Bread and Butter Pickles

This summer I've really enjoyed playing with a few new recipes with seasonal vegetables we've grown and bought from Farmer's Markets.  Today I used locally grown pickling cucumbers to make some delicious Bread and Butter Pickles.  Growing up these were my very favorite of all pickles because of their sweet-tarty taste.  I think I could just drink the juice honestly.

Our favorite seafood restaurant always had these pickles out on the table along with pickled okra and cheese spread spread on crusty french toast rounds to snack on before your meal was served.  When I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, I craved both these pickles and that cheese spread.

Click here for the recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles

Pictured are my Bread and Butter Pickles I made on this rainy East Texas day.  Although you have to wait three hours for the pickles to 'sit' in a pickling salt, garlic and ice water bath in the refrigerator, it's totally worth it.  I used the time to clean out some much needed drawers in our bedroom in anticipation of a garage sale coming up soon.  My garage looks like it has exploded and I will soon bring in a flatbed trailer for the attic cleansing that will come next.  This garage sale is lonnnggg overdue.

Once the pickles sat for their three hours in the refrigerator, I drained them (do not rinse) and then added to them the apple cider vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed, and mustard seed and brought it all to a boil.  You will immediately turn the heat off and not allow the pot to continue to boil.

Immediately spoon your Bread and Butter Pickles in to Mason or Ball Canning Jars and seal according to the link provided on my recipe.  I chose to not hot water bath these pickles and refrigerate instead.  They will not last long at my house and I might even share a few with family members...if they are nice...  ;o)

What I really loved about this recipe was the addition of bell peppers and onions.  My green bell peppers had started to turn orange, but I used them anyway. Orange bell peppers are sweet, so I think they will compliment these Bread and Butter Pickles too.

This recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles made five jars. Click here for the recipe here!

I hope you'll give these pickles a try.  It's a super, simple recipe that I'll be making again before the summer's end.  I even used the left over juice from the Bread and Butter Pickles that would not fit in to the jars with two cans of drained Italian green beans for dinner tonight. Waste not, want not! Delicious!  Just bring it to a boil with about an additional 1/2 cup water.  My family loved the green beans too!  The sweet juice would probably make some fantastic frozen pickle pops (popsicles) with the leftovers too.  I think my girls would love them!

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen  

'Sure Is The Best Broccoli Rice Casserole' and November Sure Champ Recipes From the Ranch Blog Post

 
 
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and my mother and I are starting to think about our family meal.  It's always a huge effort to cook for our growing family and certain dishes are traditions each year. 
 
This year, as in the past, I will cook my newest recipe for 'Sure Is The Best' Broccoli Rice Casserole.  This recipe was recently posted on the Sure Champ November Blog Post along with some other favorite holiday favorites from around our ranch. 

Click here for the November Sure Champ Recipes from the Ranch Blog post. 

This cheesy rice dish with broccoli and onions is one of my husbands favorite sides and usually a part of his birthday dinner.  It's a southern staple dish at holiday dinners. 
 
For this recipe I switched from the jar of processed cheese to 1/2 lb. of Velvetta and liked the difference it made.  I usually use more cream of mushroom soup and felt that only one can was needed.  Instead of frozen broccoli, I used fresh and chopped them finely.  I also used sweet white onions, instead of the harsher (eye tearing) white cooking onions.  You could leave the onions out, but I think it's a huge part of this dish. 
 
Once your rice is cooked, throwing this casserole together is easy.  I've also included with this recipe how to cook the perfect rice.  I thank my mom for that huge lesson.

It's great to have as the next day as leftovers or to send home with family.  A lot of the time I put the casserole together, cover tightly with foil, and do the final baking the day of Thanksgiving (or Christmas & Easter) to help take some stress away from my day.
 

You can also click here for the recipe for 'Sure Is The Best Broccoli Rice Casserole'

 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

 

Alise  - The Ranch Kitchen

Happy New Year From The Ranch Kitchen!

Here's hoping your new year is truly your best yet!  May you remember that life is meant to be lived and have more fun than you've had in years past.  And remember that above all we need to be thankful for all the little and big things in our lives because we learn how to live because of them.

Below are some recipe posts that will help bring luck in 2014 if you, like my family, are a little superstitious and eat your cabbage for good fortune, your black-eyed peas for luck, and ribs....well that's because my husbands family always eats ribs on New Years Day.  

Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR!  These are some of my families favorites that we enjoy each year at New Years Day lunch! We couldn't ring in the year without them!


The Ranch Kitchen's Black-eyed Pea Salsa

Granny's Wilted Cabbage

Country Style Pork Ribs

Get cooking!  

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen!