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The Best Bread & Butter Pickles

This recipe is really great! I’ve made it a couple of times with success! You’ll need canning equipment to make these. This is a small batch, double if you like.

Bread n Butter Pickles

B&B Pickles
(yield about 2-3 pints)
4 cups thinly sliced Kirby cucumbers (about 2.5#?)
1 med onion, halved and sliced thinly
1 small red pepper, thinly sliced (optional, I like the color)
BRINE
1.5 C cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 Tbl kosher salt
1 C sugar
1 Tbl mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6-8 whole allspice
4-5 whole cloves
1 tsp turmeric if you want the colour
IN JAR
1 clove garlic, cracked open
1/8 calcium (pickle crisp)

Prep cucs first and toss with a couple of Tbl of kosher salt. Put in fridge while you get set up do to the pickling.

Set up water bath and get to a boil. Process your jars and put lids (not rings) into a small pan with simmering water to prep the sealing ring. I like wide mouth pint jars, use whatever you like as long as they are proper canning jars.

In a large pot (big enough for brine AND cucs), stir together brine ingredients and bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Thoroughly drain the cucs, no need to rinse. Add cucs to brine and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off and allow to cool while you prep jars.

In each jar, put one clove of garlic and 1/8 tsp pickle crisp. Use a slotted spoon to pack the pickles into the jar and leave about one inch headroom. Add brine over pickles and fill to about 1/2 inch headroom – try to split the spices amongst the jars. The veg should be covered, you may have to fiddle with the amt of pickles in each jar to ensure that the veg is covered and you’re at the half inch mark.

Clean rims of jars with a damp paper towel and put on lids with the ring just finger tight, not too tight, everything expands in boiling water.

Your water bath should be boiling at this point, put the filled jars in the bath and process at a strong simmer for 15 minutes. (185F at least)

Remove jars from bath and allow to sit on the counter until you hear the PING, which means they are sealed. Keep in a cool dark cupboard for at least a couple of weeks before you open them! Enjoy!

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Angela’s Mirliton Casserole

I learned about mirlitons, aka gator eggs, aka chayote squash from my friends from New Orleans. I had mirliton casserole at a gathering and loved it, so I wrote my own recipe. Enjoy! WELCOME GOOGLERS! This is a legit recipe, given the thumbs up from all my NOLA friends. Bon Appétit!


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Angela's Mirliton Casserole

This is a great addition to any holiday spread! The spicy boil flavours and fresh chayote squash make for a delicious side dish. You can make it with shrimp and crab or without.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Cajun
Keyword chayote casserole, mirliton casserole, shrimp and crab side dish, shrimp side dish, spicy shrimp and mirliton casserole
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 8
Author misangela

Ingredients

  • 4 large chayote squash (mirlitons) or 6 medium ones
  • 1 pound small salad shrimp frozen is fine
  • 1 can crabmeat use 2 if you love crab
  • 3 cups breadcrumbs or stuffing mix I use half cornbread and half regular
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 large onion or 2 medium, small dice
  • 2 stalks celery small dice
  • 1 red bell pepper small dice
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp cayenne more or less to taste
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt to taste
  • 2 Tbl butter, salted
  • 5 scallions fine slice
  • ½ cup parsley fine chop
  • 1 lemon zest and juice
  • ½ cup parmesan shredded
  • 1 bottle Zatarain's Boil liquid
  • French's Onions to top casserole

Instructions

  • Prep all your ingredients before you start to cook. Mise en place will greatly improve your cooking!
  • Start a large stock pot of water to boil.
  • Peel, seed and dice mirlitons. About 1" dice. When water boils, pour in the whole bottle of Zatarain's and add the chayote. Cook for about 15 minutes until the squash is tender.
  • Remove squash with spider or slotted spoon to a large bowl. Cook shrimp in the boil water just until opaque. Remove shrimp when done and reserve liquid.
  • In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Sweat onion, celery, pepper and garlic. Cook gently until soft. Add cayenne and S/P. Set aside.
  • In the large bowl, break up the chayote squash until consistency you like. Add in the cooked veg, scallions, parsley, breadcrumbs, dry mustard, lemon zest and juice, and parmesan. Stir to incorporate.
  • Finally, gently stir in shrimp and crabmeat until thoroughly combined. Check seasoning. If it's a little too dry, add in some reserved cooking liquid.
  • Put into a large 9x13 dish or two 9x9 square dishes sprayed with food release spray. Top with French's onions and bake at 350°F for 30-45 minutes, or until brown and bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before serving.

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Artichoke & Green Chile Dip

Nick found some random dips on sale at Kroger the other day and one was an artichoke and green chile dip. It was good, but I thought I could reproduce it and maybe make it even better. I did! I served this at the party and it was snarfed down in a hurry. It’s easy and delicious!

