PICKLES .... Anyone????

I am super excited about canning my first pickles. I made up 4 jars, but we kinda of already started eating one before I got the picture:) These are Bread and Butter pickles from the Complete book of Home Preserving Book recipe. Here is the recipe:
BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
10 cups sliced trimmed pickling cucumbers
4 medium onions, thinly sliced(I only used 2)
1/2 cup pickling or canning salt
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric

1. In a bowl combine cucumbers, onions, and salt. Mix well, cover with cold water and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours. Transfer to a colander placed over a sink, rinse with cool running water and drain thoroughly.

2. Meanwhile prepare canner, jars, and lids.

3. In a large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Stir in vegetables and return to boil.

4. Pack vegetables into hot jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid into jar to cover vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch head-space. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

5. Place jars in canner, insuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Since I use pint jars I also added 1/8 tsp of pickle crisp to each jar, because we like crispier pickles. Have you canned anything so far this season??

New recipe, trying asparagus! "kitchen diva's lemon chicken with asparagus"

We tried this recipe for lunch today and I have to say it was absolutely delicious. Believe it or not I have never tried asparagus before and neither have the children, and we loved it, in this recipe. Here it is

The Kitchen Diva’s Lemon Chicken with Asparagus

4 (4-oz each) skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (You can also use 4 (4-oz) skinless fish fillets instead of chicken in this recipe.)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 red bell pepper, stem removed, seeded, and diced

1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock or water

2 cups cooked brown rice or whole wheat couscous



Directions

Rinse the chicken under cold water. Pat the pieces dry with food-safe paper towels. Season the chicken with the poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.



In a large, non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet. Cook the chicken about 5 minutes. If you are using fish, adjust the cooking time to 3 to 4 minutes per side. Turn the pieces over and cook for another 5 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in the garlic and the red pepper. Add the asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the zest and the chicken stock or water and turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately over hot rice or couscous.

Thursday October 11, 2007

We have been really busy today!! Haley had dance Bryson had soccer practice. Of course we had school as well. I bought the book by Jennifer Seinfeld "Deceptively Delicious". I am getting really nervous about the upcoming doctor's visit. Tomorrow I have a lot of cleaning to do. I would love to get Bryson's closet cleaned out and finish up all the laundry.