And so it begins!

Grandma Marge’s Pickles

A very kind friend of mine recently gave me a whole bag of pickling cucumbers. I was so thrilled, but clueless, so I put in an immediate call to my mother, who put in a call to her mother and a recipe was produced!

The whole process of making pickles can take you deep into the night, unless you do a little planning ahead.

Grandma Marge’s Pickles

Pickling Cucumbers, 3-4 inches long or less, they should be darker green, with plenty of warts still on them.

2 c. Sugar

2 c. Water

6 c. Vinegar distilled white, with 5% acidity

1/2 c. Salt

1 Bunch of Dill

Red Pepper Flakes

1-2 cloves of garlic for each jar

* This should be enough for about 6 pints*

First of all, you want to scrub down all your pickling cucumbers, get off all the dirt and toss them in some ice water. I literally filled bowls with water and ice cubes, and put them in the fridge for 2-3 hours. The ice bath is supposed to make the final product crunchy, and I wanted those babies crunchy.

Next you want to sanitize your jars. I put mine in the dishwasher since I do not believe in washing dishes if at all possible, just ask my husband.

Then you can start peeling your garlic, I got a bit carried away. I am going to reek of garlic until the Rapture! Oh boy.

Once your jars are sanitized you can start getting them ready for the brine. First put in a sprig or two of dill and garlic in the bottom, then start packing in your pickles as tightly as possible. If your pickles are bigger, you can cut them into spears, the rest you can keep whole. Do not pack the pickles any higher than 1/4- 1/2 inch from the top.

Bring to a boil the sugar, salt, water, and vinegar.

Make sure your salt says this:

Next soften your lids, you want them at your reach in a bowl or pie plate filled with boiling hot water so the seal is soft when you place them on the jar.

Once your brine is boiling you can start ladling it into your prepared jars. Do not fill higher than 1/4-1/2 inch from the top, but make sure all the pickles are submerged. Quickly wipe down the lids, and the rims of any drips and screw the lids on tightly. Be careful not to bump or move the jars, as you want the jars to seal.

Happy Pickling!

This dog did no pickling, he just laid out all day getting his tan. What a bum!

* One small caveat: I have not actually tasted these pickles, and I am actually not even sure if my jars sealed properly. But, Grandma Marge seems to have a pretty good handle on the kitchen and it’s practices… so you’re probably safe! :)*

One last thing, I have a jar of pickles for anyone who can tell me why Iodine is a necessary nutrient! Woo hoo!

Stepher's dad

Before our children learned how to talk, I could see that they had a sense of what was fair and what was not fair, except for Stephanie. She was pretty good with about anything that might happen as long as her mom and dad were nearby. But our older two children heard, "It's part of life" or "Life is not fair" in response to whatever commentary they might express about the current events in their life.
A few weeks back we went to a Vikings exhibition game where at the entrance gate, a security officer (a middle eastern lady in a burqa) examined us for whatever terrorist weaponry we might be bringing into the stadium. Of course the stadium had to give this lady an equal opportunity to be hired for this job. And of course this lady was not allowed to profile the people coming into the stadium--this is America. Which is good. But it's ironic. And not fair.
At the crucifixion, Pilate found himself in a most unfair situation. He really truly didn't care about this little man that the Jewish leaders insisted that he examine and then pass judgment on. The man was clearly not dangerous, or political or even crazy. Pilate tried to reason with these people and tried to give them time to rethink their mobbishness. Finally he shrugged his shoulders, washed his hands and as his own little ironical jab (at these people who suddenly decided on their loyalty to Rome so as to get their nasty way against this Man declared, "We have no king but Ceasar) had a description of this man's crime posted as, "Jesus, King of the Jews" What a joke! This wretched unlucky man was the real king of this wretched people. They might claim Caesar as their king, but Caesar was way too good for them.
The ironies are almost infinite. The unfairness of it was so great that our sins which were of the most heinous unmitigated sort were totally forgiven because of this most unholy of sacrifices--presided over by the pagan Pilate.
As we read in Hebrews 11:3, "Consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself."

To decorate, or not to decorate: that is the question!

 

The other day as I was walking through Wal-Mart (I promise I don’t usually shop there! I needed an oil change, give me a break!) I found this wonderful candle, caramel apple flavored and only 5 bucks! It smells heavenly… and it is getting me in the mood for fall! (as is this leaf I sneaked from my neighbors yard)

 

Fall is my favorite season, with the pumpkin spice lattes, fall leaves, smells in the air (is that just rotting leaves?), the sweaters, and in general the pumpkin flavored everything. It’s quite possible I like fall just for the food, and maybe my brown suede boots that I can finally wear again.

But, as much as I love fall, and decorating for fall, as a Minnesotan I feel that it is less than wise to rush summer. Who knows if we will ever see it again! Those 9 month winters get awfully dangerous.

So as I ponder this oh so important question, I will let this box of decorations stare up at me woefully.

Have any of you decorated yet?

Supper, or should I say dinner?

My mom cued me into this article she found in the Food Network magazine recently, and I am obsessed! This makes suppertime so easy and it is delicious to boot! Another thing I love is that you get a ton of veggies in it, and if you make it with some brown rice it is oh so healthy! I have made it a couple of times, and each time it is different. Don’t forget to spice it up!

 

  I know this is really hard to read, feel free to email me for a better copy!

 

Enjoy!

Inspiration Folder

I keep a folder on my desktop labeled 'inspiration", dorky I know. But whenever I start to tackle decorating another room in our house, I check this out. I can't seem to remember where I found this picture, but I would love my entryway to look like this, if only I had a radiator! :) But the mirror especially with the hooks and the pictures is gorgeous, so I am keeping my eye out at thrift stores and garage sales for something like this either for above the bed in one of my guest rooms, or our entryway. I also found this picture a while ago, which I love, on Centsational Girl, and I think it would be simple to pull off as long as you find the right bed frame!

Birthday!!

Check out that cake! My Dad, for the first time in his life, decided to try his hand at baking and decorating a cake. He is kind of a genius, I bet he could get his own TV show! :)
I have some pretty adorable nephews trying to get in on the action too!