Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Once you make your own dill pickles, you'll wonder why you ever bought them at the grocery store!

 

My pickles!

What wasn't to like about Aunt Bee from The Andy Griffith Show?  Remember her, and the "Pickle Story" episode from way back in the early 60’s?   (Most of you probably weren't even born then!)

Baked Salmon with Robust Creamy Blue Cheese Sauce

Salmon fishing in Oregon

Kind of funny, Bubba (the seafood lover) reminds me now and then of how, when he and Matt were growing up, I used to never like fish or any seafood except for tuna and salmon, the 2 he didn't like at all back then and still doesn't.  And of course those were the only ones I served back then, pleasing Matt.

These days, I like fish and some seafood, serving it most weeks here, with Bill tolerating salmon.
 
That's when I pep up salmon for Bill and I at dinner time, turning to this piquant sauce uniting blue cheese, cucumber and dill for the salmon.  It's a perfect combo!

There's nothing bland about this little sauce which you can whip up in no time.  In my book, piquant blue cheese always puts pizzazz in a dish!

As salmon is readily available, versatile and simply delicious, the quick prep time of this recipe and its short list of ingredients, makes it an even better dish ~ perfect for a weeknight meal or company too!

Cook this for your dinner tonight:  salmon, with a zesty sauce; a little green salad, and broccoli, maybe a glass of bubbly, and Voila!  You have yourself a great tasty dinner!

By the way, the sauce makes a great salad dressing for a wedge of iceberg lettuce.  

It will make you wonder why you ever ate kale salad, for sure!

Yield: 2-3 servingsAuthor: Pam

Baked Salmon with Creamy Blue Cheese, Cucumber and Dill Sauce

This piquant sauce will jazz up your salmon deliciously!

INGREDIENTS:

For the salmon:

• 1-1/2 pounds slab of salmon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the blue cheese, cucumber and dill sauce:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (light, if desired)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (light, if desired)
• 1/2 cup English cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• Dash of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place salmon on baking sheet, skin side down and brush with oil, season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness, and until fish flakes easily with a fork.
4. Meanwhile:
5. Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
   Makes 1-1/2 cups

Enjoy!

Zesty Grilled Salmon w/Citrus-Dill Butter

Grilling salmon is as easy as pie.

By following this recipe, and implementing the no-flip technique with your skin-on salmon, you’ll have a delicious fillet, perfectly cooked every time...

Begin with placing the salmon on a grill pan, like we do, or directly on the grill grates, after being coated with cooking spray. 

Proceed by generously slathering the salmon with the flavored butter, and cooking the fish, without flipping it, until desired degree of doneness. 

Lastly, quarter a large lemon, and grill the wedges alongside the salmon, for the perfect garnish for this fish.

Here’s a little salmon trivia:

• Salmon are popular in mythology.
• There are approximately 21,500 people in the U.S listed on white pages.com with the name Salmon.
• Grizzly bears love to feast on these fish when they are migrating upstream.

• Fish for salmon in the morning or late at night.    
• Salmon comes for the Latin word “salmo,” which means “to leap.”  They’re exceptional jumpers, an ability that serves them well when they have to swim upstream or go up rapids in order to reach rivers and streams.
• The biggest species of salmon is the Chinook, which can weigh as much as a hundred pounds.
• Salmon is nutritious and considered a health food.
• And, finally ~ I know that my father-in-law smoked the most delicious Coho salmon on earth, fresh from Lake Michigan! 

If you’re searching for an easy tasty salmon meal, with minimal clean-up, this grilled salmon recipe is for you. 

It’s simple and great for an everyday family meal, but elegant enough to wow your dinner guests at your cookout this summer!

Yield: 3-4 ServingsAuthor: Pam

Grilled Salmon with Citrus-Dill Butter

If you’re searching for an easy tasty salmon meal, with minimal clean-up, this grilled salmon recipe is for you.

prep time: 5 MINScook time: 20 MINStotal time: 25 mins

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 small lemon = ½ teaspoon zested, 1 teaspoon juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper, or to taste
• 1 pound salmon fillet, skin on
• 3 sprigs fresh dill, for garnish
• 1 large lemon, quartered, optional

METHOD:

1. Heat grill.
2. In small bowl, combine all ingredients, except last 3, mix well.
3. When ready to grill, spread butter mixture over salmon fillet.
4. Place on a rack, coated with cooking spray, on grill or on hot grill grate, skin side facing down, turning once.
5. Cook, undisturbed, for about 20 minutes, or until desired doneness.
6. Meanwhile, place lemons on grill,  cut sides down, and grill until golden, for about 5 to 7 minutes, turning once to other side.
7. Garnish with dill sprigs and grilled lemon quarters.
8. Serve with lemons on the side for squeezing.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Enjoy!

