Pickled Okra

When I was looking for a recipe to make canned Brandied Peaches, I found the recipe I ended up using at Food & Wine, courtesy of Linton Hopkins.  Those peaches were amazing.  So, now if it's pickled, brined, or canned, I think I'll just turn there first...

Which is where I found the inspiration for spicy pickled okra, again, courtesy of Linton Hopkins...  I didn't follow that recipe exactly, because I already had pickling spice on hand it's comprised of most of what goes into his recipe...  So, I'll write this post on how I made it, though I would recommend going to his recipe for the real deal.

Spicy Pickled Okra


Ingredients
1 lb okra, trimmed (which apparently means slicing off the top of the caps and anything else to make them fit)
8 small red dried chili peppers
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp pickling spice
1/2 c cider vinegar
1/2 c water

Instructions
Pack the okra, chili peppers, and garlic evenly into two sterilized pint jars.  You'll have to stuff them a bit to make it fit.

Combine the pickling spice, vinegar, and water in a medium saucepot and heat to a boil over high heat.  When liquid mixture is boiling, turn off the heat and use a ladle to transfer the liquid over the okra in the pint jars.  Leave 1/2 inch at the top for head space.  Wipe the mouth of the jars and place the lids and rings on top to close.

Place both jars into a large stockpot and cover with water.  Bring water to boiling and the continue to boil the jars for 10 minutes.  Remove the jars from the pot and let cool to room temperature.

Makes two pints, and they'll be good for a year...  If you wait that long to make a bloody mary with them...

Squash Spaghetti

I have made this one a couple times and each time I do something different, and love it. This version is my favorite but you can easily adapt the recipe for your own preference.

Ingredients:
2 squash, cut in half and seeds removed
LOTS of tomatoes, sliced
Bell pepppers, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese

On a foil lined baking sheet place the squash so the "skin" side is on the bottom. Lightly cover each half with olive oil, and bake in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes

Let the squash cool, and then take a fork and shred the inside. These are your "noodles." Then in a large sauce pan on medium heat saute the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic using a little bit of olive oil. After a few minutes add your squash noodles and then serve warm with Parmesan cheese. If you are not an olive oil fan, you can use any type of sauce and add any of your favorites!

Easy Garlic Potatoes

I have seen this on pinterest about 10 times so I figured I would give it a try. It's beyond easy and delicious

Ingredients:
1 potatoe
1 glove of garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper

Slice the potatoe about 3/4s of the way

Then chop up the garlic clove and put a little bit of garlic in each slice. Drizzle olive oil, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. I also used a bit of lawry's seasoning salt because I thought it sounded good!
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and enjoy!