Small Bites … Adventures in Downsizing

Jan Kinzel

 

Ever been ‘in a pickle’?  I must confess that this article is the only one I have written with the main purpose being to deliver certain recipes. But, I have some fabulous recipes involving pickling!  Those will come later; however I did get into a pickle with a wrong tile selection. We chose a seemingly beautiful tile for part of our master bathroom. When an approximately 2 x 3 feet section was up, what we thought was a random design took on a very unattractive pattern. The sample tile looked beautiful, but when more were put beside it the pattern became Zs that made our eyes go all googlie. And in a small space – it flat out didn’t work! To fix it cost us a bit of money and probably a week longer in the hotel. I would say that was somewhat of a pickle. It got replaced with a much calmer tile and we moved on.

Maybe the best thing about being in a pickle is figuring a way out of it!

 

Purple Eggs & Beets

I have had these every Easter!  They are delicious and beautiful, the whites turn magenta and the yolks stay bright yellow. Cut into halves and placed on an egg platter along with some of the beets and some green parsley sprigs, and they look ready for The Food Network! And did I say they are delicious?

1 ½ dozen hardboiled eggs, medium size works best
4 cans baby or medium whole beets, not pickled
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup granulated sugar

Drain the juice from the beets into a 4 quart saucepan and place on medium heat stirring in sugar and vinegar. (Adjust these to your taste – more sugar for sweeter or more vinegar for a piquant flavor.) After all of the sugar is dissolved, set aside to cool.

Peel the eggs. In a glass canister, place layers of beets and eggs, beginning with beets on the bottom. Pour the beet juice mixture over the beets and eggs.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 days. These are ready to serve on the third day and last for over a week covered in the refrigerator.

 

Pickled Shrimp

Friends of ours served this to us about 5 years ago and it is one of the best things I have ever eaten!  My friend says it makes an appearance at every family get-together. I made this for another friend and her husband’s Navy ship retired officers’ reunion. We received requests for this recipe from all over the USA!

Boil 3 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt.
Add ½ cup coarsely chopped celery tops with leaves.
Add ¼ cup pickling spices (find these with the spices).
Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes to develop the spice flavors.

Drop in 2 pounds raw, cleaned, deveined shrimp, fresh or frozen, leave tails on. Use 20 – 25 per lb. size shrimp or 16 – 20 per lb. depending on how many you want to serve.

Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Immediately drain in colander and remove most of the spices and set aside.

In a glass bowl, mix together the following:

1 ¼ cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small jar capers with juice
2 ½ teaspoons celery seed
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Several dashes of Tobasco sauce  (Adjust this to taste – I like quite a lot.)

Set brine aside

For the next step you’ll need:

2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
10 – 12 bay leaves

In a glass dish, layer onions, 3 bay leaves and shrimp. Repeat layers. Pour brine over the shrimp. Push shrimp around to make sure they are completely covered. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

To serve: drain off excess brine and serve with toothpicks. Baguette slices make a nice accompaniment.

 

Pickled Cucumbers & Red Onions

This is just a little somethin’ somethin’ to make as a relish on a summer day when the ‘cukes’ are plentiful. I like it with fish as a garnish or on a sandwich.

1 or 2 English cucumbers
1 medium red onion
1 cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup granulated sugar

Thinly slice the cucumbers and onion. It’s best to use a mandolin, but be careful, they are sharp! This also tastes great with just the cucumbers.

Place the sliced vegetables in canning jars – a size of your choosing (no canning required; it’s just a good place to put them). Heat sugar and vinegar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, and pour into the jars with the vegetables. Refrigerate. The ‘pickles’ are ready in just a couple of hours. They store and last for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

 

TIP:  Whenever possible, avoid ‘getting into a pickle’!  Or, as in the case of golf, stay out of the rough.

I Corinthians 10:13….God is faithful…and will make a way of escape for you….