Let Us Honor Memorial Day, and Kick Start Summer with a Cucumber, Mustard and Dill Salad

Get out your white shoes, and let's celebrate the start of summer by honoring our nation's veterans!

Let us pay tribute to all veteran's who have given their lives to our nation's wars...

Gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery decorated with American flags on Memorial Day

On Monday ~ Memorial Day ~ according to the "The National Moment of Remembrance Act," passed in December, 2000, we Americans are encouraged to pause wherever we are at 3:00 p.m. local time, for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to our nation.  

It's a way we can all help put memorial back into Memorial Day.

Now for the cucumber salad...

It's super quick, super easy and, you guessed it:  super good and tasty!

You won't find a fresher-tasting salad than this simple stunner.

It's a Cool, Refreshing, Summertime Salad!


Cucumber, Mustard and Dill Salad

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large seedless cucumber, peeled
1 small white onion, sliced thin

2 tablespoons chopped dill

Method:

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and sugar. 

Add oil in a slow stream, stirring constantly.

Halve cucumber lengthwise, cut halves crosswise into ⅛"-thick slices.

Toss cucumber with onion, dill and vinaigrette.

Serves 4 
Printable recipe

Enjoy!

Here’s wishing you all

a

Safe and Happy

Memorial Day Weekend!

Garlic Dill Pickles

Grandma used to can and Mom did also, to a lesser degree ~ they were stocking their farm cellars for winter.  

Grandma’s cellar was filled with shelf after shelf of beautifully colored Mason jars filled with all sorts of fruits and veggies.  

Mom even canned beef from our own cattle after they were slaughtered, which to me was excellent; especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas when she made Mincemeat Pie. 

I just never got into canning and it’s still a mystery to me.  I always figured I would poison people if I tried it so I have no interest in canning anything.   

Then, when I came across recipes for pickles that require no canning, I knew they were meant for me.  There are countless recipes for refrigerator pickles with some heating the brine, some with more salt, more sugar, more garlic and more dill weed than this recipe contains.  So you can customize this recipe to your liking. 

These 2 jars won’t get us through the winter, but they’re perfect to enjoy right now.  They’re crisp and crunchy with just the right tang.  I cut the cucumbers, make the spicy brine to pour over them, refrigerate and wait.  They do get better; tangier as they age.  This is almost as easy as going to the grocery store and picking up a jar off the shelf!

Garlic Dill Pickles

Ingredients:

20 small pickling cucumbers

2 quarts cold water

½ cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon pickling spices

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup kosher salt (do not use iodized salt)

4 garlic cloves, divided and lightly smashed

2 sprigs fresh dill heads, divided

Method:

Wash 2 quart mason jars.

Wash cucumbers without scrubbing them.

Trim 1/8-inch from the blossom end of each cucumber and slice into halves or quarters, whatever size you want them to be.

In each quart jar, layer 1 dill sprig, 2 garlic cloves and half of the sliced cucumbers.

In a large bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until the salt and sugar are dissolved.

Pour half the brine over the cucumbers in each quart jar, making sure the cucumbers are submerged.

Place the lid on the jars and screw on the rings until tight.

Place jars in the refrigerator and allow to set for 2 days before tasting.

Crunchy delicious!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and recipes. 

He-Man Brats

“One of the delights of life is eating with friends, 

second to that is talking about eating. 

 And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, 

there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends.” 

Laurie Colwin

 

  
The above quote was surely referring to brats, a huge people friendly food.  Brats were probably born for summer time and the grill but, if its fall, that means it’s football season and brat time!

 Just try this recipe and you’ll find they are just as good, if not better, prepared inside.  It’s bratwurst with a twist because of the mild sweet Spanish onions and cabbage that are simmered in beer and flavored with spices.  They are simmered until the beer reduces, caramelizing the onions and cabbage till it turns into a delicious golden sauce. And remember, the better the beer, the better the flavor.

He-Man Brats are definitely a hit at my house and ladies, I’m betting your man will love them also.  They are not usually consumed with wine or other pretentious drinks, they are meant to be washed down with your favorite beer, as in “bratwash!”   

He-Man Brats

Ingredients:

6 bratwurst
1 large Spanish onion, sliced
1/2 small head cabbage, coarsely chopped
1 c. water
1/2 c. mustard, your favorite type
1/4 c. dill pickle juice
1/2 t. dill
1/4 t. caraway seeds
1 bottle dark beer

Method:

Brown brats in skillet over medium heat.  
Add all ingredients in order given, stirring well after each addition. 

Cover and let cook for 30 minutes on medium heat.  
Stir and continue covered cooking for about 30 minutes on medium-low heat till done.

Place on platter and serve with Bratwurst buns or French bread and your favorite side dishes. 

Mmmm bratwurst!