Koolicks (Koolaid Pickles)

So I tried something this summer and a friend just asked for the recipe.  Sadly, I can't find any pictures but I'm sure you can google it and see hundreds of them.  This is my recipe for making these, which used less sugar than most of the recipes I've seen.

Koolicks

• 2 Quart sized jars of Dill Pickles (I used my refrigerator half sours with added dill.)
• 1 pkg of Koolaid (I used Black Cherry for the color)
• 2/3 Cup Sugar

1.  Drain the Brine from the pickle jars into a large bowl.
2. Add Koolaid packet and sugar to the bowl and stir until sugar and mix is dissolved
3. Pour back into jars, filling to the brim
4. reseal jars and place in the refrigerator for at least one week, two is better.

Results:

 Both jars were consumed within a day of opening, One at a party, and one as a gift to a Monsignor friend (hence the color choice). I thought it was a nice balance of sweet and salty.  I have NOT tried this will commercial pickles, so your mileage may vary.  Let me know in the comments how your koolicks turn out.
 

Dill Pickles #1

By request, I'm putting up my current dill pickle recipe. I'll be upfront and say this recipe probably still needs some tweeks. Last time I made them they got a "pretty good" rating. To be fair, they were matched against my spicy B &B pickles, which are my favorite. Generally if I'm making dill pickles I like the fresh variety and use my Half-Sours with some dill added in, but those aren't the dill pickles people think of when they buy a jar at the mega mart. Further the higher vinegar ratio of this recipe allows it to stay preserved longer.
So here's what we have so far.

Dill Pickles #1

• ~10 pickling cucumbers, sliced into spears or chips
• 4 Cups white vinegar
• 4 Cups water
• 3/4 Cups sugar
• 1/2 Cup pickling salt
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 tsp pickling spices
• bay leaves
• garlic cloves
• dills
• mustard seed
• Pickle Crisp

The Process

1. Bring boiling water canner to a boil and sterilize 5-6 pint jars.
2. In a separate pot, bring vinegar, water, sugar, salt, pepper flakes, and pickling spice to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes to dissolve sugar and salt and pull flavor from the pepper and spices
3. One at a time, remove the jars, dump water and carefully cold pack the cucumbers in the jar along with 1 garlic clove, one bay leaf, 1/2 tsp mustard seed, 1/4 tsp of Pickle Crisp, and two sprigs of dill.
4. Pour in Brine leaving one inch of head room. Wipe, seal, and return to boiling water.
5. Process these jars for 15 minutes following standard water bath canning methods.

Pickles are ready to eat after two weeks, but achieve full flavor after a month. Home canned goods like this are good for about two years.

The Results

Like I said above, these were good. I don't know how I'm going to change them yet. The red pepper was too weak to really taste over the vinegar and salt, so I may increase that in the future, or else drop it entirely. I also think for ease you can switch the garlic cloves for 1/2 tsp of minced, I bet it would do just as well.

Refridgerator Half-Sour Pickles

One of the easiest ways to preserve food is to Pickle it.  Through this process we push off bacteria by making the food unattractive to the food beasties. Conveniently, because we are omnivores, sometimes what the little bugs don't like, we find delicious.  This is where my Fridge Pickles come in.

Ingrediants

• 3-4 Pickling Cucumbers, sliced lengthwise and trimmed to be no taller than than jar openning (usually about 5 inches)
• Quarter of a large onion, cut into onion slivers
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 4 tsp salt
• 1/2 Cup white vinegar
• 1 1/2 Cups water

The Process

1. Clean and sterilize (you can use the dish washer for that) a quart sized, swing top jar. [You can also use a regular canning jar, but I like the swing top for this, as we aren't really canning this and I don't want to give the impression of shelf stable food.]
2. Pack the cucumbers and onion slices into the jar.  A tight pack will help keep the cucumbers from floating to the top. Add the minced garlic on top.
3. In a small sauce pan, heat the water, vinegar and salt until salt is disolved and the liquid just comes to a simmer.
4. Pour hot brine into jar, filling to the top as much as possible.
5. Close jar, and seal.  let this cool on the counter until room temperature and then move to the refridgerator. 
6. Enjoy pickles anytime from one week to four weeks.

