Awesome Refrigerator Cucumber Relish

Sometimes while I'm laying in bed trying to get to sleep I have thoughts about things to put on my blog running through my head... do you do that?

Well, this is one of those posts that is a result of all of that tossing and turning one night.  It's a recipe I got from a friend at least twenty years ago. But I had to share it because it's sooo good that I know you will love it. You won't believe how easy this one is. Oh, and did I mention DELICIOUS!

You can freeze this in portion containers for months and it will be as crisp as the day you made it. It's unbelievable. If you like relishes and pickles you will love this. 

Awesome Refrigerator Cucumber Relish
From Paulie in Vista, CA

Ingredients:

For the sauce
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 c. vinegar

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil and allow it to cool.

For the vegetables

In another large bowl, mix:

6 c. sliced, peel cucumbers
1 c. green &/or red peppers, thinly sliced
2 c. yellow onion, halved and sliced
1 c. celery, sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 c. carrots, thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt

Allow vegetable mix to blend for at least 1/2 hour. Mix vegetables with vinegar mixture. Refrigerate at least one day to allow flavors to blend. This will keep in the refrigerator up to one month. May be frozen and will stay crisp even after being frozen. Or, you might want to can this in a water bath following manufacturer's directions. I like to package this in small plastic containers and freeze for those months when cucumbers are pretty pricey!

I would love to hear your thoughts once you try this, so leave me a comment and let me know.

Bon Appetit!

Chicken Cutlets

We eat a lot of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in our house. I used them in curries,  white chili, stir fries, and more. I buy so MANY pounds when they are on sale, vacuum seal and freeze them, and then use them in so many recipes. They are VERY economical and there's virtually no waste.

But one of our favorites is simply chicken cutlets with a bit of pasta on the side. My mom showed me this trick to making the perfect chicken cutlet. Up until then I was pounding the hell out of the chicken breasts. But there's no need to. My sister calls these scallopine style.

I simply place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and thinly cut each breast half horizontally until I have about four or five thin slices... I promise there's absolutely no need to pound these - save your energy for the eating part!!

Here's a few pictures of how this chicken breast became ten pieces of chicken cutlets.

Right out of the package...

cut in half and trimmed of fat...

Then, create thin slices cut horizontally by holding your left hand over the cutlet and slicing through carefully below the palm of your hand.

to get these wonderful thin slices. Just continue until you have several cutlets

here's the lineup...cut them into strips and you have chicken tenders...

I dip them in flour, then a slightly beaten egg (or two) with 2 T. of water, and then into seasoned bread crumbs that I added about a 1/8 cup of grated parmesan cheese...

then, a quick dip into the olive or canola oil spa that I brought to medium heat.. I never said I was a neat cook, did I? But then again, black granite shows everything.. look at that mess!

They cook really fast.. so don't turn your back! Turn once they are golden on the first side...

Here's the first batch...

And believe it or not, there are ten wonderful cutlets from one pound of chicken breasts. You could also do this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.

This is one of our favorites.. and often it's the basis for chicken parmagiana or some other creation of mine! Stay tuned as I'll share a few recipes of how I take chicken cutlets up a few notches.

Try cutlets this way... the possibilities are endless and I think you will really like them! They are easy-peasy!
Enjoy.