In a Pickle with Confessions of a Domestic Wanna-be

Este manana, I am en route to Ocean City, Maryland. My friend Lauren from Confessions of a Domestic Wanna-be was kind enough to help me out of the pickle of a post for today. Ba dum bum. I got the pickle dip recipe below from her, it is really outstanding even though it sounds weird. Put it on your summer party menu!
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Hi everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Lauren from Confessions of a Domestic Wanna-be. I’m so honored to be doing a guest post for Steph because she was my inspiration to start blogging! I thought a lot about what I wanted to share and I decided there are no better recipes than ones that involve my obsession. I’m talking about pickles. I can’t get enough of pickles. I like them spicy, tart, on a sandwich, by themselves, fried up with a dipping sauce, you name it-except bread and butter pickles. Seriously, it might as well not even be called a pickle, it’s sweet and just not right! I have two pickle recipes to share with you. The first is a classic that I started making about two years ago and is so simple but has become such a hit with my family and friends. It’s pickle dip!

Here’s what you need:

1 stick of cream cheese, softened (low fat is fine)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

 1-2 Tbsp pickle juice

About 1 cup diced kosher dill pickles

Let the cream cheese get pretty soft and add the Worcestershire sauce and pickle juice to help make it mixable. Mix in your diced pickles, and add a little more juice if needed to stir together. Refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve with potato chips or Triscuits. It sounds crazy but it is so good. Trust me!

The second recipe I wanted to share with you is a new one I recently found at Fabfoodies.com - homemade dill pickles! This was the first time I made these and I will definitely be making them again, with a few minor adjustments. 

Here is the original ingredient list:

2 lb small garden cucumbers, scrubbed

6 cups water

Heaping 1/8 cup canning salt

4 Tbsp vinegar

4 Tbsp minced garlic

1 large onion, sliced

1 tsp mustard seed

1/3 cup fresh dill

8 whole peppercorns

Combine water and salt and bring to a boil and then cool to room temperature. Slice your cucumbers (I’ve been told that leaving them whole does not work as well). Place all your other ingredients and cucumber slices in an air tight container and pour salt liquid in making sure to completely cover the cucumbers (I had left over salt water). Refrigerate for 5-7 days. 

I found this convenient 2 lb bag of small cucumbers at Acme, they made perfectly sized slices for pickles. I also used this freeze dried dill that I got instead of fresh and it worked just as well. I jarred them in recycled pickle jars that I had saved.

Ok a few tips and observations: 

1. I used regular table salt because I couldn’t find canning salt. It worked just as well. I googled what the difference is and all I could find is that table salt may leave sediment in the bottom of your jar where as canning salt will dissolve completely. 

2. I only used half an onion and I diced it up instead of slices. This was more than enough onion I think.

3. I followed the recipe for garlic but I will not next time. I love garlic, but this was just too much. I think next time I’ll cut it in half. 

4. I doubled the vinegar. My favorite part of pickles is that tart, acidic vinegar taste and it was not enough for me. I didn’t add more vinegar until I taste tested on the second day and realized it just wouldn’t be enough for me. Doubling it worked out really well.

5. 1/3 cup of dill is way too much. Use your judgment. I put it all in and then I removed some after a day because it just looked like grass floating in the jar. 

6. I ate them way before day 5 and they tasted amazing!

Thanks to Steph for hosting me, and thanks to all of you for reading! 

~Lauren

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