Artichoke & Green Chile dip

1 8oz package of cream cheese, room temp
2 tsp garlic paste (or 1 clove of garlic, pasted)
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup sour cream
4 oz can diced green chiles, drained
1/3 cup monterey jack cheese, fine shred (I think pepper jack would be even better!)
1 4oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1/2 tsp dill
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard (or 1 tsp dijon)

Cream together first 4 ingredients by hand or with a mixer until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients and let sit in fridge for at least half an hour before serving. Great with veg or crackers!

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Buffalo Cauliflower Pasta Bake

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Buffalo Cauliflower Pasta Bake

I ran across this recipe the other day and was intrigued. I cut it down to fit a 9×9 dish and cut down the pasta. I did some other tweaks as well and it turned out SO GOOD. If you want it completely low carb, I think you could leave out the pasta and panko, and make about half of the sauce. This dish dirties a lot of pans, but is TOTALLY worth it. :)
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword buffalo cauliflower pasta, buffalo sauce, cauliflower, cheese, pasta
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author misangela

Equipment

  • 4 qt pot
  • skillet
  • 1-2 qt saucepan
  • 9x9 baking dish

Ingredients

  • 1 med cauliflower, cut into 1" florets white or orange will work
  • 1/2 lb elbow macaroni OR cavatappi, penne, farfalle - any smallish pasta will work
  • 2 Tbl kosher salt
  • 6 Tbl butter, cut up
  • 1 small white onion, small dice about 1/2-2/3 cup
  • 2 stalks celery, small dice
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup Franks Hot Sauce It is the way. ONLY Franks!
  • 2 tsp L&P Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbl Flour A/P or SR, whatever
  • 2 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 tsp DRY Franks seasoning Look for it in the spice section. Optional, but adds a depth of flavor!
  • 1 1/2 cups half n half Whole milk is OK; whole buttermilk is GREAT!
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese or all cheddar if you wish
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup panko
  • 1 Tbl EVOO for panko
  • 1/2 cup Blue cheese crumbles to taste

Instructions

  • Get all your veg prepped and ready to go. Mise en place is really important for a multi-step recipe such as this.
  • Spray a 9×9 baking dish with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 Tbl salt. Cook cauliflower until tender, about 6-8 minutes. I like mine completely cooked at the end, so I go 8 minutes. If you like it a little al dente, just do 5-6 minutes.
  • Remove cauliflower with a slotted spoon or spider to a colander, but keep water for the pasta. Add the pasta and cook until its al dente. Remember, the casserole will be cooked more in the oven.
  • Melt 3 tbl butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook celery and onion until soft then add in the cauliflower and garlic. Add about half (1/4 cup) Franks and half (1 tsp) L&P, and cook for a couple of minutes more. Set aside.
  • Melt 3 tbl butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour, mustard and dry Franks, if using. Whisk in half & half and remaining hot sauce + L&P and stir for a minute. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Off heat, add sour cream. Check for heat level and add more Franks if you wish.
  • To assemble the casserole, put a layer of macaroni in the bottom of the baking dish and cover with about 1/3 of the sauce. Mix the remaining macaroni in with the cauliflower and veg, then layer that in. Pour over the remaining sauce. 
  • Mix panko with about a tbl of EVOO, then mix in the blue cheese. Layer that over the top of the casserole.
  • Bake casserole in a 350°F oven for about half an hour, or until it is bubbly and the panko is browned. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
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Angela’s Sweet Potato Chile Soup

I ran across a sweet potato chile soup recipe online and I liked the idea, but not that particular recipe. So I made my own! This soup is luscious and sweet with the potatoes, but has a nice smokiness with the chile – a very nice combination. This recipe makes about a quart. If you want more spice, use a couple of serrano chiles rather than poblano.


Angela’s Sweet Potato Chile Soup
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 med onion, diced
1 medium poblano, fire roasted, seeded and diced (poblano is not spicy, but adds nice smokiness)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbl butter
1 tsp cumin
about 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
~2 cups stock (veg or chicken)
~3/4 cup heavy cream
zest and juice of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
sour cream for garnish



Put a 2 qt or larger pot over med heat. Add butter to melt. When hot, add in onions, garlic and the chile and sweat (do NOT brown). When onions are translucent, add in the sweet potatoes, lime zest, cumin and salt and pepper. Cook a couple of minutes then add in stock to cover veg by about an inch, about 2 cups +/-. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are cooked through and soft; about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or move to regular blender). Check seasoning then add in the cream – use more or less, as you like it. Add in lime juice and cilantro and check the seasoning again. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.