15.00 I got a bag of red potatoes, 3 onions 4 green peppers, one red pepper, a package of blueberries, a head of cabbage, a bag of green beans, a bundle of asparagus, a stock of romaine lettuce, 2 grapefruit 8 oranges, 6 apples and 3 tomatoes. I am so pleased with this food co-op and can't wait to plan this week's meals! Now to start peeling and freezing some carrots!

25 pounds of carrots!

Freezer Day

photo courtesy of Bountiful Baskets Facebook  page! 

Today I am working from home, and as time permits (during lunch and in between calls), a freezer day.  Oh, where to begin....

I have been introduced to a food co-op called Bountiful Baskets.  It is fabulous!  It not only  is in Wyoming, but several states, including Texas (for all my Texas readers and friends out there).  Go to this link to see if it is offered in your area.  BB is a volunteer food co-op and for $15.00 you get a laundry basket (literally) full of all kinds of fruits and veggies.  Plus, you have the option of adding whole grain breads, granola, etc.  You place your order every Monday and then pick it up on Saturday and you never know what you are going to get, so it is best to wait and go to the grocery after you get your basket so you don't over buy.  It saves tons of money in produce, plus we have been getting stuff that we might not normally buy at the store, so it is encouraging us to eat more fruits and veggies and overall healthier meals, as I meal plan around what we get.  Plus, the boys have been eating Kiwi and Pears like crazy this week and I didn't even realize they liked Kiwi.  It makes me so happy to see them try new things, and love them!  This week they had the option to order 25 pounds of carrots from Arizona for only $8.50.  That is a HUGE savings.  So, I plan on freezing those carrots to use in soups, roasts and as side dishes.  I really could just go on and on about it, but their website is packed full of information, so go check it out!

On Sunday we cooked a huge turkey with all the fixings and have been eating on that all week, so there is no meal plan for this week as we are in left over heaven and have plenty of turkey and veggies to get us through until next week.

So, today I am freezing some fresh corn on the cobb, some onion, broccoli and cauliflower and making a batch of Apple Butter using a bag of apples that we got from Bountiful Baskets.  I will share my freezing experience in a future blog.  As I have only frozen a limited variety of fruits and veggies in the past, I checked out Rodale's Complete Book of Home Freezing from the library earlier this week for tips and instructions for all of my freezing needs!  Needless to say, I a ready to get my freeze on!

Freezer Day