3/16/11

It Ain't Your Grandma's Pickles!!

I remember as many of you standing in your grandmother's kitchen and PARTICIPATING watching her make pickles! It was an all day process and the kitchen was so hot (she didn't have air conditioning, only fans, and the house smelled like vinegar!)

Busy, busy, busy 21st century and now my time is limited. I do not have a day to devote to pickle making nor do I grow my own cucumbers! Imagine my delight when I saw this magazine article declaring I could have homemade pickles if I could just spare 10 minutes to slice, sugar and season pre-packaged pickles! 10 minutes? Just 10 minutes? You bettcha I had 10 minutes!!


Here is the recipe that I followed and it really is as easy as 1-2-3!


I arranged my ingredients and followed step by step (I asked my friend to slice the jalapenos! Wasn't that nice?!!)






Sweet-Hot No-Cook Pickles
MAKES 1 QT.; PREP: 10 MIN;
STAND: 1 HR.; CHILL: 8 HR.
Wear plastic gloves when working with the peppers. For equally great taste without the hotness, make the Sweet No-Cook Pickles just omit the peppers.

1 (46-oz.) jar dill pickles, drained
(For mine I used Vlastic Dill)
18 Thai chile peppers OR 2 large jalapeno peppers, sliced
(For mine I used jalapeno peppers sliced thin and removed the seeds)
2 cups sugar
1 TBSP. white wine vinegar

1. Cut pickles into 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer slices alternately with peppers in pickle jar.

2. Gradually add sugar, tapping bottom of jar gently on a flat surface to allow sugar to settle in jar.

3. Add vinegar.

4. Cover with lid, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour, shaking jar occasionally.

5. Chill 8 hours, shaking jar occasionally to ensure even pepper heat distribution. Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

(copyright, Southern Living,August 2009)


I printed a tag from The Graphics Fairy and labeled my pickles with the name and date. (my Mema always dated all her can goods)


And voila! hot, sweet pickles that taste homemade!!






Today, if I close my eyes, think real hard, I can recapture those memories of my Mema's kitchen and the special closeness we shared! I can almost smell the vinegar drifting throughout the house!

Have a Blessed Day!! And see ya down the junkin' road!!
Jan

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