Brine Pickles

Several years ago I tried to make dill pickles. I used the hot pack method. They always came out mushy and not very flavorful. This year I chose the old tried and true method of brining. I got some pickle sized cukes at walmart and some baby dill. Dill isn't quite in season yet. I started the brine about 6 weeks ago, skimming off the scum every few days. I ket them in a cool dark place. I didn't want the temp to get over 70 degrees.

They were a success. They are firm and not mushy. The dill flavor is lacking so Ill add more next time. The crushed red pepper brings some heat, but I think it is too much for the boys.

They are good but I think I can do better. Once this batch is eaten I will start a new batch.

Enjoy

Food and Time

For breakfast you have breakfast food, for lunch, lunch food and for dinner, dinner food. HOG WASH. Food knows no time. It cares not what the clock says. I believe you can eat any food any time of day. I eat whatever I want when I want. It maybe stuffed jalapenos for breakfast or an omelet for dinner.

When it comes to enjoying food, don't limit your self by the clock. Eat whatever you want whenever you wan't. And

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FOOD!!!

Accidental Mashed Potatoes

A few days ago I was cooking beef filets. I planned on serving them with buttered potatoes and buttered corn. I was trying so hard to get the filets perfect, that I kind of forgot the potatoes. They boiled away un disturbed. When I strained them in the collander, they were very tender. Too tender as a matter of fact. I was kind of cook on the fly anyway so not to be bothered I thru in some butter and milk and got out the mixer. I yelled to the boys in the living room, "we are having mashed potatoes." The boys didn't seem affected at all.

Experimental Gardening

My neighbor told me that if you have potatoes that have eyes popping out all you have to do is lay them in the garden and cover them with straw. He swares they will grow. So we have a 12 pack bet. I put 6 of them out in the garden yesterday. We will see.

Canned Potatoes

My pressure canning experiment was a success. I was happy to see that. The canned potatoes came out with a mild salty flavor and were fork tender. They would be great for easy mashed potatoes or potato salad. I think I am going do do more canning as summers comes along.

Pressure Canning

Over the years Rob and I have canned a lot of salsa and sauce. We tried chili once but that didn't work out well. Our process was basically hot jars, hot lids and hot salsa. We would fill them and put on the lids and rings and then listen to them pop as they sealed. So now I am trying new processes. A lot of people I know can with a hot water bath method. But the water will never get over 212 degrees F. With a pressure cooker or canner you can get temps around 240 degrees F. That will kill most nasty things that can ruin you canned ingredients.

So I bought me an 8 quart pressure cooker. I bought it for cooking, because you can do beef stew in 30 minutes. Today I experimented with pressure canning. I put a rack in my cooker with several inches of water. My product was just a quart jar of raw potatoes and salt. Once the lid was sealed and the fire on I waited for the safety valve to pop up and then let it vent steam freely for 10 minutes, then I installed the 15 psi weight. Once the weight started gently rocking I let it cook for 30 minutes.

At 30 minutes I turned off the heat and let the steam vent off until the safety valve fell back down. I took out the quart of potatoes and let it cool. I just now heard the pop of the lid being sealed. This is the first time I have ever pressure canned anything, so I did it outside on my turkey cooker burner. Because of the wind I had to constantly adjust the heat to keep the weight rocking.

Tmorrow I will open the jar and see how it is. Hopefully good. So far it is and successful experiment.

Enjoy.

Cherries Jubilee

I don't eat sweets, no candy, cakes, pies etc. Because of that I never made desserts. In my quest for more knowledge about food and cooking, I have started making desserts. The last was a simple cherries jubilee. The whole family loved it. And no I didn't eat any. It was a simple recipe, the best part was the brandy flambe'.