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!

Got Beef??

I like to think of my time in the kitchen as a "Time Management" project. Since the time when my sons were tiny, and being a single working mom attending college at night, my time was precious. So I improvised many kitchen activities to the best of my abilities and I learned how to maximize my time in the kitchen.

Span back to 1980 when I purchased two cookbooks that changed my life... They might not still be in print, but they are my 'go-to' bibles (it's worth checking into Amazon to see if you can find them).

The first is "Make a Mix Cookery" and the second bible is "More Make a Mix Cookery".. both written by three very talented ladies.. Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward and Madeline Westover - three terrific troopers in planning meals, saving time and money. The basic premise these ladies put down on paper isn't anything mystical... but rather quite simple and very smart.. cook once, store/freeze it and eat it several times. Here's an example...

Let's take a basic ground beef mixture, for example... Your local grocer has 85% lean ground beef on sale this week for $1.85 a pound. Grab it -- grab 5 or 10lbs if your budget allows!! And then try this mixture...

5 lbs. ground beef
3-4 medium onions, chopped
5 T. chopped garlic
1 T. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 T. worcestershire sauce
1 T. olive oil

In a very large skillet or Dutch oven.. warm olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook until golden. Add ground beef, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder, worcestershire sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Allow to cool. I then pack the cooked meat into serving sizes. I allow approximately one pound for each meal I'm planning. I'm an advocate of freezing these portions using my sealing machine.

In our home, this meat mixture is the basis for many meals during the month, such as.....

Stuffed Peppers
Shepherd's (Cottage) Pie
Tamale Pie
Beef Tacos
Sloppy Joes
Bolognese Sauce
Chili

What a time saver. It's all quite simple.. defrost, and then create another terrific meal by adding a few simple ingredients. And remember that defrosting plastic containers in a microwave is a definite 'no-no'.. due to the carcinogens that plastics create when warmed. To make defrosting safe, just let the plastic container sit in the refrigerator overnight.. or if pressed for time, place in lukewarm water until you can pop it out into a saucepan or skillet to warm it up.

Butt-Kicking Green Chili with Pork

I know a lot of people really insist on specific measurements for recipes, but I'm always trying something new. Yep, I've had a few bombs along the way.... I admit it.

While using specific ingredients and measurements in baking is imperative, casseroles and one-dish items lend themselves to experiments.

This once was an experiment in my kitchen but has now become a favorite. If you follow along I promise you will get a general sense of what works best for you and your family's taste.. the result is a wonderful concoction of green pork chili.

To begin, saute one medium onion chopped and 1 T. minced garlic in 2 T. olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

I added 1 1/2 lbs. of cubed pork and seasoned with salt and coarsely ground pepper, to taste. Once the pork was lightly browned, I added Ro-tel tomatoes, green chilies, green chili sauce(salsa verde), a can of diced jalapenos (this is butt-kicking hot.. but we like it that way... use less, or omit, depending on your taste) three bay leaves and two cans of white northern beans (liquid drained).

For an authentic chili taste, and to add a smoky taste, I add a packet of Goya Sazon seasoning mix. The combination of spices in this little packet is great in so many Southwest and Mexican dishes such as Machaca, chili and Spanish rice.

Cover the pot and allow the mixture to simmer over very low heat about two hours. This ensures that the flavors really blend and the pork is fork tender.

If you are in the mood for some power cooking, make a large batch of this and freeze some. It's perfect comfort food for a chilly night (no pun intended). You could also allow this to cook in a crock pot on low heat for at least eight hours.

To defrost, place the container in a sink of warm water. Don't microwave in plastic containers!

I would love to hear from you if you get to try this dish.. and would love to hear how you conjured up your own variation.

Bon Appetit!!

Wow.... .Homemade Mozzarella

Hi everyone.. welcome to my cooking blog. Today I had the great opportunity to go to a demonstration on making homemade Mozzarella cheese. I can't even begin to describe the creamy taste homemade mozzarella has compared to what we can buy in the store. Once I'm able to buy curds at my local market (they have them on order), I'm going to try it out. If it works like it should, I promise to do a tutorial here.

Upcoming.. Cream puff tutorial during the week of June 15th.. so stay tuned, and check back often.