Joy in the Kitchen!

Sweet Stick Pickles When I was quite little I remember my Mom brining cucumbers for sweet pickles.  She had a big 5 gallon crock that she used, and I just remember watching as she checked under the weight.  I did NOT like the smell of those brined cucumbers, nor did I like the sweet pickles once they were made. (I did love the beautiful crock she used though!)  I loved dill pickles!  I married a man who loves sweet pickles.  I had no desire to learn to do sweet pickles like my Mom did when I was little!  My mother-in-law (Shirley) had a perfect solution though as she had a recipe for these easy Sweet Stick pickles.  Shirley got this recipe from her mom Mary, who got it from her friend Mae.  I love these shared and handed down recipes.  The syrup on these tastes almost the same as the one used for the Bread and Butter Pickles I posted a few years ago.  You do need an afternoon to do these as they have to sit in water for 4-5 hours...

Pickled beets are one of the most colorful additions to a relish tray that you could ask for!  I like sliced pickled beets on salads.  I like them as a side for a holiday or special occasion meal.  On an old fashioned relish plate, along with pickles and olives, they brighten any gathering.   I can eat store-bought pickled beets, but I MUCH prefer home canned ones.  These are easy to make and tasty!    I got this recipe from my Mom.  I remember her making pickled beets for several years.  Turns out it is my sister-in-law Lanette's recipe. (The very same Lanette of Lanette's Cinnamon Rolls that I've posted a few years ago!  YUM!  You can trust Lanette!)  It is not spicy, which I love, and the process is simple.  You only need to water bath these as they have plenty of vinegar in them.  Golf ball or smaller sized beets are nice for these if you want them whole, but I quarter, sixth, or cube if my beets have ...

It has been rainy and cooler here the past few weeks.  Odd for August in Idaho.  Today felt like a "soup day" as soon as we woke up to clouds and a drizzle.  I remembered I had a ham bone in the freezer from a ham we used last winter so Hearty Ham and Bean Soup was a great choice! This is another dish where guidelines rather than a "measure exact" recipe are used.  My ham bone was large and very meaty and I planned to feed 9 of us and have leftovers so I used an 8 quart pot to begin with.   Sometimes I use dry beans and sometimes I'm in a hurry and used canned northern beans.  Today I planned to be home most of the day so I chose dried beans to work with.  I've had these beans for a good 15-20 years.  Sometimes when I've kept dry beans that long it takes forever to re-hydrate them (and I didn't think of this last night so I didn't have time to soak them over night!) but with the pressure cooker, these softened up nicely!  I wouldn't rec...