​Chunky Mustard Pickles

Ingredients
14 cups cubed, seeded, peeled pickling cucumbers
6 cups onions, chopped
1/4 cup pickling/canning salt
3 cups sugar
4 tablespoons Clear-Jel
1/4 cup dry mustard
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup water
2 cups white vinegar (I used half cider vinegar half white) 
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped and seeded *optional 

Instructions

1. In very large bowl, add cucumbers and onions, sprinkle with pickling salt.
2. Let sit for 1 hour.
3. Place in a colander in the sink and let drain thoroughly.
4. Prepare water-bath canner, jars and lids.
5. In large saucepan combine sugar, mustard, Clear-Jel, ginger and turmeric. Stir well.
6. Slowly add in water and then vinegar and red pepper.
7. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently.
8. Reduce heat and boil gently, until mixture thickens. Continue to stir frequently.
9. When mixture thicken (about 5 minutes) add cucumbers and onions and return to a boil.
10. Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
11. remove air bubbles, wipe rims and affix lids.
12. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, or according to your altitude.
13. Remove from canner and let sit, undisturbed for 24 hours.

 
Yields: 7 pints

*Pickles are best if left to develop for up to 6 weeks for best flavor  (but they still do taste pretty good if you can't wait that long!)

Recipe Adapted from The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home

OKTOBERFEST BEER MUSTARD

"This is a coarse, sweet, mildly spicy mustard that goes great with hotdogs and brats, burgers and sandwiches. You can vary the flavor greatly, by using different vinegars. Be sure and use a beer you like. Beer that tastes bad, will make mustard that tastes bad." ~JD

Ingredients: 
1 cup Brown Mustard Seeds
1/2 cup Yellow Mustard Seeds
1- 12 oz bottle Redd's Apple Ale, or beer of your choice
1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup Water
3/4 cup Brown Sugar 
1/4 cup Honey (optional, added for additional sweetness)
1 Tablespoon Onion Powder

Directions: 
Combine beer and mustard seeds in saucepan and bring to boil. Cover and remove from heat, set at room temperature at least 2 hours, I prefer overnight. 
Process beer/seed mixture in blender of food processor until well blended and most seeds are chopped. Transfer to saucepan, place over medium high heat and whisk in remaining ingredients. 
Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer until desired consistency is obtained, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, ladle mixture into prewashed, sanitized jars, filling to within 1/4" headspace. Process in water-bath 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, allow to sit 5 minutes, remove from canner and place on cooling rack or towel, until cooled. 

Makes:  4 half-pints

Recipe Adapted from: Ball - Complete Book of Home Preserving
Photo by: JD Provence for Canning and Cooking at Home 

  I have a lot of people ask me for recommendations on pickle/pickling recipes. Often times I scurry to not only share the recipes I use but, track down my friends recipes as well.  That's when it hit me - maybe I can make a "one stop spot" for all things pickle/pickling that everyone can use.  So, here it is - from some of my dear friends and bloggers that were kind enough to share their best too!!  (a HUGE thanks to them for sharing!) 
Your "one stop shop" for all things "pickles" from the traditional dills to the 'old timey' watermelon pickles with dilled & pickled green beans and other groovy vegetables 
~it's all good!!~   


The Pickle Barrel ~ A Collection of Pickles & Pickling Recipes : 


Bread & Butter Pickles: 

...From Cooking with Mary & Friends:  "Bread & Butter Pickles: Step by Step" 
http://www.cookingwithmaryandfriends.com/2012/06/step-by-step-bread-and-butter-pickles.html

...From Southern with a Twist: "Mama's Bread & Butter Pickles" 
http://lynn-southernwithatwist.blogspot.com/2013/04/mamas-bread-and-butter-pickles.html

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Microwaved Bread & Butter Fridge Pickles" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/no-way-those-can-go-in-the-microwave

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Ball's Traditional Bread & Butter Pickles" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/pickle-party-sweet-relish-bbs-kosher-dill-spears-oh-my


