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.  I can eat store-bought pickled beets, but I MUCH prefer home canned ones.  These are easy.  I got this recipe from my Mom.  I remember her making them 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 couldn't be easier.   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 gotten too big.   The syrup recipe makes enough for 2-4 pints depending on how tightly you pack the beets.   Enjoy! Lanette's Pickled Beets Freshly picked beets .  Cut tops off leaving about an inch of...

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...