Mason Jar Series: Homemade Pickles

Hey guys,

It's Wednesday Yummies - Mason Jar Series today. Let's get right to it. Do you love pickles? If someone adds a pickle to the side of a sandwich or even better toothpicks it through the sandwich, I'm like butter in their hands. To me, a dill pickle is the perfect partner to a sammie.

There are lots of pickle recipes out there as well as options for how long you want to be able to store your pickles. When I made salsa last week, I chose the long method which allows you to keep whatever you have canned for an extended amount of time. This is the ideal way to can, but time consuming. This time, I chose a shorter method but the downside is that your product's shelf life is really reduced.

I also chose to use this product:

Essentially, it's all the spices you need in one. You slice the cucumbers into quarters, add the mix of spices, water and vinegar (follow directions on the back on the package) and boil. Once the mixture is boiling you pour it over your cucumber slices and wait until the mixture cools to room temperature.

Pour in the mason jars and store in the fridge. Let them get happy in there for at least a week and then dig in! This is where you can extend the life of your pickles and follow through with the steps I outlined in last week's salsa recipe. As well, if you want to store your canned food for an extended period of time, don't forget to follow safe canning practices.

If you want to use all fresh ingredients, this recipe sounds pretty delicious.

Bernardin has these time limited vintage mason jars right now that I think are pretty cool to store our pickles in.

They're looking pretty old school in the fridge.

Got pickles?

Don't forget to ENTER into the CONTEST TO WIN a SET OF MASON JARS & MIXES!

Mason Jar Series II - WIN A SET OF 500 ml VINTAGE GREEN MASON JARS & PICKLE MIXES



As you know, mason jars are trending! Next week I'll share a few ways that I use mason jars outside of canning and I've created a Pinterest board to get your inspiration moving.

Keep it Beautiful.

**My friends, everything in this post is my own. I have not been financially compensated for this post. Bernardin graciously supplied the mason jars...wasn't that so nice of them? Thank you. It was my idea to start canning and everything I've said are my own words.



Wednesday Yummies: Yogurt-Spiced Chicken with Grilled Tomato Kabobs

Hey everyone!
 

Thank you for being so understanding the past few weeks. I know I’ve been MIA. With returning back to the office full-time, training for a marathon and losing my girlfriend Robyn, I’ve been totally consumed emotionally and physically.  However, I'm ready to get back into it and looking forward to chatting with you all again. This weekend is a busy one. We have the Great Glebe Garage Sale on Saturday (always super fun!) and I’m running the Ottawa Marathon on Sunday. Yikes! As you know, I love to run, but training for a marathon is a job in itself. So, I’m looking forward on scaling it back a bit after this weekend. Phew!

I do have a yummy recipe to share with you today. It's from Canadian Living. I haven’t made it yet, but HELLO…doesn’t it look good? My girlfriend Lisa made it and she said it was oh-so-yummy  and really great for a weeknight meal. I’m thinking it also looks great to serve up to friends for a casual barbecue.  Thanks for sharing Lisa!

 

Yogurt-Spiced Chicken with Grilled Tomato Kabobs

Source: Canadian Living
 
 

What You Need:

1/4 cup 2% plain yogurt

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp. tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp salt

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 red onion cut in 3/4-inch chunks

 What You Need to Do:

In shallow dish, combine yogurt, 1 tbsp of the lemon juice, ginger, tomato paste, garlic, 1-1/2 tsp of the garam masala and 1/4 tsp of the salt. Add chicken and toss to coat; let stand for 15 minutes. (Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Meanwhile, combine oil and remaining lemon juice, garam masala and salt; set aside.

Alternately thread tomatoes and onion onto metal skewers.

Place chicken on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning halfway through, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, add skewers; grill, turning 4 times and brushing with oil mixture, until onion is slightly softened and tomatoes are slightly charred, about 4 minutes. Serve with chicken.

Definitely let me know if you like it!

Keep it Beautiful.

Wednesday Yummies: Chocolate Chunk...Yum!

