Easy Peasy Refrigerator Pickles – By Request

Raise your hand if you fear you could polish off an entire jar of bread and butter pickles in one sitting {insert pic of me raising my hand here}. Unfortunately, if you are allergic to allium (onion & garlic family), you can’t just run to the store and buy a jar of pickles. I’ve not jumped into the art of canning (yet)…but I did find some easy sweet pickle recipes I adapted for my household. I’ve had a couple of requests to share the recipe, so here it is!

Easy Peasy Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sea salt (you could use regular iodized if you like, or pickling salt)

2 cups sugar (I used white, but have heard you can use brown)

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Cucumbers: in this case I used about 3 English cucumbers, sliced, for 2-1 qt. jars – just use the amount that will fill your container(s)

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine first 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, let cook for 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, slice cucumbers and pack (somewhat loosely) in 2 1-qt. canning jars. Pour hot liquid over the cucumbers in the jars. Twist on the lids and refrigerate. 24 hours later, voila…bread and butter pickles! Keep refrigerated {for as long as they’ll last – which in my house is not long!}

Notes: (1) If you are not allergic to onions and garlic, you could add some sliced onion & peeled garlic cloves to your cucumbers. (2) The cucumbers will shrink – resulting in what looks like a “half” jar of pickles. As an alternative you could try refrigerating for 24 hours in a covered container and transferring to a jar/jars later. (3) These are great! However, spicy mama that I am, I feel like they could be even better with a little ‘sumpin-sumpin’. I have been researching pickling spice and working on my own recipe for that. If I decide it’s better with it, I’ll post a revised recipe later :)

Thanks for visiting...have a Beautiful day {especially if it gets a little Crazy}!

Lemon Supreme Cupcakes

Cupcakes! I’ve been a little obsessed with cupcakes lately.  Cooking seems to be more “my thing” than the precise process of baking, but for some reason I’ve been obsessing about baking little cute & tasty things {maybe I’ve just watched too many episodes of Cupcake Wars}.  I’ve thought about cute frosted cookies, but my kitchen’s a little short on rolling & cutting space.  Soooo,  for my husband’s Birthday Dinner I decided to whip up a cupcake inspired by our favorite pie at Village Inn…

Yup, that’s the one…Lemon Supreme.  Cream cheese layer topped with a tangy lemon filling on a shortbread crust, ahhhh.   I luh-uh-uhv lemon desserts {as long as there’s enough tartness to the lemon – I’m the girl who adds extra lemon to the lemonade}.  I even converted the hubby years ago, and he was pretty much an order-whatever-has-chocolate-and/or-Oreos-in-it kind of guy!  So, I decided on a lemon cupcake, with a little lemon curd filling {I bought a jar} and vanilla cream cheese frosting on top.  These were a definite HIT…Brad says I nailed the taste of the pie!

Lemon Supreme Cupcakes
 

(Printable Recipe Here)
Baking Time: 17 minutes          Servings: 24-30

Ingredients:
 
Lemon  Cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon zest, freshly grated
1 cup milk
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Filling
1-10 ounce jar lemon curd {or make your own!}

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-16 ounce box confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste*
(*or use 2 tsp of one or the other)
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (350 if using dark pans).  Line 30** cupcake pan cups with paper liners.
   
2. Sift flour, baking powder & salt together in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl (or stand mixer) beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each one. Mix in vanilla extract and lemon zest.
   
3. Alternately add flour mixture and liquid ingredients (milk & lemon juice) to butter mixture, beating on low just until combined.
   
4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full. Bake for 17 minutes, or until a toothpick/cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to racks to finish cooling.
   
5. Use a paring knife to cut 1-inch "X's" in the middle of each cupcake. Fill each with approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon curd.
   
6. To make frosting, beat all ingredients with electric mixer until creamy. Frost filled cupcakes.

**My first batch made 26 cupcakes. This will vary based on how full you fill your liners. Also, I use aluminum-free baking powder, which tends to form bubbles in any batters containing acid (like lemon), which changes the volume of your batter.

Note on filling (I'm no expert): I used a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip to fill the cupcakes. You could also use a plastic squeeze bottle with a nozzle.

Refrigerate leftovers (due to frosting). Enjoy!!

Have a Beautiful Day {especially if it gets a little Crazy}!
 

Oh Yeah, These Are Good! - Cookie Recipe

The last time I wanted to make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, I was lazy and didn't want to look up a recipe. So I thought I would just take my usual Chocolate Chip recipe and substitute oatmeal for some of the flour, and peanut butter for some of the butter. Well, they were okay...but they were dense, crumbly little boogers. When my daughter wanted me to make cookies today I suggested we try again (besides, adding oatmeal makes it health food, right? ha ha). This time I looked up some recipes and adapted them into this...

"Better This Time" Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 1/2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. peanut butter (I used natural - just peanuts & salt)
• 2 large eggs
• 3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Pulse 1 cup of the oats in a food processor (or blender) until as fine as you want (I like about the size of wheat germ). In a bowl stir together ground oats, remaining 1/2 cup whole oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt - set aside.

In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in vanilla and peanut butter. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and stir just until combined. (At this point you can chill the dough, but I didn't at first, just chilled it between oven batches).

I used a large scoop (about 3 Tbs.) to make the cookies (6 to a sheet). Flatten balls slightly with moistened fingers or bottom of glass.

Bake cookies for 15 minutes, or until just barely golden. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; transfer to racks to cool completely.

This made 30 large (3-3 1/2-inch diameter) cookies.

Have a beautiful cookie (and a beautiful day)!

Cheesy Italian Goodness & What Happened to What If? Wednesday?

I had read the weather forecast and knew a barometric pressure change was coming, so Mr. Migraine really didn't need to come visit me in the middle of the night to fill me in...but he did.  So, no What If? Wednesday today, but I thought I would share a yummy recipe before I head back to my dark bedroom. (I'll post a Revolutions update tomorrow or Friday).

Sorry, I didn't take a picture last night before we devoured half of it for Brad's birthday dinner.  Yes, this is a potentially decadent & fattening dish - but you can use the lowest-fat versions of the ingredients you like to cut down on the fat grams & calories (I used low-fat cheeses, light sour cream & skim milk).

3-Cheese Italian Pasta

8 ounces pasta
     (we used elbow macaroni, cuz that's what we had)
12 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces sour cream
2 1/2 - 3 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
     (I recommend not from a can)
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
     (just use your favorite - ours is store brand that has oregano,
      marjoram, thyme, rosemary & sage)
1/2 cup of milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente (don't forget to salt your water - we actually salt & pepper it - this gives your pasta better flavor!).

While pasta is cooking...in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, stir together the ricotta cheese, sour cream, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.  Drain your pasta and stir it into your cheese mixture.  Stir in 1/2 cup of milk.  Even out the mixture and top with 1/2 to 1 cup additional mozzarella cheese.  Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until all of the cheese is melted and bubbly!  Serves 6 - 8 (depending on whether you eat it as a main dish or side dish).

Next time I make this I may add some veggies.  I think red bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots & zucchini might be good!

Enjoy & have a beautiful day!