Dill Pickles:

...From Cooking with Mary & Friends: "Crispy Dill Pickles" 
http://www.cookingwithmaryandfriends.com/2015/02/crispy-dill-pickles.html 

...From An Affair from the Heart: "Refrigerator Pickles" 
http://www.anaffairfromtheheart.com/2012/07/refrigerator-pickles/

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Easy Fridge Kosher Dill Pickles" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/super-easy-fridge-pickles-kosher-dills

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Marybelle's Polish Dill Pickles" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/marybelles-polish-dill-pickles

...From Canning and Cooking at Home:  "Put Em Up! Dill Spears" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/pickle-party-sweet-relish-bbs-kosher-dill-spears-oh-my

...From Southern with a Twist: "Mama's Sweet Pickle Sticks" 
http://lynn-southernwithatwist.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-pickle-canning-recipes.html


Pickle/Relish: 

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Ball's Sweet Pickle Relish" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/sweet-pickle-relish

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Traditional Pickled Corn Relish"  
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/traditional-corn-relish

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Pickled, Green Tomato ~ Spicy Mustard Relish"
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/the-original-spicy-mustard-relish

...From Cooking with Mary and Friends: "Canned, Spicy Pickled, and Relish - Beets" 
http://www.cookingwithmaryandfriends.com/2013/04/canned-beets-spicy-pickled-beets-and.html


Pickled Green Beans & Other Vegetables: 
 
...From Sumptuous Spoonfuls: "Pickled Green Beans" 
http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/crisp-spicy-pickled-green-beans/

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Homemade Dilly Beans" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/homemade-dilly-beans

...From Cooking with Mary and Friends: "Canning Dilly Beans" 
http://www.cookingwithmaryandfriends.com/2013/07/canning-dilly-beans.html

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Pickled Asparagus Fridge Pickles" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/pickled-asparagus-fridge-pickles

...From Cooking with Mary and Friends: "Pickled Asparagus"
http://www.cookingwithmaryandfriends.com/2014/03/pickled-asparagus.html

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "End of Summer Garden Pickles" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/fall-fiesta-end-of-summer-garden-pickles

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Pickled Okra for fridge" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/pickled-okra-for-your-fridge

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "ChowChow ~ Hot Pickled Mix" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/hot-pickle-mix-chow-chow

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Pickling Green Chilies & Jalapenos" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/pickling-green-chilies-jalapeno-peppers

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Pickled - Candied Jalapenos" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/cowboy-candy-candied-jalapenos

...From Cooking with Mary and Friends: "Canned, Spicy Pickled, and Relish - Beets" 
http://www.cookingwithmaryandfriends.com/2013/04/canned-beets-spicy-pickled-beets-and.html

...From Cooking with Mary and Friends: "Pickled Cauliflower & Carrots" 
http://www.cookingwithmaryandfriends.com/2013/08/pickled-cauliflower-and-carrots.html


Watermelon Pickles: 

...From Sumptuous Spoonfuls: "Not my Grandmothers Watermelon Pickles/watermelon jalapenos pickles" 
http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/not-my-grandmothers-watermelon-pickles/

...From Canning and Cooking at Home: "Spiced Watermelon Pickles" 
http://www.canningandcookingathome.com/dianes-blog/spiced-watermelon-rind-pickles-guest-post

{easy!} Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:
2-3 slices white bread
1 stick butter (1/2 Cup) 
1 Cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tbs Flour
Pam cooking Spray
29 oz of canned, diced peaches, drained
powdered sugar *for dusting

Directions:
Spray 9" baking pan with "Pam spray with flour". 
Place all drained fruit into bottom of baking pan.
Remove crust from bread and cut into 1-2" strips, place over the fruit as if making a pie crust. 
Melt butter in saucepan and add sugar and flour, blend well. Let butter/sugar/flour mixture slightly cool.
Gradually add in one beaten egg. 
Pour entire mixture over bread. 
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden. 
Lightly dust with powdered sugar if preferred. 
Serve warm and/or with fresh whipped cream or ice cream. 