Hey everyone,

Happy Hump Day! Need a mid-week treat? I've got it for you. My little guy and I whipped up these Chocolate Chunk cookies yesterday and me-oh-my, they are delish!

 

WARNING: THESE ARE NOT LOW FAT! THESE ARE NOT GLUTEN FREE! THESE ARE NOT SUGAR OR BUTTER FREE! THESE ARE ALL FAT, ALL DELISH, ALL TREATS AND ALL SO GOOD!

 

Sometimes, a good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie is just what you need! I found this recipe in Curtis Stone's cookbook "What's for Dinner?". I've shared one of his recipes before here. It's a fabuloso cookbook.

 

Here's the love...

via

What You Need:



2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 large eggs

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), very coarsely chopped into chunks

2 cups pecan halves, toasted

What You Do:
1. Position racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two large (18x13x1-inch) heavy rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

 

2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking soda together.

3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes, or until creamy. One at a time, add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture just until combined. Add the chocolate chunks and pecans and mix just until the pecans break up a bit.

**So, I may have dropped half the shell of one egg into the bowl at which time the mixer whipped it up into tiny bits. Oopsie. I'm pretty sure I fished out most of it but a little shell never hurt anyone right?! Oh, and I didn't add the pecans because I didn't have any in the house but they would be oh-so-amazing in there!**

 

4. Using about 1/3 cup dough for each cookie, drop the dough, spacing it evenly and placing only 6 cookies on each sheet, onto the prepared baking sheets. These cookies will spread, so don’t place them too close together. (The shaped cookies can be frozen until firm, then stored in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Bake the frozen cookies without thawing, but allow a few additional minutes of baking time.)

5. Bake the cookies, switching the positions of the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, for about 13 minutes (*I baked mine for 11 mins), or until the edges and tops are golden brown but the centers are still soft and moist. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to wire racks. Repeat with the remaining dough, being sure that the baking sheets are completely cooled before adding the dough. Serve the cookies warm.

Yup, they're amazing and half of them were gone after dinner. Likely due to the fact that they are oh so unhealthy but oh so healthy for the soul and warms my heart to see my kiddies dunk them with delight in a glass of milk. Try them!

Keep it Beautiful.

Wednesday Yummies: Chinese New Year Delish

Hi guys,

Remember last week when I posted the Chinese New Year Menu that I was going to make?
Well, last Friday, we had some friends over, cracked open the wine, turned up the heat on the stove and cooked up a Blue Dragon feast. And as promised, here it is...

Click on titles of the dish for most of the recipes, otherwise see instructions below the photos.
Vietnamese Summer Rolls

frying up those veggies for General Tao's...

General Tao's Chicken
This was a yummy dish but not spicy like I expected it to be. Although a little hot sauce added to the mix kicked it up!

Cooking instructions: 1. Dip 350g chicken strips in 1 beaten egg and then toss in the corn starch. 2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok and pan fry the chicken pieces. 3. Stir fry your veggies and once cooked add the chicken back in. 4. Add sauce and simmer for 1 min.

Thai Red Curry Pork
Ummm...this was our favourite. All the deliciousness of the coconut milk was oh-so-fabulous.

Chinese Chicken Curry
So this tasted more like an Indian dish to us around the table. I still liked the Thai Red Curry the best but this was Mr. Fix-It's fav.

Our Chinese New Year feast was really delicious. It was fun to try new recipes and enjoy the flavours of Blue Dragon. I noticed that there was a big selection of Blue Dragon products at my local Superstore/Loblaws. The sauces are great to have in the cupboard for a quick and delish weeknight meal or grab a bunch of them, spring roll wrappers, some coconut milk and have a Chinese New Year feast this Friday with your friends.

Here are a few cool facts that I didn't know about Chinese New Year:

• 2014 is the year of the horse.
• Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in horse years are cheerful, skillful with money, perceptive, witty, talented and good with their hands.
• At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck.

Happy Year of the Horse my friends!

Keep it Beautiful.





“Disclosure: I am part of the Blue Dragon Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”