Surprisingly-Simple Homemade Pickles!

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pickles

I can’t believe how easy it is to make real-deal pickles! It doesn’t even require any cooking or heat. I can’t wait to make these pickles for my youngest sister, who is a pickle nut. When she was a kid, she would get giant buckets of pickles as gifts for all occasions. I can check her next birthday present off of my shopping list!

pickles

To make PICKLES, get some nice looking cucumbers. I was looking for kirby cucumbers, like the ones I grew on my balcony one year, but I could only find English cucumbers, the long, skinny cucumbers that come wrapped in plastic. They worked just fine. Cut the cucumbers into your desired shapes. I made a mixture of spears and coins. Mince up a few garlic cloves, and chop some fresh dill. Put some of the garlic and dill in the bottom of a jar or container, and fill the jar with cucumber.

pickles

Now, mix up your pickling brine. To a large bowl, add 3 cups of water, 6 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar, and 2.5 tablespoons of kosher salt. Whisk the brine until the salt dissolves, and then pour the brine into the jar so that cucumbers are fully covered. If you need more brine, just whisk up another batch. Top the cucumbers with more garlic and dill. I also added in some black peppercorns and mustard seeds for extra flavor. Get creative with your flavorings- I can’t wait to make spicy pickles!

pickles

Put the lid on your cucumbers, and put them in the fridge. After 2 days, they will be PICKLES. Real pickles! They’ll even give you pickle breath.

This recipe is adapted from Annie’s Eats.

Shopping list:

  • Cucumbers- 3
  • Distilled white vinegar- 6 tablespoons
  • Kosher salt- 2.5 tablespoons
  • Dill
  • Garlic- 3 cloves
  • Peppercorns- 1.5 tablespoons
  • Mustard seeds- 3 teaspoons
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Mint-Infused Water

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mint water

When I lived in Paris, there was this wonderful Indian restaurant down the street that always put long sprigs of mint inside their carafes d’eau. I loved it because the subtle minty flavor was a nice palate cleanser between bites of their spicy curries. I started growing mint in my Aerogarden, and it’s really taking off. I have a few other plans for the mint, but this water infusion is definitely the easiest.

Just fill up a water jug, clip a long sprig of fresh mint, put the mint inside of the water jug, and keep the water jug in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. After that time, the mint should have lightly infused the water. This mint water is the perfect refreshment on a hot summer day because the mint continues to make your mouth tingle for a few minutes, even after the water is gone.

What is your favorite water infusion?

Shopping list:

  • Fresh mint
  • Water
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Rewind! Parmesan-Crusted Chicken

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parmesan crusted chicken

I first posted this chicken recipe over two years ago, but since then, a few things have changed and one has not. The differences are that I now have a better camera, more access to natural sunlight, and a greater willingness to avoid cooking shortcuts, so my food and pictures look much more appetizing than they did back then. The similarity is that this parmesan-crusted chicken remains SO simple to make and delicious to eat. There’s a funny narrative behind this recipe that I shared in the original post, which I enjoyed reading again, but I’ll just share the cooking directions this time.

parmesan crusted chicken

To make this chicken, get boneless, skinless chicken breasts, either whole or thinly sliced. If you get whole ones, slice them yourself: (1) remove the chicken tender if it’s still attached; (2) press down on the chicken breast with the palm of your hand; (3) use a sharp knife to cut through the chicken breast horizontally; (4) place each piece of chicken breast between two pieces or wax paper, and pound them thin. Pepper both sides of the chicken breast slices. Grate about 1 cup of parmesan cheese.

parmesan crusted chicken

Dice about 1 cup of fresh tomatoes, and season them with salt, pepper, olive oil, and basil. Alternatively, you can use seasoned tomatoes from a can.

parmesan crusted chicken

Press the chicken breasts into the parmesan cheese so that the cheese sticks to both sides. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. In batches, cook the chicken breasts on both sides until the cheese has browned and crisped up, and the chicken is cooked through. To keep the cheese on the bottom of the chicken crisp, transfer the breasts to a cooling rack (or a plate if you don’t care about the bottoms remaining crisp). Top the chicken with the tomatoes, and serve. So easy and so delicious!

This recipe is from Rachael Ray.

Shopping list:

  • Chicken breasts- 1.5 pounds
  • Parmesan cheese- 1 cup+, grated
  • Tomatoes- 2
  • Basil
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
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