Sunday, July 27, 2014

Homemade Dill Pickles

Homemade Dill Pickles




Growing up my mom made pickles and they were often on the table for any meal we were eating or family gatherings. The only bad thing about this was the fact they were sweet pickles, ugh. I know, I know, I am probably the only person that doesn't like sweet pickles or bread and butter. I don't know why I just don't. When I started to learn to can and make stuff with our garden goodies. I called Daniel's mom who happened to have a great and easy recipe for Dill Pickles. Daniel grew up making these with his mom and often times friends (Allen) of his that happened to be at his house. So when I called her and asked for her recipe she was more than glad to pass this onto me. She has said it's great to know I can pass the torch to someone else. The first time I made them, I thought that was to easy and I surly got the recipe wrong. I also prayed they turned out as good as Daniel remembered his moms. The pressure was on. I've been making this recipe for the last several years and each batch, I can honestly say, has turned out good. I do only make pickles every other year sometimes two. And they still taste as good as they did when I first made them. Enjoy this quick and easy recipe.


Dill Pickles

garlic cloves
dill- fresh (seed pod)
1/2 cup salt
4 cups of white vinegar
8 cups of water
small/medium whole cucumbers
7 quart wide mouth canning jars, lids and rings

Put cucumbers into jars, do not cut, add dill and 1 garlic clove to each jar and put aside
In a sauce pan bring salt, water and vinegar to a boil. Remove from heat and pour into jars. Add the lid and ring and put on a towel to sit and cool off before storage.
Let them sit up to 1 month before you eat them.

Yes it's that easy and you don't need any special equipment. Or worry about canning in a pressure cooker or water bath.

* If you have a hard time finding fresh dill you can substitute dill seed and dill weed from the spice section of your grocery. Read the side for the equivalent amount to fresh.*



This year we were on a family trip when our cucumbers starting to come in. So needless to say we didn't have small or medium cucumbers where I could make the above recipe. I called Jennifer and asked if you could  cut- slices or spears- and still make them with them turning out good. She said she never had luck. So I thought all was lost. Then I remembered that Daniel's stepmom Denise makes refrigerator dill pickles. So I called her. She told me to go to the store and purchase Mrs. Wages Dill Pickle pouches and use them. You can can them whole, make spears or slices and they would turn out good.  This is how she usually makes her dill pickles. So off to the store to find some. Using this recipe you need to put them in a water bath for storage and later use. But Denise doesn't always, she usually makes some and puts them straight in the refrigerator and they are ready to eat in a couple days. We've already ate a couple of jars. So don't let those big cucumbers go to waste make some spears and slices to enjoy. Just read the back of the package for the directions, all you need is cucumbers, jars, and vinegar, water bath canner and the Mrs. Wages season pouch.
made with Mrs. Wages dill pickle season pouch

Monday, April 21, 2014

Protection







Me: Promise you won't get mad?

GOD: I promise.

Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?

GOD: What do you mean?

Me: Well I woke up late,

GOD: Yes

Me: My car took forever to start,

GOD: Okay....

Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait

GOD: Hmmmm..

Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call

GOD: All right

Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?

GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.

Me (humbled): Oh...

GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road

Me (ashamed): ............

GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work

Me (embarrassed): Oh.....

GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered

Me (softly): I see God

GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.

Me: I'm sorry God.

GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the good and the bad

Me: I WILL trust you God

GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan

Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.

GOD: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I love looking after my children.


Mike S. Isnady




We sometimes forget the PROTECTION God gives us as we go through our busy days. I pray when I start to get aggravated with things that are out of my control or even somethings I have a little control over but don't go my way, I remember maybe that is when God is protecting me the most.


hugs and prayers~
Kim


Thursday, January 23, 2014

#Empowered

Empower

 verb
1. to give or delegate power or authority to; authorize
2. to give ability to; enable or permit

Instead of a setting resolutions at the New Year, I choose a couple words :

Crave and Intentional.

Then I had to decide what I was going to Crave and be Intentional about.

I have been a this road the last few years of craving God, one bible study after another. So when Online Bible Studies decided to do Made to Crave and sign ups started I wasn't sure if I was going to join again or not. I very much enjoyed the last two studies and my Group 63 ladies. But I wasn't sure about the book. I really don't struggle with food or my weight.  And I knew this book was more than a food/ weight thing. So I prayed about what to do. Then my answer came when I knew I wouldn't have the accountability I so craved with my Group 63 ladies. There are days I am closer to them then people I see everyday, weird how you can be close to ladies that you have never met expect for one. We have gotten close the last year. and shared our struggles with each other and that only happened because of God. He has done that. So I told our leader Cindy, I was staying in the group and signing up. So here I am in this study Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. Along with this study I am also involved with Community Bible Study as a 3 year old teacher and am joining in the Good Morning Girls bible study of Intentional Focused. And just because I am doing all these studies trust me when I say I still struggle with the bible but I am soaking in God's Word even if I don't feel as I am. So with these studies it helped choosing my words for the year: Crave and Intentional. It means not  being at the beck and call with my phone, iPad, computer, buying clothes or stuff. It means I'm going to CRAVE God,  and be INTENTIONAL with God first, my husband second, our kids third, family and friends fourth.

As I said I don't struggle with food or weight but I do struggle with my time management, shopping, not exercising, generally zoning out, rushing to do all these bible studies on time, my prayer time. Putting everything else before God but I pray this is the year I turn it all around and truly put him first. Exercise more and really dig deep into these bible studies and my prayer life. So the first word being EMPOWERED is a great word to start out with. You almost can't say the word without feeling it it deep inside. 

And as Psalms 84:4 states:

My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.

Our whole body wants to be empowered for God.  Just as a child cries out for their parents when they want something. Our soul, heart, flesh Cry out for God who is our Father.  The word, empowered, means to give or delegate power or authority to. So to me, who or what I give power to is what I crave. This year I choose to Crave God and be EMPOWERED by Him because He is inside of me as a believer.


1 Corinthians 6:19

  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;




~hugs and prayers~ kms