Result:

This is the recipe I use now.  You can alo add dill if you so chose, or use a flavored vinegar.  I like it simple and straight forward.  I've also added Koolaid to this later on, but that a different post.

Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles #3

I've tried several Bread and Butter pickle recipes over the last few years since I started growing cucumbers. After the first few rounds, I decided that spicy red pepper flakes added a nice bite to these and complimented the sweetness. So this is my final Spicy Bread and Butter recipe. There's no reason to make a non-spicy version.

Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles #3

• 10 Cups of sliced cucumbers (i used about 8 cucumbers, but this will vary with type)
• 1 large sweet onion - diced or sliced, depending on if you like to eat the onions)
• 1/2 Cup pickling salt
• 3 Cups white vinegar
• 2 Cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp whole Mustard Seeds
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• An additional 2 - 3 tsp of red pepper flakes
• Pickle Crisp

Combine the sliced cucumber and onion in a large bowl. Separately dissolve salt in two cups of warm water. Pour salt water over cucumber and onion mixture. Add additional water (cold is fine) until mixture is covered. Set aside for 2.5 hours. [This wait time is important. We are using the brine to move salt into the vegetables. This is the only salt in these pickles, and if you cut this time short you'll notice the the lack of taste.]
After the soak in the brine, pour out liquid, rinse and drain cucumber onion mixture. Set aside.
In a large pot (i used an 8 Qt) pot combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, and the teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Bring this to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved into the vinegar. Once this is mixed together, add cucumbers and onions. Simmer for ten minutes.
The pickles are now done. This recipe makes 5 pint jars that can be canned in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Any pickles that don't fit, I usually put in a Tupperware container in the fridge and eat.

The Outcome:

1. Great, a real crowd pleaser.
2. I recommend you let them sit three days in the fridge or two weeks in the jars before consuming to maximize taste.

Flank Steak with Quick Pickles

Tried a new recipe today. Found it in Southern Living. Had to make a few modifications, but overall it turned out great. The best part was actually the Quick Pickles. Only take 30 minutes (but I'd give them an hour) and add awesome flavor.

Quick Pickles:

Here's how I made them.

• 4 Cups fresh thin slices cucumbers (I used pickling cukes from the garden)
• 1/2 cup slice yellow sweet onion
• 1/2 Cup white vinegar
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp minced garlic (I used jarred)
• 1 tsp salt

Place the cukes and onions in large bowl. Bring vinegar, sugar, garlic, and salt to a boil in a small pot until everything is dissolved. Pour over cukes and onions and let sit for at least 30 minutes. I tossed them once every ten minutes or so.
Flank Steak

• 2 lb Flank Steak
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

This is simple. My grill was out of commission as I'm resurfacing the deck. So let flank steak come to room temperature. Brush both sides with a thin layer of olive oil and salt and pepper (I go more liberal with this). Let sit for at least 15 minutes for the salt and pepper to penetrate.
In the broiler, with the rack set 7-8 inches below the heat, I cook the flank steak 5 minutes a side, and then one more minute on the original side. Remove and cover with aluminum foil. Let sit for 10 minutes before carving (very important, or you'll lose juices and get a tougher bite).

Remember: always cut with the grain into chunks, then across the grain for slices. Again this will help avoid tough pieces of meat. If done right it will present well and be very savory.
Steak Sauce #1

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp minces garlic (I used jarred)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (i use low sodium, but choice is yours)
• 1/4 water
• 1/4 Cup brown sugar
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 tsp cornstarch + 2 Tsbp water

Saute the garlic in the sesame oil for about a minute. Avoid burning the garlic or over heating the oil by watching your heat. I used just below medium on my stove. Add the Soy sauce, water, brown sugar and lemon juice and simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Finally make a rue with the corn starch and water (mix them together until they form a cloudy liquid with no hard particles, and add it to the pot. Stir and simmer and an additional minute. This should thicken it up a bit.

The Outcome:

1. Steak tasted great, cooked perfectly and not chewy, which was a concern of mine
2. Pickles were okay. I think they need some more seasoning. If you've got some ideas, please post a comment.
3. I didn't drain pickles before plating, and that was a big mistake. The steak sauce was downed by the brine, except the stuff that sat on top of the steak.