Garlic Dill Pickles

These are for you, Nikki.

I had no idea how to make pickles. Now that I know how easy it is, I regret not planting cucumbers this year. Organic cucumbers in grocery stores are so expensive! I bought 4 anyways, and with some dill from my pallet garden and a few other things from the pantry I got to work. I used a glass jar that I already had (I never dispose of glass jars, I always use them for something!), and Mason Jars. If you plan on canning them, use sanitized Mason jars. I just left these in the fridge, since I know they wouldn't last long in our house.

For $2 a cucumber, these pickles better be good.

I grew dill precisely for pickles.

To make the most of the cucumbers, I cut them down to size to fit inside the jars before slicing them into spears. I took the extra pieces and sliced them into rounds, and filled a jar with these slices. I hope you can visualize this, as I suck at taking pictures of all the steps along the way.

Two tips: first, cut about 1/4 inch off the end of the cucumber. It keeps them crisper. Second, if you run out of vinegar/water solution, you can add more to cover the cucumbers, but keep the 3:1 ratio.

Slice off the ends.

Garlic Dill Pickles

Makes 3 jars

• 4 cucumbers
• 1 large bunch of dill
• 3 garlic cloves
• Tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 cups distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water

1. Slice the cucumbers into spears and/or chips.
2. Stuff them into glass jars, along with whole garlic cloves, dill, salt and peppercorns. This is all to taste. I divided the amounts listed in the ingredients between the 3 jars.
3. Add the vinegar and water together and pour into the jars until they cover the cucumbers.
4. Refrigerate for at least a week before eating. The longer they sit, the less "bite" they have to them.

Gazpacho

I'm so lucky to have so many amazing, passionate and supportive people in my life. Just about everyone who is an active part of my life has something positive and motivating to contribute. I don't think too many people can say they are surrounded by such genuine people who have nothing but love and support to offer, so I consider myself very blessed. 

There are dozens of people to which that last paragraph pertains to, but this blog post will be dedicated to a certain one. My best friend Hope's mom, Joann (or Mama Jo, as Logan calls her, and what she will be referred to as from now on), has a passion for life that so many people lose along the way. Her passion for food is inspiring as well. She knows where all the best bakeries are, which restaurants have the most delicious dishes, and I know I can rely on her to know which specialty stores carry the obscure ingredients I may need. Mama Jo has always been supportive and excited about Resolution Kitchen from the beginning. She's been an inspiration for a couple recipes in here, like the roasted yellow pepper soup. She taught me how to make pesto (which I modified to this recipe), and has been fueling my sweet tooth and love for baking since she was the class mother in second grade. 

As a token of support, love and inspiration, Mama Jo recently bought me my first food processor- a Kitchen Aid in buttercup yellow (she knows me so well). I absolutely love every feature of the product, and have been using it every day. Mama Jo had one request- gazpacho. She had a delicious bowl of the cold soup at Michael Anthony's, one of her favorite restaurants in Wading River. I set to work, using fresh tomatoes and herbs from my garden, and turned out a huge batch of gazpacho. Thanks Mama Jo!!

Ready to chop my fresh garden herbs.

My new, oh so fancy food processor

Gazpacho

Serves about 8

• 8 roma/plum tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 cucumber
• 2 scallions
• Juice from one lemon
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 4 cups tomato juice

1. Remove the skins from the tomatoes: Throw them in a pot of boiling water for one minute. Remove from the boiling water and into a bowl with ice water immediately. After a couple minutes the skin will peel right off.
2. Sautee the garlic.
3. Roughly chop the onion, pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, scallions and garlic. If you want to keep the recipe raw, skip the first two steps and start here. 
4. Add them to a food processor and pulse until just combined.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until combined but still a little chunky.
6. Refrigerate before serving. Serve cold.

I made this batch of gazpacho with my home grown roma tomatoes.
Does it get any fresher?

Bloody Nikki

This nutrient rich juice recipe was given to me by my friend Nikki, who is a big fan of detox juices like this. I haven't experienced any detox effects from drinking this, but I continue to make it because it makes a nutritious, filling breakfast. It has three simple ingredients. Beets give this juice it's "bloody" color. Eaten raw, beets are an excellent source of folate, so eat up preggos. They also contain high amounts of Vitamin C, potassium and other minerals. This root is also a source of glycine betaine, which lowers homocysteine levels in the blood, thus lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke. Celery provides Vitamin C and fiber. It also contains a phytochemical called coumarin, which lowers blood pressure and increases the activity of white blood cells. Cucumbers are high in calcium and unique antioxidants that play a role in aging. These are just some of the benefits to these foods, and since they are consumed raw, you will be achieving their maximum benefits. As usual, organic is best, so skip the pesticides if your budget allows it!

Bloody Nikki

Makes 2 one cup servings

• 2 beets, greens removed
• 2 whole cucumbers
• 6 celery stalks

1. Wash the produce thoroughly and process through a juicer.
2. Drink immediately

Andrew added two carrots once, which made it very sweet. If you're not a fan of beets (the dominant flavor of the juice), the carrots lessen the taste.