*you can use any combination of fruit/fruit cocktail. 

Recipe Adapted from: Margie Slentz/Texas
Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home

      No matter what your friends and family call them - they are magnificent little pockets of tastiness!  There are questions as to where this recipe originates from....some saying Russia and most agreeing on Germany.  Then there are those who have settled on calling them - 'Runza' - which is a food chain that is based in the Heartland of the US.  I had a Runza "burger" years ago and remember the tasty concoction - never realizing it was from such an old, traditional recipe.  Many cultures have their own 'dumpling stuffed' versions of a Bierock.  What I like most about this recipe is that you expect the "bun or roll" to be hard but, its not, its soft and gives way to this wonderful hamburger and spiced cabbage mixture.  In most Bierock recipes you'll see the seasonings as "salt & pepper" - I happen to think the cabbage mixture deserves more in the way of spices and taste.  Upon watching two fellows recreate the recipe in a small town in Germany; I saw they incorporated other seasonings into their mix - I decided I would follow suit and I am glad I did.  I also added the splash of apple cider vinegar that I put in my cabbage rolls...just brings out the savory factor in the cabbage.  Since I concentrated on the "filling" this time and not the dough - I used frozen dinner rolls (which are then thawed and flattened before stuffing.)  I haven't seen a recipe out there (yet) like mine so, I am naming these after my German Heritage (family name) 'Schmidt'.   ~Enjoy! Diane 

Schmidt Bierocks 

Filling: 
1 Tbs butter
1 large onion, diced
1 bag of shredded cabbage/cole slaw mix (16 oz) 
1/4 cup water 
1.5 lbs ground beef 
1 tsp fennel seed, divided
1 tsp caraway seed, divided
1/8 tsp cumin
salt to taste
pepper to taste
splash of apple cider vinegar 
melted butter for basting rolls
 
Dough: 
36 frozen dinner rolls (I used Rhodes) 
*you can make your own dough and use as well. 

Directions:

To start, you should have your rolls/dough defrosting during the time you make the filling. The rolls take 3-5 hours to defrost. I make my filling one hour prior to dough being ready. I spray a cookie-sheet with non-stick spray and layout my frozen rolls, then spray cling wrap with non-stick spray and lay over the tops of the buns so they don't stick, dry out and/or harden. (((your packaging should also explain this too))

**Making the filling - which then should be cooled at least 30 mins. before filling dough and baking.

Place 1 Tbs Butter in a large pot to melt, add in diced onion - sweat onions for approx 5-8 mins. 

Add in 1 whole bag (16 oz) of shredded cabbage (I like the coleslaw with carrots blend) and stir until wilted down a bit - approx 3-4 mins. add a: pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, 1/2 tsp fennel, 1/2 tsp caraway seeds, add 1/8 tsp cumin to mixture. 
Mix well, and add in 1/4 C water, set to low, cover and simmer 5 mins. Give mixture a good stir, then turn off heat and set aside to brown ground beef in a different pan. 

Brown ground beef in a separate pan, adding in another pinch of salt, pinch of pepper, and the final 1/2 tsp each fennel and caraway seeds, drain fat off pan and add browned ground beef to pot with cabbage mixture - add in a splash of apple cider vinegar, if preferred.

Taste for any final seasonings (usually a little more salt & pepper) and set pot aside for entire mixture to cool down while dough finishes rising/defrosting.

Preheat oven to 365.

To fill dough, take one roll in hand, and spread out edges using your fingers (think of swirling pizza dough) lay the circle over your hand and place 1/4 cup of mix/filling into center of dough.  Draw two opposite ends towards each other and pinch together (should look like a little taco) then pull up the remaining two open ends towards the center to create a ball and pinch all the dough seems together, lay upside down on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.   These do expand while baking so, give them some space to grow on the cookie sheet.  

Bake for 20 minutes at 365 *or until golden brown.  Remove from oven, brush with melted butter and serve warm.